F2: Mercedes junior Vesti wins action-packed Feature Race as leader Martins spins at Jeddah

Frederik Vesti took a memorable win in the Formula 2 Feature Race in Jeddah, battling his way through from sixth on the grid for victory. The Dane was locked in a close fight with Victor Martins but profited after the Frenchman spun out of the effective lead on Lap 17.

Jack Doohan opened his account in 2023, recovering from a difficult Sakhir round with P2 in Jeddah. Jehan Daruvala made his experience count to take his second podium and P3 finish of the weekend.

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Neither of the front row starters got the best of starts but Oliver Bearman just about edged the second phase to pull clear of pole sitter Victor Martins into Turn 1. Jack Doohan slotted into third and put early pressure on his fellow Alpine Academy junior driver for P2 prior to the pit stop phase kicking off on Lap 7.

The Australian triggered the early stops as those on supersofts swapped to the medium tyres. Vesti followed Doohan in from fourth and was able to leapfrog his rival with a quicker pitstop. Bearman and Martins followed suit on Lap 8 and rejoined on mediums in the same order.

It took two consecutive laps, but Martins was able to clear Bearman and take the lead on Lap 11, using DRS to his advantage into Turn 1. Vesti followed through on his PREMA team mate after the Briton ran wide in his efforts to re-pass the lead ART Grand Prix car.

The Mercedes Junior driver stalked Martins lap after lap and eventually, the pressure told. A spin for the ART Grand Prix driver out of Turn 4 on Lap 17 put him out of the race and Vesti into the lead. From that point on, the Dane kept his composure and claimed his first F2 win since the 2022 Baku Sprint Race.

For an in-depth report of the race, visit the official F2 website here.