Bortolotti takes dominant Race 1 victory

Date published : 16 Apr 2011 - 14:48:00

GPUpdateBortolotti takes dominant Race 1 victory16 April 2011 Mirko Bortolotti achieved a lights to flag victory at Silverstone this afternoon, getting his season off to the perfect start by earning the maximum points available in Race 1. The Italian enjoyed a strong start and never looked under pressure as he consistently pulled away at the front. Will Bratt secured second place after starting on the second row, while Miki Monrás completed the podium on his Formula 2 debut. Pleasant conditions greeted the 24-strong F2 field ahead of the first race of 2011, with the lights going out at 2pm local time (BST). Monrás suffered a poor start from second place, allowing Bratt to pass on the run up to Copse. This would eventually develop into a race long battle, with the pair closely matched throughout. Mihai Marinescu was a strong starter from row three, moving up to fourth place by the second lap. As the race settled down, Bortolotti continuosuly pumped in quick lap times to build on his lead to Bratt and Monrás behind who in turn were lapping nose to tail. Monrás looked set to make a move as the pair closed up, but a couple of lock-ups from the Spaniard would see him fall back for the next few tours. One of the highlights of the race was soon to follow, as Tom Gladdis and Tobias Hegewald went wheel to wheel in the points playing positions. A daring pass from Gladdis into Luffield would soon be the cause for Hegewald's bold move around the outside of Stowe on the next lap. The two men remained side by side until the exit of Vale, before Max Snegirev sneaked through and held Gladdis at bay through Abbey. As the race approached Lap 13, Johannes Theobold ended Kelvin Snoeks' race prematurely. The younger brother of Julian Theobold made contact with the Dutchman after Brooklands, inflicting substantial damage to the right front side of his opponent's car. Just three laps later, Plamen Kralev and Sung-Hak Mun had an accident in the new Arena section, with bodywork coming off both cars. As the race drew to a close, Mikko Bortolotti went on to set the fastest lap on his penultimate tour before claiming victory by 5.337 seconds. Behind the top three finishers, Marinescu comfortably finished in fourth, with Ramón Piñeiro, Hegewald and Christopher Zanella all in a train behind. Jack Clarke led Snegirev home by five seconds, while Clarke had to settle for tenth place. Sunday's second qualifying session begins at 9:30am local time (BST)