McLaren junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto struck gold with the timing of a Safety Car deployment to win the Monza feature race despite starting at the back of the field.
Bortoleto completed his mandatory pit stop under the early Safety Car period, resumed behind a queue of yet-to-stop cars, then passed his team mate Kush Maini to take the lead of the race. From there he was never troubled.
He took victory – and jumped into championship contention – ahead of Zane Maloney and Richard Verschoor.
Maloney started the race from pole but came under pressure on the run to Rettifilo from Paul Aron who took the outside line. Then Aron was hit from behind by Pepe Marti, who launched well from seventh on the grid, putting the Hitech driver out of the race.
The Safety Car was deployed before the end of the first lap to recover Aron’s stricken car. Maloney held the lead of the neutralised race ahead of the two Premas of Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who profited from the turn one melee. Championship leader Isack Hadjar was among those who slipped back when he was forced to take the escape road.
The race quickly resumed at the start of lap three with Bearman immediately challenging for the lead. Maloney defended his position into both the Rettifilo and Roggia chicanes before managing to break out of DRS range of Bearman over the next few laps.
Antonelli was passed by Joshua Duerksen, falling to fourth. Prema brought Bearman in early to pit for medium tyres. That triggered a rush into the pit lane on the next lap, with several cars, including leaders Maloney, Duerksen and Antonelli, all making their mandatory stops.
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As they did, Dennis Hauger was tapped by Ritomo Miyata at the Rettifilo chicane and sent spinning onto the grass and out of the race. That brought out the second Safety Car of the day, offering a golden opportunity for those who were yet to pit to do so and gain significant time.
Bortoleto was the major beneficiary as he pitted and emerged ahead of former leader Maloney. The race restarted with Oliver Goethe leading Kush Maini, Juan Manuel Correa, Roman Stanek and Niels Koolen – all yet to stop – with Bortoleto in the net lead of the race in sixth.
Maini passed Goethe for the lead while Bortoleto moved up through the cars ahead of him to eventually sit behind his team mate in second. Bortoleto then passed his fellow Invicta…
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