Richard Verschoor, from Trident, emerged as the winner of the Formula 2 Sprint race held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Starting from the front row, Verschoor successfully converted his position into a race victory. Dennis Hauger, from MP Motorsport, finished closely in second place, while Hitech’s rookie, Paul Aron, secured third place. Oliver Bearman, who had claimed pole position in the main race, was absent from the event as he replaced Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari Formula 1 pit due to Sainz’s recovery from appendicitis surgery. Consequently, Aron inherited the pole position on the reversed grid, with Verschoor, Isack Hadjar, Hauger, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli completing the top five positions on the grid. Enzo Fittipaldi, Victor Martins, Jak Crawford, Kush Maini, and Josep Maria Marti occupied the remaining positions on the grid.
The race was initially scheduled to start at 6:10 pm local time but suffered a slight delay of 10 minutes during the formation lap. When the lights went out, Aron held onto the lead into Turn 1. However, Antonelli had a poor start from fifth position, dropping down the order and getting involved in a collision in the middle of the pack that resulted in damage to the front wing of his car after making contact with Crawford’s DAMS car. Victor Martins, from Art Grand Prix, also faced difficulties in the opening sequence of corners, sustaining damage as he was squeezed against the outside wall coming out of Turn 2, ultimately leading to his retirement from the race.
After these incidents, the Safety Car was deployed before the completion of the first lap due to Zak O’Sullivan from Williams Academy Drivers (ART GP) and Franco Colapinto from MP Motorsport stopping at the start. Fortunately, they managed to avoid collisions with those behind them. During the Safety Car period, Aron continued to lead the race, followed by Verschoor, Hadjar, Hauger, and Maini.
After four laps, the green flag signaled the resumption of the race, with the Safety Car returning to the pits. Aron took the opportunity to accelerate before the final corner and led the pack as they started the fifth lap. Maini tried to overtake Hauger for fourth place at the end of lap 5, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Zane Maloney, the current championship leader and winner of two races in Bahrain, managed to move up to eighth place at the beginning of lap 6.
At the front of the pack, Aron faced intense pressure, with Verschoor, Hadjar, and Hauger staying within two seconds of the race leader as they began lap 7. Verschoor closely monitored every move of Aron and executed a bold move on the inside of Turn 1 on lap 8, taking the lead. Enzo Fittipaldi also made a move, securing fifth place and setting the fastest lap time simultaneously.
Following Verschoor’s example, Hauger emulated his teammate’s strategy and overtook Hadjar for third place at Turn 1 on lap 10. However, the race encountered its second Safety Car period when Amaury Cordeel from Hitech spun and stopped on the track at Turn 2. As a result, the pack was directed to pass through the pits to complete half the race distance.
As lap 11 came to an end, the Safety Car returned to the pits, allowing Verschoor to lead the pack back to racing with the green flag.
The Trident driver comfortably maintained this position and held onto the lead while Maloney made a bold move on Maini at Turn 1 to secure sixth place. As the pack completed the lap to start lap 14, Fittipaldi overtook Hadjar to claim fourth position, and Crawford passed Maini for seventh place, marking his second successful overtake in consecutive laps. Maloney tried to pass Hadjar on the outside of Turn 1 on lap 15, but had to run off track, briefly passing the Red Bull junior driver before giving back the position. This left him vulnerable to a determined Crawford, who claimed sixth place from the championship leader following Turns 22/23. However, Maloney quickly regained the position at the beginning of lap 16, with Antonelli breaking into the top ten by overtaking Marti. With just five laps remaining, Verschoor had a 1.6-second advantage over Aron, while debris scattered across Sector 3 due to Juan Manuel Correa’s collision with the wall, forcing the American driver to retire from the race. This incident led to the deployment of the yellow flag, followed by the Virtual Safety Car on lap 17 to quickly clear the abandoned debris. Green flag conditions resumed with just over three laps remaining, while Verschoor maintained his slight lead and Aron closely pursued Hauger. Hauger used DRS to secure second place at the start of lap 18, subsequently setting the fastest lap, while Aron continued to chase closely. Maloney’s impressive performance from 15th position continued on the penultimate lap, when he once again used Turn 1 to make an overtake, this time on Hadjar, successfully securing fifth place. Unfortunately, Hadjar’s race took a turn for the worse when he experienced a technical issue, causing him to retire from the race and lose valuable points. Verschoor maintained his lead to secure the victory with a margin of approximately one second over Hauger of MP Motorsport, while Aron, the sprint pole position, completed the podium and earned an additional point for the fastest lap. Fittipaldi finished in fourth place for Van Amersoort Racing, with Maloney completing the top five. Crawford crossed the finish line in sixth place, followed by Prema rookie Antonelli and Marti of Campos Racing, who completed the top eight and earned points for their respective teams.
© 2024
Portugal beats Spain in an exciting soccer match
In an exciting soccer match, Portugal defeated Spain 3-2 in a tight showdown. The match, played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, was full of twists and breathtaking moments.
The Portuguese team started the game with great determination, putting pressure on the Spanish team from the beginning. At the 15th minute of the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a beautiful header goal. The Portuguese fans went crazy with the star’s feat.
However, Spain did not let themselves be discouraged and equalized the match at the 30th minute, with a goal from Sergio Ramos. The game continued balanced, with both teams seeking a goal at every moment.
In the second half, Spain turned the game around with a goal from Isco at the 55th minute. It seemed like the victory was guaranteed for the Spaniards, but Portugal did not give up.
At the 70th minute, Diogo Jota equalized the game for Portugal, leaving the fans in ecstasy. And the turnaround came at the 85th minute, with a goal from Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese fans exploded with joy at the achievement.
With this thrilling victory, Portugal shows its strength and determination in soccer. The team led by Fernando Santos showed an excellent performance and achieved an important victory against Spain.
The Portuguese players were applauded by the fans and received many compliments for their performance on the field. Cristiano Ronaldo once again showed his skill and leadership, being crucial to Portugal’s victory.
Now, the Portuguese national team is preparing for the upcoming challenges, confident in their ability and aiming for more achievements. The fans are excited and expect great things from the team in the next matches.
Portugal 3 x 2 Spain – an exciting game that will remain in the memory of soccer fans.
