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2009 Formula 2 Championship

Soucek takes dominant second win

Spaniard takes seventh victory of the year ahead of De Marco and Wickens

Formula Two champion Andy Soucek took a dominant second victory in Barcelona, leading almost from lights to flag after jumping Robert Wickens at the start.

Nicola De Marco also passed Wickens on the inside going down to turn one, and held second for the duration of the race. Wickens completed the podium despite heavy pressure from Kazim Vasiliauskas, and in doing so secured second in the overall championship standings. Mikhail Aleshin clinched third overall, and the Red Bull-backed duo both qualify for an FIA Superlicence.

De Marco and Vasiliauskas both made fantastic starts, whilst Philipp Eng dropped down the order after a slow getaway from third on the grid. The recovering Austrian immediately set about attacking Julien Jousse for eighth as the pair tussled throughout the opening laps.

Alex Brundle made a good move by Gachnang to sneak into 12th, as Soucek was building a sizeable gap at the front. De Marco was under pressure from Wickens and the fighting duo had slipped back by more than four seconds after just three laps. Vasiliauskas, Hegewald and Vautier comfortably held fourth, fifth and sixth, as the battle raged on behind for the final points paying positions.

Aleshin held off Jousse while the Frenchman had his mirrors full of Eng and Armaan Ebrahim. Britons Tom Gladdis and Jason Moore were making their way through from the back and the duo both moved by Henri Karjalainen, as Ollie Hancock endured a wild spin at turn eight behind.

There was contact between Jack Clarke and Sebastian Hohenthal on the start/finish straight during lap seven as Clarke closed the door on the attacking Swede. Mirko Bortolotti's chances of finishing in the championship's top three ended when the Italian pulled off the circuit late on. Bortolotti experienced a difficult season finale weekend and never looked capable of scoring the points required to challenge his Red Bull colleagues. Hohenthal spun into the gravel and out of the race at turn three and Hoing also retired late on.

Back at the front and Soucek had extended his lead to more than seven seconds as the crossed the line for the final time, ending a dominant race and a dominant season for the outstanding Spaniard.

De Marco held off Wickens to take second, as Wickens settled for third in the race and the runner-up spot overall. Vasiliauskas, Hegewald and the impressive Vautier rounded out the top six, ahead of Aleshin who clinched third in the championship race - becoming the first Russian to earn qualification for an FIA Superlicense.

Jousse scored the final championship point of the season ahead of Eng and Ebrahim. Jolyon Palmer and Alex Brundle completed a decent finish to their first season of international racing by finishing 11th and 12th respectively.

The race was a fitting end to a wonderful first season of the FIA Formula Two Championship. Preparations are well underway for the 2010 campaign with winter testing starting in Valencia in just over one month's time, but for now it is Andy Soucek's moment - seven time race winner and Formula Two champion.

"I don't have many words honestly," said Soucek. "It has been amazing. I'm sure this victory is not only the work I did on the championship, I think it is also thanks to a couple of people that have really helped me throughout my career. I had everything I needed to win it, that's true; nothing was missing. I think I did a good job but everybody surrounding me really pushed hard as well. I have to thank everybody.

"I've said already that Formula Two for me is the best championship I've ever been in in terms of organisation, and it's only in the first year. I'm absolutely going to back the championship and be behind it because I really liked it and enjoyed the whole year. I have to congratulate Robert as well to be second because I think he deserved to challenge me for the championship.

"Now I can only say thank you to everybody - seven wins is huge, I think 11 podiums, I don't know I lost count, and it's the best result of my career and my life. Hopefully this gives me the chance to be in Formula One next year."

Soucek scores home win

Spaniard storms to victory at Circuit de Catalunya

Andy Soucek has taken his first Formula Two victory on home soil after the newly crowned champion put in a commanding drive during race one in Barcelona today (Saturday).

Mikhail Aleshin took second, ahead of a staggering performance from French debutant Tristan Vautier.

Pole-sitter Robert Wickens made a slow getaway, as Soucek blasted by on the run down to turn one. Aleshin had already taken second as Vautier attacked from behind. The 20-year-old jumped from fourth to third off the line before going side-by-side with Aleshin through turns one and two. Aleshin held on as the recovering Wickens began to put pressure on Vautier.

There was drama behind as Nicola De Marco ran across the grass while Jens Hoing spun out of the race at turn two. Jolyon Palmer also had a brief moment after being pushed wide but the young Briton was able to continue at the back of the pack.

The race settled down at the head of the field while there was an intense battle going on amongst a number of British drivers. Jason Moore sneaked up the inside of Jack Clarke on lap four only for the pair to make contact on the exit of turn ten. Moore car briefly had two wheels off the ground but both were able to continue after losing positions to a gaggle of cars behind.

Tom Gladdis nipped by Alex Brundle on the same lap to take 14th, as Robert Wickens began to have problems up ahead. The Canadian's Red Bull-backed car ground to a halt at the exit of turn 11 on lap five. It was a disappointing end to what had looked like a promising race for the talented front-runner.

Palmer was putting in a charge and the 18-year-old made his way by Clarke and Henri Karjalainen during an impressive recovery drive. There was also a good scrap for 11th as De Marco, Ebrahim and Gladdis fought for position. De Marco had already fallen out of the points following his dramatic start and the Italian was struggling to keep Ebrahim behind by the mid-distance stage.

