Round 7 of season 7 in SLR F2 where we arrive to the French grand prix around Le Castellet for once last time before it departs from the calendar. Championship leader SLR Corey makes it 6 out of 7 pole positions this season with BRT Griffiths only 0.004 away from pole position!!! is this a sign for what’s to come later?
The sprint loves to bring surprises but one thing that doesn’t come as a surprise this season is rain… sorry SLR Dodgy. UKBeastAssassin would be on reverse grid pole but Ham with a great getaway would immediately take the lead, EVVO as well making up positions up into 2nd place. Griffiths and debutant WTurn3r would battle it out for multiple laps just like they do in the McKeon division week in week out but Griffiths coming out on top against his McKeon division championship rival. Ham would clear off out in front showing his excellent wet weather skills and hoping to close the gap at the top of the championship. Southerner would slide his way past the Van Amersfoort of UKBeastAssassin and now into the podium positions and getting past EVVO as well. Griffiths and Corey would get into a titanic battle for 5th place going side by side for laps on end, banging wheels and elbows fully out but Griffiths in these soaking conditions slides past the Virtuosi of Corey. But the sprint finally comes to its long-awaited conclusion, and it is the rain merchant of SLR Ham taking the victory, with SLR Southerner picking up yet another podium and BRT Griffiths with a great drive to finish 3rd after an unreal battle with Corey. Lots of drivers picking up track limit penalties in the sprint causing a shakeup at the top end of the order.
Now onto the feature race with Virtuosi’s star man SLR Corey at the front with MP Motorsports top man BRT Griffiths also wanting that victory. A great start for Griffiths would see him immediately take the lead from Corey. DRS Enabled and Corey being the car behind would have the advantage going down the back straight getting back past Griffiths for the lead, but this would continue switching lap after lap after lap showing how to race to the absolute limit in these cars. Lap 7 and we would see Corey box for softs hoping the undercut would help him take the victory. Two laps later though, Griffiths would box for his softs and now the battle was well and truly on for the win of this feature race. Griffiths now back within DRS range and “This is where the fun begins” the top 2 going side by side for the whole of the first sector but with Griffiths down the back straight with DRS slides back through on the Virtuosi, 2 laps to go now Griffiths with the upper hand in the lead but Corey with the DRS down the back straight Corey back down the inside but Griffiths with the switchback they’d go side by side for the remainder of the final sector but Griffiths still managing to hold onto the lead going onto the last lap. But once again Corey with DRS on the back straight sends one to the inside very late but making it work, Griffiths is using every horsepower in that MP car to gain the lead back but Corey going defensive everywhere he can but Griffiths sends down the inside at the final corner but what felt like a very long drag race to the line Griffiths would come out on top by 0.006 of a second to Corey, truly one of the most iconic F2 races to date. Ham would pick up the final podium position.
0.004 between the two in qualifying, an amazing battle in the sprint, a brilliant battle and a 0.006 gap between the two at the end concludes an unreal weekend at Le Castellet for our final visit to this track in SLR F2.
Ham has now closed the gap to 50 points to SLR Corey at the top of the drivers’ championship with Virtuosi scoring big points, closing the gap to 15 points to Carlin at the top of the constructors.
Next time we head to the home of SLR, Silverstone for the British Grand Prix where we’ve been provided some iconic moments in the past and hopefully going to create some more in the future, see you then.
Blogs driver of the round: BRT Griffiths: Griffiths showed fantastic pace in the sprint, climbing his way through from 9th to a podium with some great overtakes. The feature saw him have a titanic battle with SLR Corey and providing us with some thrilling action all the way to the line and picking up the victory.
As you were, CM x
Qualifying:
1 SLR Corey 1:40.376
2 BRT Griffiths
3 SLR Medal2533
4 WTurn3r
5 SLR Southerner
6 SemmF1
7 SLR EVVO
8 SLR Dodgy
9 SLR Ham19
10 UKBeastAssassin
11 Evoke Replay
12 SLR Bennett3810
13 Para Quickz
14 SLR Quattro
15 J Lee Menz
16 dRaSt1k bLazE
17 OwenHowell36
18 SouthRaptor966
19 F1ABQW3RTYY
Sprint Race:
1 SLR Ham19 1:55.204
2 SLR Southerner
3 BRT Griffiths
4 Para Quickz
5 WTurn3r
6 UKBeastAssassin
7 SLR Medal2533
8 SLR Corey
9 SLR EVVO
10 SemmF1
11 J Lee Menz
12 F1ABQW3RTYY
13 SLR Quattro
14 dRaSt1k bLazE
15 SLR Dodgy
16 SouthRaptor966
17 OwenHowell36
18 SLR Bennett3810
19 Evoke Replay DNF
Feature Race:
1 BRT Griffiths
2 SLR Corey
3 SLR Ham19
4 SemmF1
5 SLR Southerner
6 SLR Medal2533
7 UKBeastAssassin
8 Para Quickz
9 WTurn3r
10 SLR Dodgy 5s + 1LP
11 Evoke Replay
12 F1ABQW3RTYY
13 dRaSt1k bLazE
14 SLR Bennett3810
15 J Lee Menz
16 SLR Quattro
17 SLR EVVO
18 SouthRaptor966
19 OwenHowell36
WTurn3r vs SLR Dodgy
Lap 7 – Feature
Verdict: 5 second and 1 LP to SLR Dodgy
Turn3r rejoins the track from this SLR Dodgy gets an illegal overtake countdown warning. We as a stewarding team reviewed both parts of evidence provided by the drivers and Dodgy brakes excessively on the racing line to intend to hand back the position from this turn3r hits into the back of Dodgy.
To avoid this incident Dodgy could have braked a couple metres later and have been off the racing line allowing turner to pass
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