Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic held off championship leader Gabriele Mini to win the Spa sprint race in damp conditions.
Beganovic led a Prema one-two after a battle with his team mate throughout the race. Noel Leon overtook Tim Tramnitz for the final podium position on the final lap.
Rain overnight left the circuit damp for the start of the race. However, the level of water on the track was light enough that the entire field were able take the start on slick tyres.
Reverse grid pole sitter Beganovic lost out at the start to team mate Mini while Tramnitz slotted into third place. After an early Safety Car period caused by a single-car spin for Maxwell Esterson at Raidillon, the race resumed at the start of lap four with Beganovic able to retake the lead around the outside into Les Combes.
Prema were concerned Beganovic could be at risk of a penalty for running off track at Raidillon before making the pass and encouraged him to build up a gap to Mini behind. Beganovic almost lost control of his car at Raidillon on lap eight but managed to avoid catastrophe.
That moment allowed Mini to stick well within a second of him as a result. However Beganovic rebuffed his attack and Mini came under pressure from Tramnitz behind. Despite the Red Bull junior challenging Mini for second, Tramnitz was unable to take the place.
Heading into the closing laps, Beganovic had pulled a crucial second to Mini who had also escaped Tramnitz. Leon began to challenge Tramnitz for the final podium place and successfully passed him into Les Combes on the final lap to take the final podium position.
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Beganovic completed the final lap and took the chequered flag first to win his second race of the 2024 season. Mini took second, just over a second behind the winner, extending his championship lead slightly as a result, with Leon securing third.
Tramnitz emerged ahead in a frantic final-lap scrap for fourth, denying Santiago Ramos. Luke Browning finished sixth but is under investigation for forcing Sami Meguetounif off the track. The Trident driver crossed the line sixth but dropped to 28th after receiving a 30 second post-race time penalty.
Sebastian Montoya was beaten to the line by three-thousandths of a second by Browning. He took seventh ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli, with Oliver Goethe and Callum Voisin claiming the final points places. After starting 27th, championship contender Arvid Lindblad gained ten places to finish 17th….
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