Ayumu Iwasa finishes the race in 8th after starting in 9th. Multiple penalties after the race then promote him to 6th overall
Circuit Paul RicardRound 9 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off at Circuit Paul Ricard, France.
In the qualifying session on Friday 22 July, Ayumu Iwasa, a Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP) driver, marked the day’s fastest time in his attempt in the second set, but this was reversed just before the end of the session to second best at 0.006s behind. He started from P9 in Row 5 on the grid in the Sprint Race, where a reverse grid is applied.
Under an ambient temperature of 28°C and a track temperature of 38°C, the formation lap of the Sprint Race got underway at 6:00pm. In the fight for positions right after the start, Iwasa fell down the order to finish the first lap in 10th. After that, the cars were closely bunched up in line, with Iwasa holding 10th position as the race entered the middle stage.
On Lap 9, there was an accident at the back of the field, and the Safety Car was brought on. The race proper resumed on Lap 13, with the top positions remaining unchanged as the race entered its final stage. On Lap 17, Iwasa lunged forward on the inside on Turn 11, overtaking the car in front and moving up to 9th. On Lap 21, the final lap, he overtook again and climbed to 8th position before passing the chequered flag.
After the race, four drivers, including the leaders, were given time penalties and so Iwasa was promoted to 6th place, earning three points. He has now scored points in four consecutive races.
My start wasn’t so good, as I let wheelspin occur a bit and I lost in the fight for position after that. This is a point I should reflect on for the Feature Race. In the early and middle stages of the race, I tried not to get too close to the front and not to damage the tyres. As a result, I had the potential to overtake the front at the end of the race and was able to improve my position. I drove well in the line of cars, and I think it was a good race for me. I’ll start from 2nd in the Feature Race, and so management of the soft tyres will be important. We will prepare well for the race, including our strategy