Brundle ran wide, which allowed Sebastian Hohenthal and Palmer to get by but Hohenthal would later ruin his good work by crashing out of the race at the final chicane. Palmer went on to take a well earned 13th after fighting his way up ten places.

With two laps remaining, Soucek had extended his lead by more than four seconds as Aleshin settled for second. Vautier was coming under increasing pressure from his fellow countryman Julien Jousse but the younger of the two drivers was holding on.

Philipp Eng held off Mirko Bortolotti to take fifth, whilst Natacha Gachnang put in her best drive of the season to take seventh - the Swiss female improving upon her ninth place grid position to score her first points finish in Formula Two. Kazim Vasiliauskas took the final championship point, finishing just half a second behind Gachnang.

By the end of the race, Soucek crossed the line 4.389s ahead of Aleshin to take his sixth victory of the season. After intense pressure in the latter stages of the 20-lap race, Vautier held on to take a memorable maiden podium.

"It feels very, very special," said Soucek. "I've never had that feeling. Obviously when you win a race you are always happy and I am happier today than I was at Imola when I clinched the championship. I'm negotiating a seat next year in Formula 1, and I think everybody [in F1] is looking carefully at what I'm doing so I really had to perform well."

Tristan Vautier said: "This is my best ever result. I have taken wins in Formula Renault Eurocup and FPA but this is an FIA Championship and it is my first time in the car so for sure, this is the best result of my career so far."

Soucek celebrates championship in style

Spaniard takes his fifth win of the season in Imola

Andy Soucek celebrated his championship in style on Sunday  leapfrogging Mirko Bortolotti and Robert Wickens from the start to claim his fifth victory of the season.

The Spaniard, who clinched the championship on Saturday, continued his impressive streak in Formula Two as he looks forward to a test with the AT&T Williams F1 team at the end of the season.

The race got off to a frenetic start - Soucek bursting between the Red Bull duo of Wickens and Bortolotti, and Mikhail Aleshin making his way up to fourth place. The Russian then passed Wickens on the outside at the Traguardo chicane, but Aleshin pushed too hard at the next corner and spun on the exit of Tamburello. His car was stranded on the circuit as the whole F2 field powered through - unfortunately, Jens Hoing was unsighted and the German ploughed into Aleshin at high speed.

A safety car was instantly deployed but Pietro Gandolfi somehow did not see the boards and he ran into the slowing Natacha Gachnang ahead. The young Swiss female racer was furious with Gandolfi as she remonstrated with him after the accident. Both cars were out on the spot and this further prolonged the safety car period.

At the restart, Wickens got the jump on Bortolotti soon after the start/finish line, but the Italian had a problem. With smoke and oil coming from his car, Bortolotti pulled off but not before the slippery surface had caught out several drivers behind. Alex Brundle was having a great run but the young Englishman was the first to hit the oil and it fired him off into the barrier. Julien Jousse and Jack Clarke followed, although Clarke was able to rejoin.

Marshalls were able to put sand down on the oil while the race continued and leader Soucek was the first to throw up plumes of white dust into the cars behind. Wickens' car was covered, which seemed to startle the Canadian momentarily as his vision was obscurred. The leading pair traded fastest laps towards the end of the race but they both maintained position as Soucek recorded his fifth win of the season.

Milo' Pavloviæ took a lonely yet well deserved third place. The Serbian has been struck by bad luck throughout much of 2009 so it was fitting that he made his first visit to the podium since Spa-Francorchaps in June.

Tobias Hegewald took fourth to fire himself back into the top six of the championship standings, whilst Carlos Iaconelli came home fifth.

There was a fantastic battle for sixth place and it will be a memorable one for young Briton Jolyon Palmer. The teenager has been in good form at Imola and he followed up his storming drive during yesterday's race with another here today. His rise from 16th on the grid to sixth at the finish included a great pass on Spaniard German Sanchez, and he picked up his first points of the season ahead of Jason Moore and Sanchez. The reigning Formula Palmer Audi deserves great praise after racing with a fractured hand throughout the weekend, and a fantastic pass on Sanchez late on will have made his efforts all the more worthwhile.

Nicola De Marco and Philipp Eng both fought their way up from the back of the field and were challenging for sixth at one stage, but the pair eventually had to settle for ninth and tenth respectively. Armaan Ebrahim was struck with bad luck when his car did not get off the start line, whilst Kazim Vasiliauskas also retired when running well in the top six.

Andy Soucek said: "I got a good start. It was a bit dangerous because I was in the middle of the Red Bull cars and I was a bit uncomfortable, but I managed to squeeze up the inside. From then on I just pushed really hard to improve my lap times, I was very consistent and quick. Another victory, now five wins and eight podiums - I can't really expect more. Today I really wanted it to be good, and I'm very proud."  

Vasiliauskas wins the race as Soucek takes the title

Lithuanian scores maiden win ahead of Bortolotti and Soucek

Kazim Vasiliauskas scored a sublime maiden victory of the season in the opening F2 race at Imola today, whilst Andy Soucek clinched the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship with a third place finish.

Vasiliauskas led from start to finish after making a clean getaway from the line, although he did have an anxious moment on the run down to Tamburello for the first time when he ran wide and caught the gravel. He managed to rejoin just in front of second place Mirko Bortolotti to maintain the lead, although he came under intense pressure.

There was trouble further down the field as Julien Jousse, Tobias Hegewald and Nicola De Marco all made contact as they came through Tamburello - the result was a spectacular barrel roll for Hegewald, whilst De Marco ended in the barriers. Jousse was able to continue after a brief trip to the pitlane.

