In the end Oscar Piastri succeeded in the enterprise. The Australian driver, after the title in Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019 and that in Formula 3 last year, also got his hands on the Formula 2 2021 championship to debut in the category.
Piastri literally humiliated his opponents in a season characterized by a revised format and not at all pleasing to the riders with endless pauses between the various rounds. The definitive explosion for Oscar came at Silverstone, with the first pole of 2021 which was followed by another 4. A record never before achieved by anyone in the series.
Piastri already closed the games in Sprint Race 1 by running with an embarrassing clarity. Starting from the tenth position, the Australian immediately moved to sixth position behind his teammate, and direct rival in the standings, Robert Shwartzman.
With every move of the Russian, Piastri replied shortly after knowing that closing in the wake of the Tsar would still have won the title.
On the third lap Shwartzman overtook a Ticktum in trouble right from the start to be imitated by Piastri and the same thing happened on the seventh lap when the Russian got behind Lawson.
For most of the 23 laps scheduled for the race Piastri followed the FDA driver like a shadow and then broke the delay at the end with a hard overtaking that took Shwartzman by surprise. Once he climbed to third position, Oscar was able to set his own pace by taking to Drugovich’s exhausts and then passing under the checkered flag and celebrating the well-deserved third consecutive title.
After such a season, however, a bitter taste remains for not seeing the 2021 Formula 2 champion next year. A driver of this level is absolutely wasted in a test and simulator season.
The winner in the first Sprint Race of the weekend was Jehan Daruvala. The Indian, who should face the third season in Formula 2 with the Prema team colors next year, led the operations from the first to the last lap, managing to regulate Felipe Drugovich.
The Brazilian of UNI-Virtuosi seemed too shy when he tried to undermine the Indian of Carlin and on lap 9 he tried to squeeze inside in curve 9 and then be sent back to second position by a Daruvala finally aggressive as he could not see. time ago.
Jehan Daruvala, Carlin
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Jehan also managed the tires so well that on lap 18 he set the fastest lap, only to lose it when Caldwell, stopped at the pit to change the wing and mount super soft tires, lapped in 1’39”070.
At the foot of the podium a strongly disappointed Robert Shwartzman closed. The czar was expected in the season of definitive consecration but found in the team a tough opponent to face. The difficulties in qualifying manifested throughout the year, and solved only in the last few rounds, penalized him excessively in a format of 3 races per weekend.
The farewell to the series will necessarily have to happen in style and the chance to win the Feature Race on Sunday is absolutely within his grasp.
Few emotions experienced in the supporting positions. Lawson, Ticktum and Pourchaire finished in fifth, sixth and seventh place with the French author, once again, of a tremendous start that made him fall in the standings.
Eighth final position for a Zhou who in this season finale is presenting himself in the worst possible way to the Formula 1 public, while behind the Chinese, Boschung and Armstrong completed the top 10.
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