Formula 2 – Leclerc and Matsushita won, best lap for Ralph Boshung in Barcelona

Charles Leclerc has dominated this afternoon’s feature race at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, winning from pole but having to work hard all race long after a safety car threw everyone’s strategies out the window to win from Luca Ghiotto on the same strategy and Oliver Rowland on the alternate tyre choice.

The race commenced under scorching conditions, with half the grid starting on primes and half on options, indicating just how close the decision was to prove. The Monegasque driver had a decent start but fellow front row starter Ghiotto’s was better, with Leclerc having to work hard to hold back the fast charging Italian through the opening sector, with Alexander Albon making the most of a tremendous start to slot into P3, ahead of Nyck De Vries, Jordan King and Rowland.

Albon went one better on lap 4 with Ghiotto’s tyres already wearing out: King was the first driver into the pits when they opened on lap 6, with race leader Leclerc and Nobuharu Matsushita in next time around and Ghiotto on lap 8, handing Albon the lead on track ahead of Rowland, who had found a way by De Vries and was looking for more. But a VSC to remove Sergio Canamasas’ car turned into a safety car next time through, and suddenly the strategy calls were all out the window, with Leclerc the first of the stoppers in P12 and the gap to the front now shredded.

The race was live once more on lap 13, and Leclerc was already blazing a trail through his rivals, so close ahead on track and with substantially older tyres, with Ghiotto thinking about tyre wear and unable to stay with him. The prime-tyred drivers at the front had to push as hard as possible in the hope that any gap they build, plus late fresh rubber, could re-energise their fight for the win. Rowland wasn’t waiting for anyone, dispatching Albon for the lead on lap 21, and all eyes were on the timing screens to monitor the gaps up and down the field.

One by one they had to peel into the garage, and Leclerc was there to pick up their positions: Rowland eventually returned the race lead back to the Monegasque driver when he pitted on lap 29, the last man to do so, but the gap back to Ghiotto was slowing shrinking as tyre wear came into its own.

But Leclerc was not to be denied, driving just within the car’s limits all the way to the flag as he celebrated his first feature win ahead of Ghiotto, who managed his car well all race long, and Rowland, who sliced through the field after his pitstop for another podium finish. Matsushita took solace in P4, just ahead of teammate Albon, with Nicholas Latifi mugging Gustav Malja for 6th on the final lap ahead of Artem Markelov, who will be tomorrow’s polesitter, King and Ralph Boschung. But after the race, Ralph Boschung was penalised and classified 12^th.

Nobuharu Matsushita put himself in the driver’s seat to collect victory in this morning’s Sprint Race at the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona with a solid, mature drive to P2 in the opening stages before a mistake by race leader Nicholas Latifi gave the McLaren development driver a clean run through for his first win since last year’s sprint race in Monaco, ahead of DAMS teammates Oliver Rowland and Latifi.

The race opened under clear and warm conditions, and when the lights went out polesitter Artem Markelov bogged down, with P3 starter Latifi making an incredible start to easily lead front row starter Gustav Malja, Matsushita, Luca Ghiotto, Alexander Albon, Rowland, Jordan King and Charles Leclerc past the fuming Russian and into turn one. A few corners later Nyck De Vries and Antonio Fuoco came together and spun in unison, prompting the safety car to make an appearance.

Latifi easily controlled the lap 2 restart before setting off down the road, putting himself safely out of DRS range in the process, while Leclerc started his move up the timesheets with a clean run through King at turn one, with Markelov following in his wake. The Monegasque driver was soon recommencing battle with former GP3 rival Albon, forcing both men forward: Ghiotto was quickly dispatched by the pair, while ahead of them Matsushita and Rowland claimed Malja’s scalp on lap 14 as they put themselves on the podium.

With 6 laps to go Leclerc’s constant pressure finally paid off: Albon’s tyres were shot and he was simply unable to defend anymore when the Ferrari Academy man blasted past at turn one and into the distance, passing Malja a lap later. Out in front Latifi had built a 3.5 second lead, but a moment’s distraction when his mirror detached saw the Canadian run wide, with Matsushita needing no further invitation to blast past and teammate Rowland carefully ensuring the pair didn’t come together as he followed the Japanese driver.

Matsushita flew away, building a 3.3 second lead over Rowland by the time the chequered flag dropped for him, with a gutted Latifi at least bringing home another podium for the team behind the Briton. Leclerc brought home more points for his title fight in P4 ahead of King, who had saved his tyres and sliced through his rivals on the closing laps for 5th ahead of Malja, who just denied Ghiotto on the line, with Albon limping home with the final point for P8.

Leclerc leads the way in the Drivers’ Championship after Round 2 on 73 points, ahead of Rowland on 47, Ghiotto on 38, Markelov on 34, Matsushita on 31 and Latifi on 28 points, while PREMA Racing and DAMS share the honours at the top of the Teams’ Championship on 75 points ahead of RUSSIAN TIME on 72, ART Grand Prix on 52 and MP Motorsport on 26 points as the grid turns its attention to the next round of the championship, in Monaco on 25-27 May.