Leclerc’s on track

COOL Charles Leclerc claimed a fine win in the sprint race of the opening round of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship, one of the support races of the 2017 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

The Prema Racing driver triumphed after completing the event in 43 minutes 01.023 seconds, stopping for fresh rubber from the lead of the race and emerging in 14th place before fighting all the way back up for victory ahead of a crestfallen Luca Ghiotto and Oliver Rowland.

The teams were looking for options on a circuit renowned for its abrasive surface, but the decision to make a pit stop in a sprint race was one that took most observers by surprise, and the fight back topped off a superb weekend of racing.

There was drama at the front of the grid before the start when poleman Nobuharu Matsushita failed to make it out on time, forcing the frustrated Japanese driver to start from the pit lane. But when the lights went out his ART teammate pushed front row starter Ghiotto hard, with the Italian braking as late as possible to slide inside and into the lead at turn 1 ahead of Albon, a fast-starting Leclerc, Norman Nato, Jordan King, Oliver Rowland and Artem Markelov.

Nato was soon out of the race after a come together with King, and the resultant safety car period gave everyone a breather for two laps before going live again, with Leclerc making short work of disposing former teammate Albon, followed almost immediately by Rowland, and then Markelov next time round.

Leclerc dropped a bombshell by pitting on lap 15, emerging ahead of Markelov and wasting no time in fighting back towards the lead, now held by Rowland, setting the fastest lap in the process.

In a 23 lap race it seemed impossible that the Monegasque driver could force his way back, and the action continued at the front of the race as King snuck past Fuoco, giving him the space to look forward to Rowland instead of in his mirrors. The Briton was falling back towards the Italian as Leclerc broke back into the points positions, and on the penultimate lap the inevitable happened as Ghiotto forced his way into the lead, just as Leclerc blasted by King into third place.

And, on the final lap, Leclerc, on fresher rubber, easily dispatched Rowland on the front straight and Ghiotto in the back section of the circuit, before cruising to his maiden win ahead of the pair to the obvious delight of his team.

After the first round Leclerc leads Markelov by 36 points to 28, ahead of Rowland on 20, with Ghiotto, Nato and King on 18, while in the Teams’ Championship RUSSIAN TIME is on top with 46 points ahead of PREMA Racing on 38, DAMS on 28, with Pertamina Arden and MP Motorsport on 18 points as they look forward to the next round of the championship in Barcelona, Spain on May 12-14.