The safety car was deployed to retrieve the stricken cars and Vasiliauskas was again under pressure from a gaggle of drivers at the restart. Bortolotti had Wickens all over him, who in turn had a fast starting Soucek behind.

Vasiliauskas soon found his rhythm and the youngster pulled away from the rest of the field to take a phenomenal victory by more than seven seconds. It is Kazim's first full season of single seater racing and he becomes the first Lithuanian to take an international race victory.

Bortolotti maintained second, but there was action behind as Soucek made his move through the field - the Spaniard needing only to finish ahead of Wickens and Aleshin to absolutely guarantee taking the title. Aleshin was already out of the picture after the Russian got a terrible start and also spun later in the race. Now Soucek was chasing down Wickens and the Spaniard got his man with a stunning move on the run down the back straight. Wickens had no answer and Soucek went on to pressure Bortolotti until the finish, taking his eighth podium of the season and with it, the championship.

Wickens took fourth ahead of Philipp Eng and Milo' Pavloviæ, and the recovering Aleshin was some way back in seventh.

German Sanchez continued with his impressive weekend and deservedly scored his first points of the season after fighting off Sebastian Hohenthal. The Spaniard also made a stellar pass on Natacha Gachnang early in the race, who was also fighting for her maiden points finish.

Sebastian Hohenthal was ninth and Julien Jousse rounded out the top ten after making a superb comeback from near the back of the field. Behind him Jolyon Palmer was involved in some fantastic duels as the Briton came through from 19th on the grid to finish 12th. Edoardo Piscopo finished fractions behind in 13th.

Tom Gladdis and Jack Clarke both recovered from an off-track moment, whilst Jens Hoing crashed out on lap four. Ollie Hancock's race was ruined on the first lap after a poor start was added to when Pietro Gandolfi spun into the Englishman - both drivers were immediately out on the spot.

Vasiliauskas said: "I am really proud of this win. It was a really good race, and I finished with a seven second gap as I was able to maintain my times throughout the race - in fact my last lap was the fastest of the race. It was a really good race, and I kept pushing right until the end."

Bortolotti said: "I had a good start today, although I had to avoid Kazim as he came back onto the circuit, which was quite dangerous. After that he closed the door a few times, so it was hard to get past. In the end second position and eight points is good, and now we are looking forward to tomorrow."

A jubillant Andy Soucek, who becomes the first F2 champion for 25 years, said: "I'm really, really happy. I wanted to win the championship with a podium at least, so I'm thrilled to have finished third. I was starting sixth which was not the best position, but I made my places off the track - it was not people having problems. It was an amazing race, possibly the best of my season so far. Now I am just going to try and win as many races as possible, and just try and enjoy it."

Mikhail Aleshin scores maiden F2 win

Russian fends off Soucek and Jousse to clinch victory

Mikhail Aleshin scored his maiden victory in Formula Two in the second race at Oschersleben on Sunday) although he had to fend off the attentions of Andy Soucek and Julien Jousse for the entire race.

The Russian made a decent start from pole but he had Jousse challenging his lead into the first corner. Jousse made a failed attempt down the inside and then lost momentum through turn two, which allowed Andy Soucek to sneak through into second.

Mirko Bortolotti failed to get away cleanly from fourth on the grid, the Italian dropping down the order as a result. Robert Wickens inherited fourth but was unable to challenge the lead trio, instead having to protect his position from a charging Nicola De Marco.

The opening lap drama didn't happen at the expected first corner, but it arrived at the exit of turn nine when Philipp Eng barrel rolled his car at high speed after contact with another driver. The Austrian was completely uninjured during the spectacular looking accident.

The lead trio of Aleshin, Soucek and Jousse proceeded to open a small gap over Wickens in fourth. Soucek was able to put Aleshin under heavy pressure throughout, but he also had his mirrors full of Jousse behind. The Spaniard had a few exploratory looks down the inside of Aleshin, but he was unable to make any real attempt to pass. He also made a small mistake when running wide on the penultimate lap, and subsequently settled for second. When the chequered flag fell, the top three drivers were separated by just over one second.

Wickens hung on to fourth, ahead of De Marco and Tobias Hegewald. Kazim Vasiliauskas took seventh, whilst Edoardo Piscopo made a great charge from 14th on the grid to clinch the final point. Sebastian Hohenthal and Carlos Iaconelli both jumped Alex Brundle late on to round out the top ten.

Aleshin's first F2 win promotes him to second in the championship standings, having jumped his Red Bull Junior team mates Wickens and Bortolotti. "It's incredible," said Aleshin. "It was one of the most difficult races in my life I would say. I had a problem with the gearbox and couldn't shift down properly - I was losing a lot of time, especially in the first corner. Well I was pushing and I didn't make any mistakes, and that's why I'm sitting here in the middle! I want to say thanks to my mechanic and engineer for all their help."

Soucek now holds a 32 point advantage with only 40 available points remaining at Imola and Barcelona: "That was not the best start I have done," said the Spaniard. "I saw the two guys fighting in front of me so I broke a bit earlier and I used the opportunity on the second corner where they were parallel fighting together. Julien was quite fair to me and didn't close, otherwise we would have probably crashed. It was a bit of a risk for the championship, but it went well. It was kind of impossible to overtake though, so I thought about the championship and I think eight points are very important now."

