F2: McLaren driver Alex Dunne wins Spa Feature Race to take over championship lead
Despite challenging conditions in the F2 Spa Feature Race, McLaren Development Driver Alexander Dunne managed to convert his pole position into a victory to take over the championship lead.
After four Formation Laps under the Safety Car, a rolling start in rainy conditions got underway and there was an immediate change for P2 as Stanek overtook Miyata at Turn 1.
Drivers were ordered to complete a rolling start thanks to the tough conditions. Alex Dunne managed to hold on to the lead, but there was a change between him as Roman Stanek jumped to second after overtaking Ritomo Miyata at La Source. However, Stanek had a big snap which allowed Miyata to fight back and regain P2.
The opening laps saw Dunne build up a relatively big margin from Miyata as the McLaren junior driver looked comfortable in the tricky conditions.
On Lap 4, Dunne reported that his tyres started to degrade, which allowed Miyata to cut back the gap from 2.3 seconds to just 1.4 seconds.
Further down the field, Ferrari junior racer Dino Beganovic looked comfortable in his car, managing to pick off Oliver Goethe at Turn 14 to take P10.
On Lap 7, Miyata closed in on Dunne, reducing the gap to just 7 tenths of a second. The Japanese driver put great pressure on the race leader who needed to fend off a serious attack into La Source.
Although Victor Martins looked quick and comfortable, he was handed a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits.
Lap 11 saw Gabriele Mini, Beganovic and Leonardo Fornaroli dive into the pits to complete their mandatory pit stop. The next lap saw Stanek, Martins and Marti head into the pit lane as well before Dunne, Browning and Arvid Lindblad also completed their mandatory tyre service on the next tour.
On Lap 13, heavy rainfall arrived, and Williams junior driver Browning was unable to avoid a spin when he exited the pit lane.
After everyone completed the mandatory pit stop, Dunne found himself on top again, but there was a huge fight behind him, with Miyata and Stanek battling it out for P2.
However, the Japanese driver spun at Pouhon, which saw him drop down to fourth spot while Lindblad made a move on Stane to move up into second place.
After Sebastian Montoya endured a spin at Raidillon, he came to a halt which required a safety car intervention.
Driving behind the safety car, Goethe stopped with a technical issue on Lap 21, and the race was red flagged with just two laps to complete.
After a torrid race, Dunne claimed his third victory of the season, with Lindblad and Stanek completing the podium.
Miyata finished fourth, whilst Browning recovered from his spin to finish fifth ahead of Martí and Fornaroli. Beganovic was eighth, Minì ninth, with Martins in 10th.
Speaking of his latest victory, Dunna stated: “Third Feature Race win of the year, very happy to take back the Championship lead. It was a very difficult race, definitely the hardest one of the year.
"I felt like there was never a moment where I got to relax so definitely happy to have had a hard fought win," concluded McLaren junior driver.
What do the championship standings look like?Alexander Dunne retakes the lead of the Drivers’ Championship on 137 points, while Richard Verschoor drops to second on 122. Leonardo Fornaroli is third on 121 points, while Jak Crawford is down to fourth on 116, with Luke Browning fifth with 108.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing continue to lead the way on 183 points, with Invicta Racing 15 points adrift in second. Hitech TGR are third with 154 points, ahead of DAMS Lucas Oil on 142 in fourth, with Rodin Motorsport and MP Motorsport tied on 139 points.
