Jak Crawford emerged victorious in the Formula 2 feature race held in Monaco on Sunday, finishing ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli and Sebastián Montoya. This race was marked by unexpected chaos, including multiple interruptions due to on-track incidents, notably a massive collision at the very first corner that took out seven competitors.
The Monaco feature race, which began with a sense of anticipation, quickly spiraled into confusion and disorder. The first sign of trouble came when Sebastián Montoya, who had qualified fifth, stalled his car while trying to proceed for the formation lap. This incident mirrored a similar situation from the previous week at Imola, forcing him to start from the pit lane instead of the grid.
As the race launched, Martins got off to a significantly better start than Dunne. The French driver surged ahead, taking the outside line into Sainte Dévote. Despite trailing behind, Dunne attempted a bold maneuver into the corner, leading to contact between the two drivers. The collision sent Martins crashing into the wall, and Dunne was caught up in the aftermath as well.
The resulting chaos blocked half of the track, causing a chain reaction that ensnared nine other drivers. Among those affected were Gabriele Minì, Pepe Martí, Ritomo Miyata, Amaury Cordeel, Max Esterson, and Sami Meguetounif. Richard Verschoor, who had started in fourth place, sustained suspension damage after hitting Dunne and was forced to stop further along the Beau Rivage.
Following the crash, Dunne was handed a drive-through penalty, which was later adjusted to a 10-place grid penalty for the next sprint race in Barcelona. Notably, the race officials decided that this penalty would only apply to the sprint race and not affect both events, a departure from previous F2 penalty practices this season.
Leonardo Fornaroli, who had begun the race in third position, skillfully avoided the early chaos and took the lead. In his post-race interview, Fornaroli remarked, “I was just in the right place at the right time. I knew both of them were aggressive drivers. Victor had a great start and went outside of Alex, while I was aware Alex wouldn’t back down. So, I thought to myself, ‘Let’s just wait and see if they crash.’”
As the two drivers collided, he was uncertain whether they would come back onto the track or head straight into the wall. Once he realized they were heading off, he prepared for a strong exit and managed to dodge the crash.
The race was promptly red-flagged, as 11 cars needed assistance at the first corner. Eventually, three of these cars rejoined the race, which resumed approximately 40 minutes later with a rolling start under safety car conditions. Race control reinstated the original starting order for the remaining drivers, with Fornaroli leading, followed by Montoya, who had been given a second chance after his earlier stall. Arvid Lindblad occupied third place, while Jak Crawford found himself in fourth.
Among the drivers who were allowed to restart after the first-corner incident was Amaury Cordeel, despite the fact that his vehicle had to be lifted by a crane. Others, like Gabriele Minì, were not permitted to continue after parking their cars trackside and waiting for assistance.
According to Article 22.4 of the F2 sporting regulations, any car receiving physical assistance during a race may be disqualified from continuing. When the FIA was contacted about the enforcement of the rule regarding outside assistance, they clarified that cars with damage were not allowed to restart to expedite the race resumption and complete the event in the allotted time.
Following two laps behind the safety car, Fornaroli led the 15 remaining drivers into the first green-flag action. However, on the second lap after the restart, Joshua Dürksen misjudged his braking point and collided with Kush Maini, who was running in seventh. Although Maini continued without damage, Dürksen’s car crashed into the barriers, necessitating the deployment of a virtual safety car.
Once Dürksen’s vehicle was cleared, a phase of calm descended over the race. Most competitors had opted for soft tires, and all were still required to make a mandatory pit stop during the race. Drivers like Oliver Goethe, Rafael Villagómez, and Dino Beganovic, who had restarted on supersofts, took advantage of the opportunity to pit after six laps.
However, this strategic move lost its potential edge when Beganovic crashed severely at Casino Square on lap 14. The subsequent virtual safety car deployment meant that drivers were unable to make their compulsory stops, though they were aware that they could do so if the situation escalated to a full safety car.
In the post-race press conference, Crawford revealed that he had slowed down before entering the pits, anticipating the possibility of a safety car situation. When the race control announced the deployment of the safety car at the end of lap 15, he had just passed Rascasse, the final corner before the pit entry.
Crawford utilized the opportunity to pit while the leading trio of Fornaroli, Montoya, and Lindblad had already passed the pit entry and found themselves behind the safety car, which restricted their speed. The top three eventually pitted at the end of lap 16, allowing Crawford to surpass them comfortably. However, on lap 18, with significant damage to the barriers at Casino Square, the red flag was waved again, ending the race prematurely without a resumption.
As a result, Crawford secured his second victory of the season, having previously triumphed in the sprint race at Imola. Lindblad, who had managed to pass Montoya in the pits, was ultimately demoted to fifth place due to a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Lindblad’s earlier positioning had also been erroneously assessed based on lap 17 instead of lap 16, which is stipulated in Article 43.10 of the regulations.
Crawford expressed his appreciation for his fortunate turn of events, while Fornaroli lamented the missed opportunity. With the race not reaching half distance, Crawford earned 13 points for his win. Fornaroli, despite his disappointment, took home 10 points, marking his third podium finish of the season. He was on the verge of achieving his first single-seater victory in four years, along with three additional points, had the timing of the safety car not interfered.
Montoya celebrated his first podium finish in Formula 2 by securing third place, with Luke Browning and Lindblad finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. The sixth position was claimed by Maini, who had previously won the sprint race, followed by Roman Staněk. Under the reduced points system, only the top nine finishers received points, and Villagómez and Goethe rounded out the scorers.
Dunne’s crash resulted in him losing the championship lead, with Browning taking over the top spot with 70 points. Dunne now trails by five points at 65, while Fornaroli is closely behind with 64 points. Former leader Verschoor stands at 59 points, with Crawford now positioned fifth at 56 points after his win.
The Monaco feature race was a vivid reminder of the unpredictable nature of motorsport, where fortunes can change in an instant, and drivers must remain vigilant and adaptable in the face of unforeseen circumstances.
