Hauger takes P4 as post race penalty pushes Daruvala out of top-10
Jehan Daruvala saw his seventh podium of 2022 disappear after the finish today at Red Bull Ring, in Race 2 of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. The race was conditioned by the changing track conditions, which improved during the opening stages, and the drivers who elected to start on slick tyres eventually made the right call, as was the case for the PREMA Racing Red Bull Junior pairing.
Daruvala quickly rose through the ranks and ran in P2. Although he was overtaken by a contender, he stayed within striking distance, as he knew that a penalty would have been assessed to hand him a second place back. Unfortunately, a post-race penalty due to a grid infraction pushed him out of the points zone and deprived him of a potential victory. PREMA Racing wishes to apologise to Daruvala for the incident.
Hauger quickly gained ground as well, and was in the frame to fight for a podium finish, in an impressive performance from P15 on the grid. The Norwegian eventually crossed the finish line in P6, but was promoted to P4 by post-race stewards decisions.
#1 DENNIS HAUGER
“We scored some points, which was the main goal but could have been more as we struggled a bit in the pits. We were right behind Mehri who finished P2, and it was quite good going back to the pits with him. The pit-stop was not perfect which cost some time, and we generally struggled a bit with the mediums. That made it difficult but I think we did a good job in the beginning. It’s a decent result for the team considering where we started but there was definitely more I think to gain some points. Not happy but not unhappy.“
Qualifing: P15
Starting position Race 1: P15
Starting position Race 2: P15
Fastest Lap: 1:14.794
Race 1: P10
Race 2: P4
#2 JEHAN DARUVALA
“I think it was a good race in terms of results, starting from P11 and finishing in P2 although a grid infraction kept us away from the podium. The team definitely made the right call with the strategy. I managed pretty well in the beginning and in the out lap with the Primes. Then I just need to have a look, I struggled for pace a bit as we had a lot of degradation with the front tyres. I tried my best to keep second, I knew Merhi had a penalty so I had to stay less than five seconds away from him. Unfortunately, then came the penalty which pushed us outside the points zone.”
Qualifing: P11
Starting position Race 1: P11
Starting position Race 2: P11
Fastest Lap: 1:14.702
Race 1: P11
Race 2: P12
Source | Photo: PREMA Racing