Jousse completed the podium, but the Frenchman is not hopeful of challenging for the championship: "For me the championship is finished for sure, but I will fight the maximum for second position," he said. Soucek can clinch the title with race victory in the opening contest at Imola in two weeks time.  

Soucek takes dominant win at Oschersleben

Spaniard seals fourth victory of season

Andy Soucek scored a dominant victory in the opening race at Oschersleben on Saturday, converting pole position into his fourth win of 2009.

The Spaniard made a clean getaway from the line to lead the pack into the first corner, but behind him several drivers were caught out as Tobias Hegewald made contact with Robert Wickens, tipping him into a spin.

Wickens had initially got the jump on Mirko Bortolotti, but the Italian responded by sneaking back through on the inside. Hegewald tried to follow suit, but he made his move too late and clipped the Canadian's Red Bull-backed car. A multi-car accident followed as several drivers tried to take avoiding action - the incident left Hegewald, Julien Jousse, Jens Höing, Milo& Pavlovi and Philipp Eng out of the race, whilst Robert Wickens, Jolyon Palmer and Jason Moore had to rejoin towards the rear of the field. Mikhail Aleshin was also lucky to continue after briefly becoming airborne.

The incident led to a safety car period, but Soucek maintained his lead from the restart and never looked back as he took victory by just over six seconds. Mirko Bortolotti, who had started alongside Soucek in second, also maintained position to score his fourth podium of the season.

Kazim Vasiliauskas picked his way the opening lap mayhem to take third from sixth on the grid, and the Lithuanian kept a consistent pace to take the final podium spot at the finish.

Carlos Iaconelli, Mikhail Aleshin and Nicola De Marco were covered by less than 1.5s in fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. All three had battled their way past Jack Clarke during the contest, whilst De Marco moved up several places. The young Italian's race included impressive moves on both Natacha Gachnang and Armaan Ebrahim.

Starting from 15th on the grid, Clarke took a fantastic seventh place after picking his way through the early melee. Wickens rounded out the points-paying positions with a storming recovery drive - the 20-year-old made aggressive moves past Natacha Gachnang and Armaan Ebrahim.

Ebrahim took ninth, ahead of a gutsy drive from debutant Ollie Hancock. The Briton saw off the attentions of both Gachnang and Edoardo Piscopo, before his race ended following a spin coming out of turn two on the penultimate lap. Fortunately the race was red flagged and Hancock was able to keep his tenth place finish as the results were counted back to the previous lap.

Andy Soucek said: "It always looks easy but it never is. I got a very good start, quite similar to the one I got at Donington. Through the race I was just focussing on not making any mistakes, but I was really pushing hard - I got the fastest lap by far, so I'm going to sleep well tonight. I think now I can try and go for the win again tomorrow!"

Mirko Bortolotti said: "I have to be happy with second. Of course I would like to be quicker and be able to fight for victory, but the positions are good at the moment. My target for the next race is to go like this, try to pick up points, and if possible go for the podium or even the win."

Kazim Vasiliauskas said: "I'm improving every weekend. The gap between myself and the leaders is getting smaller - I'm getting consistent and not making so many mistakes like in the beginning of the season, and I'm happy to be on the podium."

Jousse takes superb maiden F2 win

Julien Jousse, who started on pole position, took a dominant maiden victory in race two of the FIA Formula Two Championship at Donington Park this afternoon (Sunday).

Jousse made a fantastic getaway as the lights went out, whilst Kazim Vasiliauskas also had a storming start - the Lithuanian got by Sebastian Hohenthal and Mirko Bortolotti around the outside at Redgate to move into second.

An incident at the Esses on the first lap involving multiple cars towards the back of the field eliminated Jason Moore, Armaan Ebrahim, Jens Hoing, Nicola De Marco and Tom Gladdis, and brought out the safety car for three laps. At the restart, Jousse pulled out a good advantage whilst Alex Brundle and Robert Wickens made contact at the Craner Curves. The young Briton made heavy contact with the barriers and both drivers were out on the spot.

Jousse continued to pull away from Vasiliauskas whilst an intense battle raged behind, as Mirko Bortolotti, Sebastian Hohenthal and Andy Soucek all scrapped for third place. Soucek made a remarkable pass on Hohenthal on lap 17 at the Craner Curves and quickly set about catching Bortolotti - the Spaniard applying intense pressure on the reigning Italian Formula 3 champion.

Bortolotti produced a superb defensive display to hold Soucek at bay as the pair went side-by-side through Redgate, Hollywood and the Craner Curves. Soucek was forced to concede and Bortolotti clinched the final podium position, whilst Jousse took victory by more than 15 seconds from Vasiliauskas.

Sebastian Hohenthal held off both Tobias Hegewald and Mikhail Aleshin to take fifth, whilst Milos Pavlovic rounded out the points in eighth position. Carlos Iaconelli and Philipp Eng were ninth and tenth respectively.

German Sanchez and Jolyon Palmer both enjoyed good runs just outside the top ten - 11th place for Sanchez equalling his best performance of the season. Edoardo Piscopo retired late on, as did Natacha Gachnang after a spin at Goddards.

Julien Jousse said: "I'm happy because everything went right in this race. It was not the case this morning, because I made a big mistake and missed an opportunity to score big points. I'm happy to win after this pole. I was quick all weekend and I am happy to confirm that with a win. I don't know Oschersleben, so I hope to learn it very quickly and get the same result."

