Philipp Eng wins dramatic race one at Brands Hatch
Austrian becomes fifth winner in seven races
Austrian Philipp Eng has taken a brilliant maiden F2 win at
Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday) after enduring race-long
pressure from championship leader Andy Soucek.
Eng didn't make the best of starts off the line, but Soucek was
unable to capitalise on the run down to Paddock Hill Bend. Henry
Surtees and Kazim Vasiliauskas were side-by-side behind, and it was
the Lithuanian who grabbed third on the opening lap.
Notable incidents in the early stages included Alex
Brundle running through the gravel at Druids Hairpin on lap
two and Jens Höing sliding off at Paddock Hill Bend. Brundle
was able to continue, whilst Höing retired after making
contact with the barriers.
After ten laps, the top three were separated by less than a
second as Surtees fought to stay with the front-runners. Further
back, Carlos Iaconelli and Sebastian Hohenthal were fighting for
eighth, and Hohenthal made a stellar move down the inside of
the Brazilian at Paddock. Unfortunately, Hohenthal's car began to
slow before stopping on the edge of the circuit between Sheene
Curve and Stirling's.
The stewards were left with little option but to deploy the
safety car as Hohenthal's stricken car was retrieved. At the
restart, and on cold tyres, Vasiliauskas ran wide into the first
corner. Surtees accepted the invitation, as did Robert Wickens and
both drivers nipped by the Lithuanian on the run up to Druids.
Iaconelli was still in the thick of the action, this time
passing Miloš Pavlović around the outside for
seventh position. Then Julien Jousse ran wide coming out of Surtees
Corner, allowing Iaconelli to steal another place. Things got worse
for Jousse - as the Frenchman tried to attack and repass
Iaconelli, he out braked himself at Paddock Hill Bend and
crashed out of the race.
Back at the front, Eng was still under intense
pressure from Soucek, but the Austrian hung on to take the win
by just 0.494s. "It is my first victory and it feels great," said
Eng. "I was nervous as Andy put me under so much pressure. He
was really quick in the back part of the circuit in the fast
corners, but I managed to keep my position. The key now is
consistency, definitely."
Soucek extended his lead at the top of the overall standings as
his rivals faltered behind. "I tried to put Philipp under pressure
but he resisted well," said Soucek. "I picked up some points over
my main challengers, but it is still not enough. Tomorrow Robert
Wickens is starting alongside me and it won't be easy."
Surtees kept Wickens at bay to claim his maiden podium in F2 -
well deserved after the pace he has shown throughout the season.
"It's a bit of a relief really," commented Surtees. "I
only had two points before this race even though we've had a
pole and we've set fastest laps in practice. It's nice to
actually finish a race - in the last four I haven't quite been so
lucky."
Vasiliauskas maintained fifth, ahead of the charging Iaconelli.
Pavlović and Edoardo Piscopo rounded out the points - the
Italian having recovered well from a poor start. Nicola De Marco
was just half a second away from a points paying position in ninth,
whilst Mikhail Aleshin stormed from the back of the grid to
take tenth.
There were great battles throughout the field - Jolyon
Palmer and Jack Clarke traded positions before Clarke went off and
out of the race at Sheene Curve. Mirko Bortolotti also went
out after going off at the same corner, whilst Alex
Brundle and Armaan Ebrahim tangled at Clark Curve, both drivers
retiring on the spot.
FIA Formula Two Championshp Race One - Brands Hatch,
UK:
1. Philipp Eng, 28 laps
2. Andy Soucek, +0.494s
3. Henry Surtees, +1.694s
4. Robert Wickens, +3.000s
5. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +3.271s
6. Carlos Iaconelli, +7.398s
7. Milos Pavlovic, +7.942s
8. Edoardo Piscopo, +8.416s
Race two takes place at 12.45 (UK time) tomorrow.