Starting from 16th place, Ayumu Iwasa regretfully retires due to an accident on the opening lap
The Feature Race of the FIA Formula 2 Round 11 Belgium took place on Sunday, 30 July. Ayumu Iwasa, who had qualified 16th, started from P16 in Row 8 of the grid.
Although the morning rain had stopped, the Feature Race got under way on a track surface still wet in places at Spa-Francorchamps. The record line was almost dry, so all cars headed to the grid on dry tyres, but several of them spun on the way. It was a turbulent start to the day as the driver who had won the front row spun, crashed and became unable to run the race.
Under cold conditions with an ambient temperature of 13°C and a track temperature of 16°C, the formation lap got going at 10:05am. Having opted for the prime (medium) tyres, Iwasa got a good start and moved up some places. He drove through the Kemmel straight in 13th place, but slightly overshot into Turn 5 at the end of the straight. He managed to stay on track but lost his balance in the following Turn 6 and made contact with a car on the outside. The other car spun and stopped, while Iwasa was also forced to make a pit stop suffering suspension damage. The damage to his car was significant and Iwasa had to retire.
This accident was deliberated over after the race and the Japanese driver received a five-place grid penalty for the Sprint Race in the next round. With two points gained in the Sprint Race on the previous day, he keeps 3rd place with a total of 134 points in the series standings.