Kazim Vasiliauskas said: "The start was not so bad. I used the boost and Bortolotti and Hohenthal were fighting on the inside of the corner. They both braked early so I just tried to go around the outside and I passed them. Then at the restart I made a mistake because I tried to press the boost but instead I pushed the wrong button! Bortolotti almost overtook me but I defended and after that I just tried to focus on my race."

Mirko Bortolotti said: "I'm happy to be back on the podium. It was a really difficult race for me because I was under pressure throughout the race. I had a close moment going side by side with Soucek, but it was fun."

Soucek storms to victory at Donington Park

Spaniard Andy Soucek has extended his lead in the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship after taking a brilliant win at Donington Park in race one this morning (Sunday). He becomes the first driver to achieve three race victories this season.

Starting from third on the grid, Soucek made a fantastic getaway to lead into the first corner, whilst polesitter Tobias Hegewald dropped down to third behind Mikhail Aleshin. Soucek continued to pull a gap on his rivals behind, setting his fastest lap towards the end of the race, which he went on to win comfortably by nearly ten seconds.

"This was the kind of race you dream about - it was perfect," said Soucek. "From the start I hit the boost at just the right moment and in the right place, and it was fantastic - I don't think I will be able to repeat such a start many times. I'm really pleased, particularly for my mechanic who did a fantastic job repairing my car after my crash yesterday and it was just perfect.

"I was just amazed that every lap I saw my times and they were exactly the same. My rhythm was very consistent which is the most important thing in a race, so I'm really happy."

Whilst Soucek was never challenged, there was action throughout the field behind him, with Aleshin, Hegewald and Milos Pavlovic enjoying a race-long scrap for second place. Aleshin absorbed the pressure and held on to claim 8 points, whilst Pavlovic managed to pass Hegewald on lap 20 going into the Fogerty Esses, only to suddenly slow and retire two laps later.

"Tobias gave me a hard time during the race," said Aleshin. "I was on the limit basically on every corner and just saw Tobias coming closer and closer. I was pretty surprised at the start - I was probably still in first gear and Andy came past me! I had a good start, but probably not as good as Andy - second place is still good though."

Edoardo Piscopo took a strong fourth place, with Philipp Eng in fifth. Sebastian Hohenthal and Julien Jousse recovered to sixth and seventh after dropping down the order following an earlier collision at Goddards, whilst Armaan Ebrahim took the final point in eighth.

Jack Clarke slipped to ninth after losing time during an off at Redgate, but the Englishman still enjoyed one of this strongest drives of the season, having been running in a points paying position from 13th on the grid. Mirko Bortolotti rounded out the top ten after he eventually passed Jason Moore on the Dunlop Straight - the pair having endured a titanic battle throughout.

Canadian Robert Wickens dropped through the field after a technical problem and retired, whilst Nicola De Marco and Jens Hoing were eliminated following a lap one collision. Jolyon Palmer, Henri Karjalainen and Carlos Iaconelli came together in dramatic style on lap 17, damaging all three cars. Palmer had seemingly shown enough of his car down the inside of Iaconelli at the Fogerty Esses, but the Brazilian turned in and heavy contact was made. As a result, Karjalainen had nowhere to go and he made contact with the rear of Palmer's car.

Alex Brundle recovered from a spin after a close moment with Henri Karjalainen at Coppice, whilst Pietro Gandolfi retired following a double spin at the Fogerty Esses and Goddards.

Tragedy as Henry Surtees dies after lap ten incident

Andy Soucek claims victory in race two at Brands Hatch

Andy Soucek has taken victory in this afternoon's heavily-interrupted race two at Brands Hatch, extending his lead in the FIA Formula Two Championship but it was a muted victory after Henry Surtees died after he was struck by a wheel during an accident. 

The Spaniard made an excellent getaway from pole position, but Mikhail Aleshin made the most ground, moving up from fifth to third at the first corner. Robert Wickens maintained second in the early stages.

Behind them, a number of incidents on track and a brief rain shower on the opening lap led to a number of retirements and three separate red flag stoppages.

On lap two Kazim Vasiliauskas and Miloš Pavlović clashed heavily at Paddock Hill Bend, putting the Serbian out on the spot. Carlos Iaconelli also spun on the exit of Westfield, having risen from sixth to fourth after a good start.

The same lap Tobias Hegewald sneaked inside Henry Surtees at Druids for sixth, and the young Briton spun after getting two wheels on the grass as he tried to respond. Nicola De Marco also suffered damage as rain began to fall, and the race directors called a halt to proceedings as it threatened to turn into a wet race.

The circuit dried quickly though, and at the restart Soucek held off the initial advances of Wickens before the pair began to pull away from Aleshin in third. Jason Moore was enjoying his best run of the season in ninth, but behind him another incident occured when Sebastian Hohenthal tried to repass Jack Clarke for ninth - the Swede's efforts causing him to run wide into the gravel at the exit of Sheene Curve. As he returned to the circuit his car was clipped by German Sanchez, and the latter became airborne briefly before coming to a rest in the barriers.

A safety car period followed, but the top eight all maintained position from the restart. On lap ten Jack Clarke went off at Westfield and made heavy contact with the barriers. A wheel from Clarke's car bounced across the circuit and appeared to make contact with the car of Henry Surtees, who then went off at the following corner. The race was immediately red flagged, whilst Surtees was extricated from the car and taken to the circuit's medical centre where he was stabilised before being transferred to hospitalThe race was briefly restarted with no change to the points paying positions, and Andy Soucek went on to take his second win of the season. "There was everything in this race," he said - "rain, incidents, yellow flags, red flags and safety car periods. I knew I had a good pace and it was all about keeping first position. It is obviously nice to take the victory and extend my championship lead, but my thoughts are also with Henry."

