Sprint Race: started P14 → finished P16

The Sprint Race began at 10:45am on Saturday 6 June in dry conditions, with an air temperature of 23°C and a track temperature of 30°C.

From Turn 1 on the opening lap, all 30 cars were involved in an intense battle for position, before several cars made contact at the Turn 6 hairpin. This brought out the Safety Car (SC), with a number of damaged cars heading to the pits. Kato, who had started from 14th on the grid, was among them. He was able to rejoin the race, but was relegated to 26th.

On lap 2, the SC period became a red-flag interruption. After a lengthy stoppage, the race resumed behind the SC on lap 3, but was switched to a timed race. The SC returned to the pits on the same lap, and racing resumed with just under 21 minutes remaining. However, with around 17 minutes to go, three cars made contact at the hairpin, bringing out the SC for a second time. Racing resumed with 14 minutes remaining, but at around the seven-minute mark, the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was deployed to clear debris from the track.

The race was marked throughout by interruptions and incidents, and ended after 18 laps without reaching the originally scheduled 23-lap distance. Kato took the chequered flag in 23rd, but several cars were later disqualified for technical infringements or given penalties for incidents during the race, promoting him to 16th.

©Dutch Photo Agency