GP2 Sirotkin wins Hungary sprint race

24/07/2016
NEWS STORY

Sergey Sirotkin has put his title challenge back on track with a crushing win in this morning's Sprint Race at the Hungaroring to add to yesterday's podium, capitalising on his rival's mistakes before leaving everyone behind to claim victory ahead of Jordan King and Norman Nato.

The groundwork for the win was set up at the start: poleman King made a good escape when the lights went out but Nato was slow away from second and was soon fighting with Nobuharu Matsushita, but Sirotkin was faster than them both to slide inside the squabble and into P2 at Turn one, with his teammate coming together with Antonio Giovinazzi behind him and Raffaele Marciello running wide to avoid the collision.

Arthur Pic spun on his own at Turn two and triggered mayhem: Gustav Malja ran over Alex Lynn's rear wheel, with the Swede continuing but the Briton out on the spot, while Matsushita and Luca Ghiotto found the outside barriers for early retirement, spurring a safety car period to remove the four cars. The race was to go live on lap 4, but at the front King ran wide at Turn 13 and Sirotkin was all over him: the pair ran side by side all the way to Turn 4 when the Russian broke through into the lead, and within seconds he was gone.

Sirotkin set a string of fastest laps to set up a lead that was never to be challenged, putting on a driving masterclass to win by almost five seconds from King, who thereafter had a lonely race for a solid second place. Teammate Nato held on for a podium despite constant pressure from Artem Markelov, who overtook former teammate Mitch Evans for 4th just 8 laps in but was unable to repeat the move on the Frenchman, while Oliver Rowland stared at the New Zealander's exhaust pipe for much of the race but just couldn't get by. Pierre Gasly moved up to P7 and claimed points for the fastest lap, while Marciello grabbed the last point of the race in 8th place.

1. Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix
2. Jordan King Racing Engineering
3. Norman Nato Racing Engineering
4. Artem Markelov RUSSIAN TIME
5. Mitch Evans Pertamina Campos Racing
6. Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport
7. Pierre Gasly PREMA Racing
8. Raffaele Marciello RUSSIAN TIME
9. Sergio Canamasas Carlin
10. Sean Gelael Pertamina Campos Racing
11. Daniël de Jong MP Motorsport
12. Nicholas Latifi DAMS
13. Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin
14. Gustav Malja Rapax
15. Philo Paz Armand Trident
16. Nabil Jeffri Arden International
17. Antonio Giovinazzi PREMA Racing

Fastest Lap: Pierre Gasly (PREMA Racing) 1:29.184 (lap 27)

Not Classified

Jimmy Eriksson Arden International
Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix
Arthur Pic Rapax
Alex Lynn DAMS
Luca Ghiotto Trident

Drivers Standings after Hungary (Round 6 of 11)

Pos Name Nat Team Points
1 Gasly FRA Prema Racing 107
2 Giovinazzi ITA Prema Racing 96
3 Marciello ITA Russian Time 85
4 Rowland GBR MP Motorsport 83
5 Nato FRA Racing Engineering 81
6 King GBR Racing Engineering 80
7 Evans NZL Pertamina Campos Racing 77
8 Sirotkin RUS ART Grand Prix 70
9 Markelov RUS Russian Time 65
10 Matsushita JPN ART Grand Prix 56
11 Lynn GBR DAMS 51
12 Ghiotto ITA Trident 38
13 Gelael INO Pertamina Campos Racing 24
14 Latifi CAN DAMS 21
15 Kirchhofer GER Carlin 19
16 Canamasas GBR Carlin 14
17 Pic FRA Rapax 14
18 Eriksson SWE Arden International 10
19 de Jong NED MP Motorsport 6
20 Malja SWE Rapax 3
21 Jeffri MAS Arden International 2

Team standings after Hungary (Round 6 of 11)

Pos Team Points
1 Prema Racing 203
2 Racing Engineering 161
3 Russian Time 150
4 ART Grand Prix 126
5 Pertamina Campos Racing 101
6 MP Motorsport 89
7 DAMS 72
8 Trident 38
9 Carlin 33
10 Rapax 17
11 Arden International 12

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Published: 24/07/2016
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