Robert Wickens claimed second ahead of fellow Red Bull Junior Team driver Mikhail Aleshin. "Andy drove a great race, but you cannot take these kind of races into factor," Wickens reflected. " I just want to thank my mechanic for a great job all weekend."

Yesterday's winner Philipp Eng brought his car home in fourth, whilst Mirko Bortolotti held off Tobias Hegewald to finish fifth. Behind the trio Edoardo Piscopo finished seventh, with Jason Moore taking his first point of the season with eighth place. Julien Jousse made up seven places from his starting position to finish ninth, and Armaan Ebrahim rounded out the top ten having started from 22nd on the grid.

Later that evening came the sad news that Henry Surtees had died of his injuries.  

Philipp Eng wins dramatic race one at Brands Hatch

Austrian becomes fifth winner in seven races

Austrian Philipp Eng has taken a brilliant maiden F2 win at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday) after enduring race-long pressure from championship leader Andy Soucek.

Eng didn't make the best of starts off the line, but Soucek was unable to capitalise on the run down to Paddock Hill Bend. Henry Surtees and Kazim Vasiliauskas were side-by-side behind, and it was the Lithuanian who grabbed third on the opening lap.

Notable incidents in the early stages included Alex Brundle running through the gravel at Druids Hairpin on lap two and Jens Hoing sliding off at Paddock Hill Bend. Brundle was able to continue, whilst Hoing retired after making contact with the barriers.

After ten laps, the top three were separated by less than a second as Surtees fought to stay with the front-runners. Further back, Carlos Iaconelli and Sebastian Hohenthal were fighting for eighth, and Hohenthal made a stellar move down the inside of the Brazilian at Paddock. Unfortunately, Hohenthal's car began to slow before stopping on the edge of the circuit between Sheene Curve and Stirling's.

The stewards were left with little option but to deploy the safety car as Hohenthal's stricken car was retrieved. At the restart, and on cold tyres, Vasiliauskas ran wide into the first corner. Surtees accepted the invitation, as did Robert Wickens and both drivers nipped by the Lithuanian on the run up to Druids.

Iaconelli was still in the thick of the action, this time passing Miloš Pavlović around the outside for seventh position. Then Julien Jousse ran wide coming out of Surtees Corner, allowing Iaconelli to steal another place. Things got worse for Jousse - as the Frenchman tried to attack and repass Iaconelli, he out braked himself at Paddock Hill Bend and crashed out of the race.

Back at the front, Eng was still under intense pressure from Soucek, but the Austrian hung on to take the win by just 0.494s. "It is my first victory and it feels great," said Eng. "I was nervous as Andy put me under so much pressure. He was really quick in the back part of the circuit in the fast corners, but I managed to keep my position. The key now is consistency, definitely."

Soucek extended his lead at the top of the overall standings as his rivals faltered behind. "I tried to put Philipp under pressure but he resisted well," said Soucek. "I picked up some points over my main challengers, but it is still not enough. Tomorrow Robert Wickens is starting alongside me and it won't be easy."

Surtees kept Wickens at bay to claim his maiden podium in F2 - well deserved after the pace he has shown throughout the season. "It's a bit of a relief really," commented Surtees. "I only had two points before this race even though we've had a pole and we've set fastest laps in practice. It's nice to actually finish a race - in the last four I haven't quite been so lucky."

Vasiliauskas maintained fifth, ahead of the charging Iaconelli. Pavlović and Edoardo Piscopo rounded out the points - the Italian having recovered well from a poor start. Nicola De Marco was just half a second away from a points paying position in ninth, whilst Mikhail Aleshin stormed from the back of the grid to take tenth.

There were great battles throughout the field - Jolyon Palmer and Jack Clarke traded positions before Clarke went off and out of the race at Sheene Curve. Mirko Bortolotti also went out after going off at the same corner, whilst Alex Brundle and Armaan Ebrahim tangled at Clark Curve, both drivers retiring on the spot.

Tobias Hegewald is the star of Spa

Two dominant wins in a row for young German

Tobias Hegewald has won his second race of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, after another superb lights-to-flag victory on Sunday.

The German driver got a good start and went on to extend his lead by around half a second per lap; he eventually won the race by more than seven seconds. Andy Soucek claimed second place after seeing off the attentions of Robert Wickens midway through the 15 lap contest.

Wickens completed the podium - the Red Bull-backed Canadian's car had to be repaired overnight following heavy damage sustained in a startline shunt yesterday, but showed little ill-effect when he battled past Alex Brundle at Eau Rouge on the first lap. Having initially lost third position to the young Briton at La Source, Wickens responded with a banzai move at the legendary corner. He went on to pressure Soucek, before settling for third and six championship points.

Milos Pavlovic took fourth after passing Alex Brundle on lap 11. Julien Jousse also attacked Brundle in the closing stages, but was unable to make a move stick. Kazim Vasiliauskas took seventh after a fantastic move past Mikhail Aleshin, the Lithuanian getting a great run across the start/finish line and completing the move on the inside at La Source.

Aleshin clinched the final point, ahead of his Red Bull Junior colleague Mirko Bortolotti. Carlos Iaconelli rounded out the top ten.

