A podium for Luke and a double points finish as F2 Feature gets the Spa treatment

After a glorious start to the weekend, the notoriously fickle Ardennes weather closed in for the main event, bringing a downpour that lasted the whole race and afforded only a brief let-up in intensity.

The 25-lap Feature got underway with the Safety Car ushering the 22 cars around the track for four Formation Laps before a rolling start, for which wet-weather tyres were mandated.

Both drivers made good progress during the early laps, even as the rain started to get heavier. Luke and Dino remained in close formation as they passed Cordeel, Verschoor and Goethe, the Ferrari Driver Academy junior executing a lovely Lap 6 move on the German driver to enter the points-paying positions.

Dino pitted at the end of Lap 10, and when he returned to the track, he was flying on his second set of wet-weather tyres and sailed past Marti, while also setting the fastest lap in this phase of the race.

By the time Luke came into the pits two laps later, the rain had intensified again and he spun at the pit lane exit. He quickly collected the car and set about an incredible recovery drive, passing one driver after another to put himself into P5 by the time the race was red-flagged for the final time on Lap 21. Dino finished P9.

Following the application of penalties, the pair was promoted by two places and together they added a further 22 points towards Hitech’s title bid, including one for Dino’s Fastest Lap.

Earlier in the weekend, in Friday’s sunnier setting, Luke and Dino qualified P12 and P13. While the top 10 was the target, Spa is a track that sees its fair share of attrition and Safety Car interventions even in fair conditions, so it was still game-on in the fight for the points-paying positions.

Saturday’s 18-lap Sprint got off to a heartbreaking start for Luke, who found himself sandwiched between Crawford and Verschoor on the outside of La Source, and the collision brought his race to a devastating early conclusion before it had even begun.

Dino had gained four places by Lap 14 but as the race resumed following a Safety Car intervention, he was hit by Lindblad, which dropped him down the order. Following the application of a post-race penalty for track limits, a potential points finish translated to P16 in the final classification.

The series now heads to Budapest for the penultimate European round at the Hungaroring on 1-3 August.