John N
PREMA Racing’s Dennis Hauger took his maiden Formula 2 victory in Monte Carlo, winning from the front row of the grid. The Norwegian dominated proceedings after taking the lead of the race at the start.
Jehan Daruvala made it a PREMA one-two, with Marcus Armstrong rounding out the podium finishers for Hitech Grand Prix. Jake Hughes had lined up on pole but stalled as the lights went out, allowing Hauger to assume the race’s lead and clear off into a lead that he’d never relinquish.
Behind them, Theo Pourchaire was the man on the move on the opening lap, taking sixth from Alpine Academy driver Jack Doohan at the Grand Hotel Hairpin.
A well-deserved 1-2 for @PREMA_Team in Monaco 👏👏
They won't be forgetting this MEGA race for the team anytime soon 🙌#MonacoGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/0c6QcbD96o
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 28, 2022
Enzo Fittipaldi was also one of the main beneficiaries of Hughes’ stall, climbing to fourth place. The Brazilian couldn’t keep pace with the podium finishers but could comfortably hold Red Bull junior Juri Vips at bay throughout the race to take fourth.
Pourchaire claimed three points from the Sprint, finishing in sixth position, with Doohan following in seventh. The Australian could secure the fastest lap on the last tour in seventh. Liam Lawson claimed the final points-paying spot in eighth.
Championship leader Felipe Drugovich endured a nightmare afternoon, sustaining a puncture on the opening lap of the race and dropping to the back. He then gambled on wet tires for a rain shower that never arrived. He eventually retired from the race after falling five laps down.
A frustrating and difficult race for the championship leader, Felipe Drugovich 😩
Fingers crossed for a much better Feature Race for the Brazilian! 🤞#MonacoGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/lKHspPL9EJ
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 28, 2022
AS IT HAPPENED
Reverse pole-sitter Hughes stalled off the line allowing Hauger a clean run into Saint Devote to take the lead. Daruvala followed closely ahead of Armstrong, Fittipaldi, and Vips. Pourchaire was on the move, diving up the inside of Doohan to take sixth position from the Virtuosi Racing driver on the opening lap.
Felipe Drugovich meanwhile plummeted and was in the pits at the end of the opening lap having sustained a puncture and fallen to last place. He made a bold call to switch to the full wets, reporting that drops of rain were beginning to fall. Those spots remained fine as he fell to over a minute behind Hauger. The Championship leader pitted again on lap four for dry tires, going a lap down in the process. To compound the MP Motorsport driver’s woes, he was handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
An unfortunate Sprint Start for Jake Hughes on pole 😩
But, a brilliant getaway by rookie Dennis Hauger#MonacoGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/LHanqSZVe2
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 28, 2022
With DRS enabled, Hauger had moved 1.5s clear of Daruvala but there was a queue starting to form behind Fittipaldi in fourth. Vips, Pourchaire, Doohan, and Liam Lawson were part of the train, but there was no way through on the Charouz Racing System driver.
The racing remained under green flag conditions until lap 10 when Clément Novalak hit the wall on the exit of La Rascasse. A dive up the inside by Ayumu Iwasa got him side-by-side with the Frenchman, leading to the MP Motorsport driver tagging the barriers on the corner exit. It brought the Safety Car out as Novalak’s car was recovered. Iwasa was in at the end of the next lap for a new front wing, dropping him to 17th. The Japanese driver later received a 10-second time penalty for the incident.
The Safety Car was withdrawn on lap 13 and Hauger resumed his comfortable lead, gaining over a second on Daruvala during the first lap back racing. Hughes had got going after his stall at the start and was the fastest man on track at the halfway stage of the Sprint Race. Unfortunately for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, he was 16s down on the next car up the road and circulating in 19th.
Having re-joined the race five laps down and on the wet tires, Drugovich retired on lap 20. Meanwhile, PREMA Racing was enjoying a one-two heading into the final 10 laps, though Daruvala was being pressured by Armstrong for P2, with the Hitech Grand Prix driver on the brink of being within DRS range.
The moment Clement Novalak's Sprint Race came to an early end 😩#MonacoGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/w6Tu2SlDZQ
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 28, 2022
Down the order, Olli Caldwell had a lock-up into the Nouvelle Chicane and lightly tagged the back of Marino Sato’s Virtuosi car. Both avoided major damage and continued on in 15th and 16th respectively with five laps to go.
Up in front, nobody could get close to Hauger, who’d disappeared six seconds up the road by the chequered flag. Daruvala held onto second after late pressure from Armstrong. Fittipaldi likewise resisted the pressure from Vips behind to claim fourth while Pourchaire, Doohan – who claimed the fastest lap on the final tour – Lawson, Nissany, and Sargeant kept it clean to each finish in the top 10.
Drugovich remains the Championship leader on 88 points, meanwhile, Pourchaire moves onto 63 points. Daruvala’s second-place finish keeps him third in the standings, while Armstrong demotes Lawson to fifth, moving onto 42 points versus the Carlin driver’s 38.
The Teams’ Standings is still led by MP Motorsport on 110 points, with ART Grand Prix remaining in second now on 88. Behind both though, Hitech Grand Prix jumps Carlin for third, now on 76 and 74 points respectively.