Jolyon Palmer and Jack Clarke both retired on the first lap after an ambitious move by Clarke at turn 7 resulted in a collision. Henry Surtees was also forced to retire after being hit by German Sanchez at the entry to Eau Rouge on lap 3. Sanchez was able to continue but eventually pulled into the pits on lap 14.

Hegewald, though, was never threatened on his way to a dominant win. The German driver has topped all six sessions at Spa this weekend. Soucek has returned to the top of the overall standings - two points ahead of Wickens and three ahead of Jousse. 'Star of Spa' Tobias Hegewald is now fourth in the championship, just six points off the lead.

Tobias Hegewald said: "It has been an amazing weekend - I was fastest in every session and I came away with maximum points. The race was not easy at the start because my car felt nervous, but I took the win and now I can allow myself to focus on fighting for the championship. I have 22 points, which is not very far from the top, and I'm really keen to win it if I can. Spa is my favourite track and I love driving here - the weekend has been just perfect!"

Andy Soucek said: "I knew I could make a good start and hopefully overtake Tobias, but he has had a perfect weekend with no mistakes at all. The most I could do was brake a little bit later than Robert and get second which is good for the championship - I recovered from my penalty yesterday and I am again leading it. Hopefully Tobias will not have the same weekend at Brands Hatch!"

Robert Wickens said: "I'm happy to be back on the podium but I definitely need to do better at Brands Hatch. Another six points doesn't hurt but obviously I would have rather got four more, but it's still a long year."

Tobias Hegewald secures commanding maiden victory

German driver becomes fourth winner in five races

Tobias Hegewald took a commanding maiden win at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday, ahead of Andy Soucek and Milos Pavlovic. Soucek was subsequently given a ten second penalty by the stewards after an incident at Les Combes on lap 3. The Spanish driver overshot the corner whilst trying to attack Hegewald for the lead. His car then ran across the grass and returned to the track immediately in front of Julien Jousse. The Frenchman had to take avoiding action and lost his place to Milos Pavlovic in the process. This was deemed worthy of a penalty by the race stewards. Soucek to fourth place whilst Pavlovic and Jousse have been promoted to second and third respectively.

The race got off to a dramatic start when Robert Wickens failed to get away from the line. It looked as though the whole pack would be able to avoid him but Jason Moore collected him at speed, spreading the track with debris and bringing the safety car out for two laps.

At the restart, Soucek tried desperately to get past Hegewald but ended up running off the circuit at Les Combes. The Spaniard held on to his second place, but baulked Julien Jousse as he returned to circuit. Pavlovic managed to overtake Jousse in the process and the two went on to enjoy a race-long battle.

Philipp Eng and Alex Brundle both retired after coming together in an incident that also involved Jolyon Palmer, whilst the trio fought for sixth place. Palmer suffered wing damage and eventually dropped down the order.

At the flag, Hegewald had increased his lead to four seconds to take his first victory of the season. Soucek was able to take a comfortable second as Pavlovic came under increasing pressure from Jousse, but the Serbian defended gallantly to take a well deserved podium.

Behind Jousse came the British pair of Jack Clarke and Tom Gladdis - both drivers enjoying storming drives from 12th and 15th respectively on the grid to score top six finishes. Henri Karjalainen and Edoardo Piscopo also enjoyed similarly exciting races, making several overtaking manoeuvres on their way to seventh and eighth. Mirko Bortolotti and Kazim Vasiliauskas rounded out the top ten - narrowly missing out on championship points.

Soucek now leads the championship standings, having moved to 23 points ahead of Bortolotti and Jousse on 21. Wickens is currently fourth on 20 points. Round six will take place tomorrow at 15:05.

Tobias Hegewald said: "I'm just hoping for more of the same tomorrow! My first two weekends unfortunately weren't so good, but hopefully now I am running better and I have put myself into championship contention. I was under a bit of pressure from Andy but I managed to get a gap and relax towards the end."

Andy Soucek said: "I tried to overtake Tobias in the early laps, at the start and after the Safety Car, but I saw he was too quick and I couldn't match his rhythm. I had a few big moments - including going across the grass at the chicane - so I decided to settle for second and with it the championship lead. I have to apologise to Julien Jousse because he had to avoid me when I went over the grass and he ended up losing third to Milos. I'm happy with my race and the result, but I do have to apologise for this move."

Milos Pavlovic said: "I really wanted a podium today and I pushed hard to get it. Maybe I was fortunate to get past Julien in the way I did, but I took my chances and the race went well. I got a really good start and was alongside Julien Jousse going into the first corner, and after I got by him I couldn't catch Andy so I just guided it home to third. I know I have to improve my feel for the car, but after this result I'm confident I can get there."

Wickens takes victory in Race Two

Red Bull Junior driver extends championship advantage

Robert Wickens took a lights to flag victory in the second race of the FIA Formula Two Championship on Sunday at Valencia, Spain.

Italian Mirko Bortolotti finished in second, with Philipp Eng completing the podium placings. The trio recieved their trophies from Patrick Head, Director of Engineering at the AT&T Williams F1 Team.

Wickens got a clean start from pole, but soon came under pressure from Red Bull teammate Mirko Bortolotti. Andy Soucek made a poor start from second on the grid, and was passed off the line by Bortolotti, Philipp Eng and Nicola De Marco. Soucek was back up to fourth by the end of the opening lap after making a good move past De Marco.

