PREMA Racing posts 1-2 finish in hectic Baku Sprint Race

PREMA Racing delivered a phenomenal 1-2 finish today at Baku in the opening race of the FIA Formula 2 Championship weekend at the Azerbaijani venue. Starting from the 9th place on the grid after scoring pole position yesterday, British racer Ollie Bearman put up a stunning recovery to P1, ending up in front of team-mate Frederik Vesti in a hectic race that saw only 11 car take the chequered flag.

The PREMA Racing pairing had a solid opening part of the race and stayed clear of the trouble in a race impacted by safety cars, contacts and off-track exits. Bearman took full advantage of every opportunity and even created his opportunities.

Vesti had an equally strong run and stormed to the lead on lap 19 as multiple cars went off in turn 1, including the two leading ones. However, Bearman was on his tail and managed to snatch the lead just before the safety car came out. The third race neutralization was the one that froze the race for good, finalizing a superb team performance that added another chapter to PREMA’s high-profile Baku history.

7 FREDERIK VESTI

“We got P2 from P7 in the Sprint Race. It’s a good result, and although we are obviously disappointed not to win, the 1-2 finish is a huge result for the team and a lot of confidence that we can take into the feature race tomorrow. A lot of work from everyone, and it’s good to see that we are continuously improving.”

Qualifying: P4
Starting Position Race 2: P7
Fastest Lap: 1:52.723
Race 2: P2

8 OLLIE BEARMAN

“It has been a really good race, it’s great to take my first podium which came in the form of a win, that’s really cool! It was a bit of a crazy one but we expected that. I had no expectations to win but just to do the best. In the opening laps, I was just trying to keep my nose clean, which was my goal. I really just wanted to do the race and prepare for tomorrow. Once it kind of opened up, we saw we had quite a strong pace and I was able to come through. Huge thanks to the team for that. It was also a 1-2 so I’m really really happy that all the hard work is starting to pay off. Let’s go for tomorrow.”

Qualifying: P1
Starting Position Race 1: P9
Fastest Lap: 1:52.652
Race 1: P1

Source | Photo: PREMA Racing