Ayumu Iwasa finishes a stormy race in 3rd, only to face a regrettable disqualification after post-race scrutineering
The Feature Race of the FIA Formula 2 Round 13 Italy took place on Sunday, 11 September. Ayumu Iwasa, who had qualified 7th, started from P7 in Row 4 of the grid.
The formation lap started at 10.19am, under dry conditions with an ambient temperature of 22°C and a track temperature of 28°C. This was 14 minutes later than scheduled due to a delay at the end of the previous F3 race. It was a rocky beginning because of a slow start from the polesitter while Iwasa had moved up to 5th by the first corner after a good kick off. There was a pile-up at the back of the field and the Safety Car was brought out on the first lap. When the race resumed on Lap 6, Iwasa, whose pace had not improved, was passed by a trailing car at Turn 1 and slipped down to 6th. Then, when he tried to overtake back at the Turn 4 chicane, he was forced to take a short cut. While he was trying to recover his position the car behind performed a surprise attack and he fell to 7th. On Lap 7, the Safety Car came on again due to an accident in the following pack. Iwasa reacted quickly and made a pit stop to change tyres, which allowed him to climb up the field. After three laps with the Safety Car leading the pack, the race was red flagged to allow the barriers to be repaired.
The race resumed on Lap 10 with the Safety Car leading the way, and with a rolling restart on Lap 11. At that time, Iwasa was running 4th but actually was 2nd, as the two cars in front had not pitted. However, Iwasa's pace did not improve, and he was soon passed by a car behind on the first corner, dropping to 5th position. As in the Sprint Race, Iwasa struggled with his car and the gap to the rivals ahead widened, with the car behind coming close to him. The race became difficult for him as he went into the final stages. Iwasa gradually regained his pace and desperately defended his position against pressure from the trailing car. As the leaders made pit stops on Laps 20 and 26, Iwasa moved up to 3rd and aimed to remain in that position until the end. After setting his best lap time on Lap 29 and holding his position, Iwasa completed the 30-lap race in 3rd place to finish on the podium back-to-back from the Feature Race in the previous round in the Netherlands.
However, during the post-race scrutineering, a violation was found on the floor of his car and Iwasa was disqualified.
Iwasa finished the Italian round with zero points and will enter the final round in 9th in the championship standings. The final round will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi from 18 to 20 November.