Bortolotti tried everything to force Wickens into a mistake, but by the middle phase of the 17 lap encounter, both drivers settled into their respective positions. Behind the Red Bull pairing, Soucek was putting Eng under intense pressure for third. The 19-year-old Austrian held strong to take his maiden podium in F2, whilst Soucek had to settle for fourth. De Marco stayed in close contention throughout and crossed the line in an impressive fifth place, having seen off the attentions of Mikhail Aleshin - the Russian completing a top six result for all three Red Bull Junior drivers.

Edoardo Piscopo drove to a fairly lonely but consistent seventh place and Carlos Iaconelli rounded out the points finishers, after making a stellar move past Julien Jousse around the outside at Turn One. Tobias Hegewald repeated the trick on the Frenchman a lap later and finished ninth, whilst Jousse hung on to take tenth.

There was disappointment for female racer Natacha Gachnang who tangled with Alex Brundle on the opening lap - Gachnang retired on the spot, whilst Brundle pitted for repairs. Jolyon Palmer was tapped into the gravel and out of the race on lap one and yesterday's surprise package Kazim Vasiliauskas went off after making contact with Jousse in a battle for eighth place. The Lithuanian returned to the circuit at the back of the field, but was able to take the fastest lap of the race.

Robert Wickens said: "This is the best weekend of my career so far; it's pretty much been perfect. From start to finish it has been good; we struggled a little in free practice but we didn't lose our cool and everything fell into place nicely - it's basically been a fairytale. It was a good race, Mirko pushed me a lot at the beginning but it was just fantastic. I can't believe the weekend and the year have started so well."

WICKENS WINS OPENING ROUND OF THE 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP

Canadian dominates the first race in 25 years as FIA President Max Mosley watches on

Canadian Robert Wickens, a member of the Red Bull Junior Team, has won the first F2 race to take place in 25 years after taking a commanding victory at Valencia on Saturday.

Robert took the win and the points lead of the 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship after a flawless drive from pole position. Carlos Iaconelli was second and Kazim Vasiliauskas third, with the trio receiving their trophies from FIA President Max Mosley. Tobias Hegewald retired after running into a slowing Andy Soucek, causing a safety car period.

Wickens got a fantastic start off the line, followed by Soucek and Iaconelli, who were able to pass Hegewald after the German got bogged down from the start. Mikhail Aleshin was fourth until Lithuanian Kazim Vasiliauskas made a great move on Aleshin at the final turn to move into fifth before the end of the opening lap.

Hegewald passed Iaconelli for third before the race began to stabilise up front, before drama struck at the front of the field. On lap 14, a slowing Andy Soucek exited Turn 12 and an unsighted Tobias Hegewald made contact with the Spaniard. Both cars were out on the spot and a safety car was deployed.

At the restart, Wickens made another textbook getaway with Carlos Iaconelli settling behind in second. The fight for third continued as both Mikhail Aleshin and Julien Jousse pressured Vasiliauskas. Jousse made a move on Red Bull junior driver Aleshin, but the Frenchman ran wide coming out of turn two - handing fifth place to Philipp Eng. The Austrian himself then lost the position by spinning on the final lap of the race.

Jousse was able to re-collect fifth at the finish ahead of a charging Mirko Bortolotti, whilst Henry Surtees and Alex Brundle rounded out the top eight.

There were some great tussles behind as Nicola de Marco, Jack Clarke and Sebastian Hohenthal scrambled to get in the points. None of the trio could manage it, although Italian De Marco was able to sneak past Clarke for ninth place late in the race.

A delighted race winner Robert Wickens said: "It was a bit of a difficult race. I was able to get a good start and hold onto P1, but then Andy was able to put pressure on me for the opening laps so I had to push quite hard. Once I had a bit of a gap I just focussed on consistency and keeping it together."

"My car was very consistent and driveable and we made some changes before the race that went well. To be perfectly honest I would have preferred the safety car to not come out, because I had quite a healthy gap and was happy with where I was. I got a good restart though, and it's phenomenal to get the first win. It's a big boost in confidence - everyone goes into the first race wanting to win, so for me to do it is a great way to start the championship."

Carlos Iaconelli drove a good consistent race to take second, but the Brazilian admitted it was a tough race: "The race was not easy for anybody, but I made a good start and it went well," he said. "In the beginning I struggled with my brake balance, but I just tried to push hard and stay on track. It was quite difficult at times. I didn't know who was behind me when Andy went off, but I managed to avoid him and from there I just tried to guide the car home."

Surprise package of the weekend so far has been 18-year-old Kazim Vasiliauskas who is embarking on his first full season of car racing: "I'm really surprised because I started from P9," Vasiliauskas admitted. "My start was good and on the first lap I managed to pass some drivers on the inside and outside, and tried to chase down Hegewald. Then in the middle of the race I had some luck when Hegewald and Soucek had an accident, but I was fast as well."

"I had a lot of nerves after the safety car, because I only had one boost and thought I might struggle into the first corner, but after that I was a little bit faster and the race went well."

FIA President Max Mosley said: "I thought the first race was excellent. The whole Formula Two set up is so professional, but what was most impressive was that all the cars were so reliable. It was also very impressive during qualifying to see 15 drivers from 12 nationalities separated by less than one second.

"I think the championship fits precisely with the cost cutting measures that are being adopted in Formula One. The barriers to entry have just been too big and too expensive in the past. This is a means for people to get into Formula One without spending a fortune, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see some drivers from this year's Formula Two Championship progress into Formula One."