Taylor Barnard Survives Late Red Flag To Seal Maiden F2 Victory In Monte Carlo

Taylor Barnard delivered a dominant performance from a reverse grid pole position to earn his and AIX Racing’s first victory in Formula 2 during the Monte Carlo Sprint Race. The British driver managed to fend off challenges from Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto and MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger, despite a late red flag that added tension to the final laps.

Race Summary

Barnard’s start wasn’t without its challenges; a slower getaway allowed Bortoleto to challenge him immediately, but Barnard retained his lead while Hauger settled into third. The race’s first major incident occurred when Victor Martins collided with DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford and Campos Racing’s Josep María Martí at Turn 1, necessitating a Safety Car deployment.

The restart saw Barnard maintaining his lead until another Safety Car was called out on Lap 6 following Martí’s crash at the swimming pool section. After racing resumed on Lap 8, the leading pack, including Andrea Kimi Antonelli, remained tightly bunched.

Mid-Race Challenges

Lap 11 brought a Virtual Safety Car after Richard Verschoor sustained front wing damage following contact with Joshua Duerksen. Duerksen received a 10-second penalty for his part in the incident. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman continued despite damage from hitting the barrier, though he later dropped to P14 due to an issue at Portier.

Late Red Flag Drama

Zane Maloney’s attempt to pass Zak O’Sullivan at the Turn 6 hairpin led to contact, damaging Maloney’s car. His race ended at La Rascasse after being spun by Juan Manuel Correa, blocking the track and forcing a red flag. When racing resumed with a rolling start on Lap 26, Barnard extended his lead to nearly four seconds.

Final Stages and Victory

By the final lap, Barnard’s lead had grown to five seconds, securing his maiden F2 victory. Bortoleto finished second, with Hauger taking third. Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fourth for the third time in four races, followed by Franco Colapinto and Roman Stanek. Paul Aron and Isack Hadjar completed the top eight.

Post-Race Reactions

“Starting in P1, I knew it was going to be a matter of trying to keep hold of P1 at the first corner. I dreamt about this last night, coming out of the first corner in first. We had a great car today and when I got in front, I could feel straight away that I had good pace, and I just managed the pace and the car throughout the race. The mini-Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars and one Red Flag didn’t make my life easy to say the least. Very happy, thank you to the whole team for the car they gave me today and really happy to get my first win in Monaco,” said Taylor Barnard.

Championship Standings

Despite Zane Maloney’s early exit, he retains the top spot in the Drivers’ Championship with 68 points. Paul Aron’s seventh-place finish narrows the gap to three points, while Isack Hadjar remains third with 60 points.

Teams’ Standings

Campos Racing leads the Teams’ Championship by a narrow margin, with MP Motorsport moving up to second, just one point behind. Rodin Motorsport is close behind in third, while Hitech Pulse-Eight and Invicta Racing are tied for fourth.

Provisional Classification from Sprint Race

Up Next

The Monte Carlo Feature Race is set for Sunday at 09:40 local time. All eyes will be on the grid to see who will take the top step in the Principality.