F2: Drugovich bounces back to dominate Feature Race ahead of Pourchaire

Felipe Drugovich secured his third Formula 2 win in four races with a measured masterclass in tyre management at Monte Carlo.

The MP Motorsport driver dominated despite being put under immense pressure from Theo Pourchaire throughout. Red Bull junior Juri Vips breathed some life back into his Championship fight in third, after failing to score last time out in Barcelona.

F2: Hauger takes first F2 win in Monte Carlo Sprint Race

Having endured a nightmare Sprint Race yesterday, Drugovich was eager to make the most from his pole position. As he got a dream getaway, Pourchaire was forced to defend from Jack Doohan, whilst yesterday’s Sprint Race winner Dennis Hauger shot up four places to fifth by Turn 2.

Unusually, tyre management became a key factor of the race. An incident on Lap 20 allowed most of the grid to take advantage of pitting under the Safety Car. This helped Vips get the jump on Alpine junior Doohan for the final podium spot, but also forced the leaders to run their supersoft tyres for a remarkable 22 laps.

Although Sauber junior Pourchaire continued to stay on Drugovich’s tail, there was nothing he could do to get past the Brazilian – who roared home to his third F2 win in four races.

Enzo Fittipaldi drove another strong race to finish fifth, ahead of Marcus Armstrong and Hauger – whose gamble on the alternative strategy didn’t pay off as a result of the Safety Car’s appearance and traffic ahead.

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Jehan Daruvala finished eighth and Williams Racing Academy driver Logan Sargeant recovered strongly from 13th on the grid to take ninth. Lastly, Marino Sato profited from contact between Calan Williams and Ayumu Iwasa on the last lap to seal the final point in 10th.

With three victories in five rounds, Drugovich will have just under two weeks to wait to see if he can extend his drivers’ championship lead over Pourchaire beyond 32 points, as F2 heads to the streets of Baku on June 10-12.

For more on F2, visit the official series website.