Formula 2

Ticktum takes debut F2 victory in Sunday sprint race

Fraser Masefield
02 Aug 2020
2 min read

Williams Racing Academy driver Dan Ticktum was left celebrating victory at his home race at Silverstone after an assured pole to flag drive.

It had looked as if championship challenger Calum Ilott would sweep past his compatriot and into the lead midway through the race, having carved his way through the field into second and on fresher rubber.

But just as Ilott seemed poised to challenge for the lead, he lost control at the exit of Club, spinning through 180 degrees and unable to restart his car. A second Safety Car period again saw DAMS driver Ticktum under late pressure from a charging Christian Lundgaard on fresher medium rubber, but the Brit held firm to take a memorable victory.

“It feels just as good – even without the fans – and I am over the moon to be honest,” said Ticktum afterward. “I haven’t crossed the line first in a while, so it feels good and it is a nice confidence boost. I don’t know what to say really, it was a very tough race all the way through.

“The first five laps in particular were pretty close, but then in the middle of the race I controlled it pretty well to be honest. The management of the tyres and the setup, with what we did with the aero balance was very good. At the end, if we had one less Safety Car lap, he (Christian Lundgaard) would have passed me. The last three laps were absolutely flat out, and I’m sure the blood pressure was pretty high.

“I am really happy, so a big thank you to the team, because it hasn’t been the easiest of starts, but we seem to have always made the best of not-so-ideal qualifying sessions, so to come away from this weekend with 20 odd points, or something like that, I am happy. This is the best track in the world, so I am happy that we’ll back next weekend.”

Fraser Masefield

Sports news and features writer, web editor and author.

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