Maini Takes Chequered Flag in Monte Carlo Sprint Race
Maini Dominates Monte Carlo Sprint Race
A Perfect Start and a Narrow Escape
Kush Maini, driving for DAMS Lucas Oil, delivered a dominant performance in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race, converting his pole position into a well-deserved victory. The Indian driver held off a fierce challenge from fellow Alpine Academy talent Gabriele Minì of PREMA Racing, who finished second. Luke Browning of Hitech TGR secured the final spot on the podium after a post-race penalty was applied to Arvid Lindblad of Campos Racing.
The race started with Maini grabbing an early lead, while Luke Browning experienced a challenging getaway, dropping down to fifth by the first corner. This allowed Gabriele Minì to climb to second position. The action intensified as Lindblad attempted to overtake Jak Crawford for third place, but contact between the two drivers allowed Browning to reclaim fourth and move ahead of Crawford.
While Lindblad managed to emerge from the incident in third, he later received a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision.
A Tight Battle for the Lead
With DRS enabled, Minì kept Maini under immense pressure, maintaining a close gap of around 0.3 seconds for the opening 10 laps. They pulled away from Lindblad, who was in third place, by a significant margin.
The safety car was deployed on lap 12 to recover Joshua Duerksen’s AIX Racing car after a collision with Oliver Goethe of MP Motorsport, bringing the race to a brief pause.
A Late-Race Surge
Upon the restart, Maini managed to escape DRS range from Minì, while Lindblad found himself locked in a battle with Browning for third. Meanwhile, Goethe made a move on Victor Martins, gaining ninth place. However, this maneuver resulted in a 10-second time penalty for Goethe.
With 10 laps remaining, Minì closed the gap to Maini to 0.2 seconds. Lindblad, on the other hand, fell back, hoping to minimize the impact of his time penalty.
On lap 22, Lindblad received instructions to push harder, and he responded by increasing his pace, creating a buffer between himself and Browning. In the final lap, Browning closed in on Minì, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.
Ultimately, Maini crossed the finish line first, securing his second Formula 2 victory. Minì finished a close second, while Browning took third place.
