Williams F1 junior Ticktum takes first F2 win at Silverstone

Williams Formula 1 junior Dan Ticktum claimed his first FIA Formula 2 victory in the sprint race at Silverstone.

Ticktum led every lap as he converted reverse grid pole position into the first win of the season for the DAMS squad and become the sixth different winner from the first eight races in the process.

A perfect start enabled Ticktum to open up a buffer early on, and the Briton controlled proceedings throughout to secure a landmark win on home soil, despite coming under major pressure late on from the charging Christian Lundgaard, who rolled the dice under a late Safety Car to give up track position and switch onto Medium tyres.

The ART Grand Prix driver made short work of the Hard-shod runners in front of him during a three-lap sprint to the finish but ultimately ran out of laps to challenge Ticktum, falling just three-tenths shy at the flag.

Louis Deletraz completed the podium in third place for Charouz, ahead of fourth-placed Jehan Daravula and Hitech Grand Prix’s Nikita Mazepin, who secured his first win in F2 in the feature race on Saturday.

Callum Ilott missed a chance to take the lead of the championship standings on a torrid weekend for F2 points leader Robert Shwartzman, who failed to score for the first time this year.

The UNI-Virtuosi racer recovered from a slow getaway and clash with Carlin’s Yuki Tsunoda to charge through the order. Ilott picked up a five-second time penalty for taking Tsunoda out of the race but remarkably moved up to second place before spinning into retirement at Club corner when chasing down leader Ticktum.

Ilott’s stricken car led to the late Safety Car which set up a pulsating end to what had otherwise been a relatively drama-free race.

Behind Mazepin came MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich, who headed teammate Nobuharu Matsushita and Jack Aitken, who claimed the final point on offer for Campos.