Jak Crawford Dominates F2 Feature Race at Silverstone, Narrowing Championship Gap

In a thrilling Formula 2 feature race at Silverstone, Jak Crawford showcased his exceptional driving skills on a wet track, ultimately seizing victory and reducing Richard Verschoor’s championship lead to just six points. The DAMS driver faced minimal resistance from Alex Dunne, who finished in second place, while Luke Browning delivered an outstanding performance, rounding out the podium in third at his home circuit.

Weather Concerns Precede the Race

Prior to the race, weather conditions were a source of concern. Heavy rainfall had resulted in the premature conclusion of the F3 feature race earlier in the day. Consequently, the start time for the F2 formation lap was pushed back from 11:05 AM to 11:15 AM. The rain persisted until about 10:45 AM, after which the skies began to clear, revealing patches of blue between the dissipating clouds.

Despite the lingering dampness, race control deemed the track suitable for a standing start. Victor Martins earned pole position after clocking the fastest qualifying time of the season, with Dunne occupying the second spot on the grid.

A Rocky Start for Martins

At the start, Martins experienced a sluggish getaway, quickly losing positions to Dunne, Crawford, and Roman Staněk. Although he managed to reclaim his position from Staněk, it was yet another missed opportunity for the Frenchman to take the lead.

Following the initial chaos, a period of calm ensued at the front of the race. The gap between race leader Crawford and Dunne stabilized between one and three seconds for the next 20 laps. However, the action was far from subdued in the midfield.

Browning’s Impressive Charge

Starting from the 12th position, Browning made significant headway during the opening lap, rising to ninth place by the end of the first lap. He then systematically worked his way through the top ten, overtaking Arvid Lindblad at Vale on lap two, Richard Verschoor at Copse on lap four, and Sebastián Montoya at The Loop on lap five. Teammate Dino Beganovic closely followed Browning’s moves, and by the end of lap five, both Hitech drivers had climbed to sixth and seventh positions, respectively.

Browning’s next target was Joshua Dürksen. Over the course of the next five laps, he relentlessly pressured the Paraguayan, forcing him into defensive maneuvers. Dürksen eventually passed Staněk on the inside of Copse on lap nine. In his attempt to provide Dürksen room for overtaking, Staněk went wide, allowing Browning to dive through at Maggots. Beganovic also followed suit into Vale.

After a series of attempts to overtake Dürksen at The Loop, Copse, Stowe, and Club on lap 11, Browning finally succeeded at Luffield on lap 12 when Dürksen slipped wide. At that moment, Browning trailed the third-placed Martins by 3.7 seconds, but he quickly closed the gap to 2.4 seconds just one lap later.

With 11 laps remaining, Browning made another move at Luffield, this time around the outside, to secure third place on lap 18. The gap to Dunne in second stood at a challenging 6.7 seconds.

The Strategy Dilemma

As the race progressed, the drivers faced the critical decision of when to pit, all while contending with the wet conditions. Arvid Lindblad and Kush Maini were the first to pit on lap 20, both opting for fresh wet tires. Browning and Staněk followed suit, making their stops on lap 22.

However, with the track starting to dry, some drivers took a gamble and opted for slick tires, hoping to improve their standings. Gabriele Minì was one such driver who decided to fit soft tires on lap 21, just as Oliver Goethe made his pit stop for wets behind him.

The two exited the pits closely matched, but Goethe had a significant advantage in grip and attempted to overtake Minì at Village. Unfortunately, Minì struggled for traction under braking and collided with Goethe’s car, resulting in damage to the left side of his vehicle. Minì subsequently pulled off the track in the middle sector, triggering a virtual safety car period.

Pitting Under Pressure

The leaders still needed to complete their mandatory pit stops. Crawford took his pit stop at the end of lap 23, just before the virtual safety car was deployed, emerging in fifth place with the top four drivers—Dunne, Martins, Beganovic, and Dürksen—yet to pit.

At the time the virtual safety car was activated, Dunne was five seconds ahead of Martins, but he faced a tricky situation with his teammate Amaury Cordeel ahead on track, who was struggling to stay on the racing line on slick tires. This slowed Dunne’s pace, allowing Martins to close in rapidly.

Dunne’s frustrations regarding his inability to pass his teammate were somewhat alleviated when a full safety car was deployed after Staněk’s car came to a stop on the Hangar Straight. The top four drivers chose to pit, leading to Crawford regaining the lead. He was followed by Dunne, Browning, Beganovic, and Dürksen for the restart at the end of lap 27 of 29, quickly creating a gap at the front.

Final Lap Drama

As the race unfolded, Dürksen spun out of fifth position and was unable to restart his engine, prompting another safety car deployment. However, race control allowed drivers to complete the first sector before officially deploying the safety car.

With the victory all but secured, Crawford led the pack to the finish line as the safety car exited the pits at the end of the final lap. Dunne managed to secure another strong finish in second place, while Browning delivered one of the standout performances of the season to take third. Beganovic and Montoya followed in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Martins, who had entered the first safety car restart in sixth, suffered from significant front wing damage during the safety car period, hindering his pace. This led to a frantic scramble among drivers eager to overtake both him and each other for minor points positions. Sprint race winner Leonardo Fornaroli finished sixth, followed by Verschoor in seventh place. Campos teammates Lindblad and Pepe Martí secured eighth and ninth positions, while Rafael Villagómez earned the final point in tenth place for Van Amersfoort. Martins did not finish the last lap and was classified in 19th place.

Championship Standings

Despite the outcome of the race, Verschoor retained his championship lead. However, Crawford’s third victory of the season significantly narrowed the gap, leaving him just six points behind the Dutchman. Dunne, despite slipping to third in the standings, gained ground on Verschoor, now trailing by 14 points. Fornaroli sits in fourth place, while Browning rounds out the top five, 18 and 24 points behind, respectively.

This exciting race at Silverstone not only entertained fans but also set the stage for an intense fight for the championship as the season progresses. Each driver is now keenly aware that every point counts in this competitive environment, heightening the stakes for the upcoming races.