Ayumu Iwasa converted pole into victory in a dramatic Formula 2 feature race in Melbourne to take the championship lead after six rounds.
He finished just ahead of Théo Pourchaire in second, after both drivers remained calm under pressure despite the carnage which unfolded behind them during two Safety Car periods.
They were joined on the podium by Arthur Leclerc, who surprisingly inherited third-place in the closing stages after Dennis Hauger and Isack Hadjar collided with three laps to go.
After Iwasa claimed pole by 0.6 seconds in the rain two days ago, he lined up on a front-row with Pourchaire in dry conditions on Sunday. Both were looking to make amends after failing to score in yesterday’s sprint race, won by Hauger.
A dream start ensured Iwasa successfully held the lead into turn one while the ART duo battled behind. Victor Martins overtook Pourchaire into the opening corner, but was repassed by his team mate heading into turn three.
The opening laps were relatively free of drama, but the first incident brought the Safety Car out by lap seven. Jack Doohan, who had already moved up four positions to 11th, made a late lunge down the inside of turn 13, hitting Jak Crawford which left the Hitech driver in the gravel.
The Safety Car period provoked a frenzy of pit stops, and controversy in the pit lane. Oliver Bearman picked up a puncture when he hit the front-left of Hadjar, who was released from his pit box as the Prema approached. Martins also lost out as a result of the Safety Car, dropping behind Hadjar who pitted shortly beforehand.
Not everybody decided to pit, and so Frederik Vesti led the lap 12 safety car restart while Iwasa led those who had taken fresh tyres in fifth place. The fresh-tyred runners soon set about tackling those who had stayed out.
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The risk of incidents was high, and Hadjar fell victim to one on lap 14, when he was hit from behind by Roy Nissany at the penultimate corner, losing several positions. Nissany had already been in the gravel at turn 10 earlier that lap, following contact with Enzo Fittipaldi for which the latter received a five-second penalty.
Then on lap 15, Hauger performed a brilliant move to overtake Martins down the inside of turn one for a net third place in the race. Ahead, Iwasa and Pourchaire made their way through the traffic unscathed before a second Safety Car period on lap 26.
Nissany was the culprit again. The PHM driver had got on the grass slightly at…
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