F2 Austria: Crawford recovers from poor start to take sprint win
The Hitech driver began on slick tyres no topic a damp be aware, slipping back off the line as these on moist tyres profited.
But as the Red Bull Ring dried and these ahead pitted for primes, he used to be ready to claw back positions, and retook alter on lap 5.
From there, the Red Bull junior used to be ready to originate a 2.5s-lead to rob his maiden fetch earlier than 2022 F3 champion Victor Martins (ART) and Trident driver Clement Novalak, who lined up Twentieth ahead of charging thru the sphere for his first podium since Zandvoort remaining year.
Despite moist stipulations, the sphere lined up for a standing start up on a combine of moist and slick tyres, with Crawford and Jehan Daruvala (MP Motorsport) selecting slicks with third-establish starter Arthur Leclerc on the wets for DAMS.
Leclerc benefited from the additional grip to rob second by Turn 1, while Crawford’s slicks proved ineffective and he fell to sixth, with Daruvala struggling a the same fate.
Championship chief Frederik Vesti began ninth on the moist tyres and used to be up to third by halfway thru the first lap, though his comely fortune would rapidly budge out as he used to be pressured to pit for slicks.
Jack Doohan took a time out into the gravel at Turn 4 in his Virtuosi-budge automobile ahead of the protection automobile used to be deployed as Daruvala did the identical at Turn 7, becoming beached.
Theo Pourchaire, who used to be operating second, Vesti, Dennis Hauger (MP), PHM driver Brad Benavides and Ollie Bearman all pitted for slicks under the protection automobile, with Pourchaire handed a 5-second penalty for an unsafe unlock between the two Prema vehicles.
The protection automobile ended on lap 5 however used to be almost straight away redeployed as Richard Verschoor, who had inherited the lead, spun out at Turn 1 and into the wall.
This left Leclerc to lead ahead of the Monegasque driver and crew-mate Ayumu Iwasa each pitted, handing the entrance self-discipline back to Crawford, who led from Juan Manuel Correa (VAR) and Rodin Carlin driver Zane Maloney.
2022 F3 runner-up Maloney used to be then swamped on his moist tyres, with Martins taking his role as he fell back thru the sphere.
Novalak, who had made an fantastic fee thru the sphere, took revenue of pitstops and incidents ahead, handed Isack Hadjar (Hitech) for fourth on lap 13 at Turn 4, as additional back Bearman made it previous Kush Maini (Campos).
Martins took second from Correa the next tour, the screech of DRS to cross up the within of Turn 3, though Crawford used to be aloof two seconds certain at the entrance.
Correa and Novalak then tussled for third over the closing stages, with each Novalak and Hadjar making it previous the VAR driver, who fell to fifth.
Enzo Fittipaldi then spun his Rodin Carlin entry on the straight all of the fashion down to Turn 4 while operating in Tenth, having been pressured onto the grass in his fight with Maini, prompting a virtual safety automobile.
Hadjar took fourth in his easiest end result of the season to this point, with Correa in fifth and Trident’s Roman Stanek in sixth, having also made a extraordinary fee from 17th.
Hauger made it previous Bearman after which Doohan within the leisure few laps to originate seventh, with the Australian rounding off the selections-paying positions.
