Armstrong 11th, Lawson crashes in delayed F2 sprint race

Marcus Armstrong eased home just outside the top ten while his fellow New Zealander crashed out in the Formula 2 sprint race in Sochi.

The race was delayed several hours as a thunderstorm drenched the circuit beyond use in the morning.

The second sprint was cancelled as a result.

However, clear skies late into the afternoon led to a dry affair. Formula 1 qualifying held just before the race had also forged out a dry line for the drivers.

Yet, the circuit was still damp off the dry line, highlighted by Guanyu Zhou and Felipe Drugovich spinning and crashing on their way to the grid.

The race started in single-file, and polesitter Dan Ticktum controlled the field on the run to the first braking zone.

Liam Lawson ran in third up until lap six when he smacked the outside wall at turn 13.

The Kiwi blamed cold brakes for the costly error, leading to his second DNF in as many races.

He will start eighth for the final feature race later tonight.

Ticktum romped home to a comfortable win, his second of the season.

“I’m pretty happy that I didn’t put a foot wrong,” Ticktum said. “It was not easy. It was a lot about car control.”

Juri Vips and Robert Shwartzman rounded out the podium placings.

Armstrong started and finished 11th. Overtaking proved challenging with how slippery the circuit was off the dry line.

He starts the feature race, which begins at 9.20 pm NZT, from the same position.