Yuki Tsunoda won a rollercoaster Sakhir Grand Prix feature race, as Guanyu Zhou managed an incredible P2 after starting out of the top 10. Meanwhile, the championship fight is now down to the Sprint Race, as Mick Schumacher finished the race in P7, while his championship rival, Callum Ilott, finished just ahead in P6.

In the process, the Prema Racing driver also managed to get the crucial points for the fastest lap.

Mick drove a brilliant race following a rather disappointing qualifying session, as F2 witnessed the young German fight his way through the field after starting from P18.

Following the race, Mick is still leading the championship with 213 points in the bag. Ilott, not far off, is just 14 points away from the German. Before going into the next race, catch a glimpse of what happened in the feature race.

How was the race start?

As the lights went out, Tsunoda had a decent start and was looking to hold on to his lead going into turn 1. However, the Mazepin’s nose showed up on the inside, leaving him running deep into the first turn.

The future Haas driver closed the gap and took the lead from the Carlin Racing driver. Unfortunately for Tsunoda, he lost another place to Schwartzman, leaving the pole-sitter in P3.

Trending

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

Adrian Newey Hits Out at Climate Activist Lewis Hamilton’s Fuel Protest, Desperate to See V10 Engines Again

April 15, 2024 12:35 PM EDT

Charles Leclerc: “I’ve Been Suffering More Than [Carlos] Sainz Has”

April 18, 2024 12:13 PM EDT

“I Was Quite Depressed”: Adrian Newey Makes Brutal Revelation as He Reveals Red Bull Heavily “Struggling”

April 15, 2024 02:38 PM EDT

F1 Rumor: Carlos Sainz Offered 2-Year Deal for Mercedes by Toto Wolff

April 12, 2024 12:16 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Meanwhile, his teammate, Daruvala, had a pretty slow start. Consequently, he ended up in a disappointing P6, despite starting the race from the second row.

Incredible start for Mick Schumacher

The top-field looked nothing but settled, and the only way to rekindle the fight was to wait for the drivers to pit.

However, most of the action was taking place outside the top 10, with the cameras particularly focusing on Mick. He had a brilliant start and almost caught up with his rival, Ilott, who was strolling on dead soft tires.

Before he could make the move, Ilott got into the pits, leaving Mick with a rather empty road ahead. Eventually, as the others starting pitting, Mick saw himself up into the podium places.

Pit-lane welcomed the front-runners by lap 14, with Daruvala, the first driver to get a fresh set of tires, followed by Shwartzman and Mazepin.

Eventually, the number of drivers left to pit was down to just six, with Mick, too, on the list. Behind these cars, the fight for the race win was still going intense.

Tsunoda pitted a lap later than both Mazepin and Shwartzman. However, the fact that he couldn’t light up his hard tires left him vulnerable to the two pacy drivers. Ultimately, Tsunoda lost his potential lead for the second time in the race.

Blistering second stint on soft tires by Mick Schumacher

On lap 30, Mick finally pitted for a fresh set of soft tires. He eventually joined the track in P11. Despite losing another place to Deletraz, he retook the position after firing up his red-marked tires. In the process, he also took control of the tag for the fastest lap.

Soon, Markelov was in Mick’s path, as the German took no time to get past the pink car. It was followed by an unbelievable move on Ticktum, as Mick took the outside line going into the bumpy turn 6. Just two laps later, Mick got past Piquet as well and was flying.

Following the move, looking ahead, it was Daruvala who was over seven seconds away from Schumacher Jr. Lucky for Mick, Daruvala had a way older set of hard tires on him. Hence, Mick was able to close in on the Indian quite rapidly and ultimately got past him, with a lap left in hand.

The three-way fight for the win

With just laps left, the gap between the top three came down to less than a second. However, just four laps away from the checkered flag, Mazepin lost his lead to Tsunoda.

What’s more, Mazepin had a few terrible sets of turns, leaving him stranded out of the top 3. However, it lasted for just one lap, as he retook one of the places from Drugovich.

Despite some fight from Drugovich, a quite dangerous defending denied the Brazilian a podium finish. Up ahead, Tsunoda took the race win, as Zhou crossed the line in P2 following a decent recovery drive.

Overall, all eyes are still on the two drivers, Mick and Ilott. The fact that neither of the drivers scored a handful of points means that the fight is down to the final Sprint Race of the season.

However, it will not be an easy task for Ilott, as the Ferrari academy driver will somehow have to win the upcoming race, and simultaneously, depend on Mick’s race as well to snatch the title.

So, will Ilott do the impossible in the coming final showdown? Or will Mick take home his first F2 championship title?

Watch the Sprint race to know.