Sauber junior Maloney came out on top for Rodin Motorsport by over five seconds in a sprint race that really came to life in the closing stages as the soft tyres dropped off a cliff, allowing those that had gambled on the hard compound into the mix.
It was Maloney’s first win in F2, after a tough rookie campaign in 2023 as he scored points only three times in the final 16 races.
Jak Crawford made a perfect start from pole position and left second-placed starter Taylor Barnard in his wake. Things continued to worsen for the PHM AIX rookie, as Barnard dropped quickly to the fringes of the top 10 and eventually pulled into the pits to retire on lap 16.
Barnard’s woes were pounced on by ART team-mates Victor Martins and Zak O'Sullivan’s gain, as the pair quickly set about attacking Crawford’s DAMS entry.
While the majority of drivers elected to run the soft tyre to complete the 23-lap sprint race, O’Sullivan ran the hard compound, playing the long game.
Following a brief virtual safety car intervention on the second lap to allow for the recovery of Amaury Cordeel’s Hitech car, this strategy saw O’Sullivan drop backwards as his rivals made use of the early pace in their softer rubber.
Standing out from the pack was Maloney, who climbed from eighth on the grid to second by lap six, showcasing all the passing ability that brought him close to the F3 title in 2022.
On lap eight, Maloney made his move for the lead, skilfully pulling off a textbook switchback move on Crawford at Turn 4 and cementing the position with better traction off the corner.
Source: Autosport