F2: Duerksen dominates to claim victory in Baku Sprint Race

AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen claimed his maiden Formula 2 victory with a dominant performance in the Baku Sprint Race, going from fourth on the grid to the top step of the podium.

Duerksen made a strong start and was up to third by the end of Lap 1, getting ahead of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford at Turn 1.

F2: Verschoor edges out Antonelli to take pole position in Baku

He then picked his way through the field with precision, diving down the inside of pole-sitter Christian Mansell at Turn 1 to move up to second before repeating the same move at the same corner on Gabriele Minì to take the lead.

Duerksen then managed a late Safety Car restart following Ritomo Miyata’s crash into the barrier at Turn 3, before winning by over three and a half seconds, giving Paraguay its first Formula 2 winner.

Aston Martin Development driver Crawford fought back from a slow start that dropped him from second to fourth to finish in P2, while PREMA Racing’s Minì held off Victor Martins across the line by 0.20s to take the final spot on the podium.

Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto collided with the barrier after tangling with Mansell but recovered to finish fifth ahead of his Hitech Pulse-Eight title rival Paul Aron.

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli was seventh for PREMA while Mansell ended up in P8, giving him points on his Formula 2 debut with Trident.

Mansell’s team mate Richard Verschoor is set to start from pole position in Sunday morning’s Feature Race, which will get underway at 11:35 local time.

For now, you can read an in-depth report of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race from Baku by visiting the official website here.