F2 Baku: Vesti takes maiden series win in disrupted sprint race

The ART Grand Prix rookie briefly took the lead from polesitter Jake Hughes at the start, but a lack of drive out of Turn 1 allowed the Prema driver to pass him into the lead, dropping the Dane into third.

Vesti made it past Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hughes for second on lap six, moving past him around the outside at Turn 3 with a bold move.

From there, it was a waiting game, and though he was unable to make it past Daruvala on the first restart after a pause was produced by Dennis Hauger's trip into the wall, another safety car came almost immediately and from there the Mercedes junior was able to take advantage of a lock-up from the leader to move into first.

It marks Vesti’s first series win, and his first victory since the FIA Formula 3 feature race in Austria last year.

Daruvala finished second, holding off a charging Liam Lawson, who took the final podium place for Carlin.

A chaotic start saw the lead change hands twice, with first Vesti and then Daruvala taking charge of the pack.

Jack Doohan was forced to pit on lap four for a new wing, having sustained damage on the first lap and dropping the Virtuosi man to the back of the pack.

Meanwhile, out front Daruvala had extended his lead to 1.5s, while Vesti closed in on Hughes for second and Carlin’s Logan Sargeant, in third, was on the back of the pair.

After Vesti passed Hughes, it left the Briton vulnerable to those behind, and he was passed first by Sargeant down the main straight on lap seven before he tumbled down the places, losing three places in six corners on lap 10 to Juri Vips, Theo Pourchaire and Hauger and falling out of the top 10.

By lap 13, the Hitech man and ART’s Pourchaire were tussling for eighth, with Vips holding firm in front as Hauger caught the