Zane Maloney scored his first ever Formula 2 victory after the Rodin Motorsport driver came through from eighth on the grid to win the Sprint Race in Bahrain.
The recently-announced Sauber Academy member made a fast start and was quickly up to fourth by the end of Lap 1.
READ MORE: Ones to watch and title favourites – Our Formula 2 season preview for 2024
He showed strong pace and after dispatching rivals Enzo Fittipaldi and Victor Martins, he overtook DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford to take hold of a lead that he would not relinquish on Lap 4.
Aston Martin Development driver Crawford followed Maloney across the line to finish in second place, while Campos Racing rookie Josep María Martí went from 11th on the grid to take the final spot on the podium.
Martí overhauled his fellow Red Bull Academy driver and teammate Isack Hadjar to take third, with the Frenchman finishing fourth ahead of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s rookie Paul Aron.
Saturday’s Feature Race pole-sitter Gabriel Bortoleto saved his tyres to come through the field late on to finish sixth following a pre-race pep talk from his McLaren boss Zak Brown.
READ MORE: Crawford joins Aston Martin’s Driver Development Programme
He was followed by the Williams-backed ART Grand Prix driver Zak O’Sullivan who lost places to the soft tyre runners throughout the race after opting for the hards.
However, he also recovered late on to finish seventh ahead of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger who took the final point of the evening.
For a full in-depth report of the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race, visit the F2 website here.
Next Up
Related Articles
10 remarkable rises to the podium in F1 history
‘We deserved more’ – Ocon reflects on collision with Bearman
Verstappen reacts to Horner’s Red Bull exit
UnlockedWhat it feels like to drive the Aston Martin Safety Car
This Week in F110 quiz questions on the British Grand Prix
Getting to know the real Gabriel Bortoleto