Dutch GP chaos as Formula 2 title hopefuls crash and rear wheels fall off car

27 August 2023 , 08:44

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Dutch GP chaos as Formula 2 title hopefuls crash and rear wheels fall off car

The top four drivers in the Formula 2 championship all suffered crashes or incidents in a bizarre feature race at Zandvoort.

Theo Pourchaire came into the event as the championship leader hoping to extend his advantage. And gunning to reel in the Frenchman was Frederik Vesti behind him, while the likes of Ayumu Iwasa and Jack Doohan were all within striking distance at the top of the standings.

But all four suffered misfortune on the tricky Zandvoort track. Doohan was the first to have his race ruined, as he span at the first corner and ended up becoming the first racer to retire.

Following the first safety car period, Iwasa tumbled down the order as he suffered a steering snap heading into that first turn. He regained control but was then clipped by Kush Maini, sending them both off the track.

They were able to rejoin and continue. But the stewards decided Iwasa was to blame for causing a collision and slapped the Japanese racer with a 10-second time penalty which ended his hopes of scoring big points in the race.

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With two of his closest rivals out of contention, Pourchaire had an ideal opportunity to put himself in a commanding position in the title race. But then he crashed out, burying the nose of his ART in the barrier.

Frederik Vesti lost both of his rear tyres as they fell off after not being bolted on correctly (Sky Sports F1)

The most comical incident was yet to come, though. With the other three title contenders out, all Vesti had to do was stay out of trouble and score a healthy amount of points.

But the Dane could not manage to do either of those things. After pitting for fresh tyres, it became clear that both his rear wheels were not bolted on correctly by his pit crew as they came off the car when he was back on track.

Fortunately, his Prema came to rest on the track and the outcome was nowhere near as dangerous as might have been the case. But that didn't stop the Mercedes junior from bellowing at his team over the radio in frustration over the wasted opportunity.

So much misfortune for F2's big hitters opened the door for others to take victory. And Clement Novalak took full advantage by securing his first win in the series at the 47th attempt, holding off the charge from F2 rookie Zane Maloney who finished second behind him. Maloney's fellow Red Bull junior Jak Crawford joined them on the podium.

Daniel Moxon