Schumacher clinches F2 drivers’ title as Daruvala triumphs in Sprint Race

Mick Schumacher was crowned drivers’ champion of the 2020 FIA Formula 2 Championship today while Jehan Daruvala won the season-ending Sprint Race, held in support of this weekend’s Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix.

Schumacher clinched his crown despite finishing 18th after struggling with his tyres for much of the first part of the race. His chief title rival Callum Ilott could not take advantage and was classified 10th overall, which left him out of the points for the race.

Schumacher’s drivers’ title added to the teams’ crown won on Saturday by his team Prema Racing.

Meanwhile, Daruvala led teammate Yuki Tsunoda to the chequered flag to register an impressive Carlin one-two in the season-finale.

Daruvala started on the front row alongside pole-sitter Dan Ticktum of Dams, and was able to gain the lead on lap 25. Daruvala held on until the end of 34 laps and crossed the finish line in 37mins 26.570secs for his first-ever triumph in F2. Tsunoda followed in 3.561secs after passing Ticktum on the final corner, and Ticktum had to settle for third 3.902secs behind Daruvala.

The result gave Carlin both victories in F2’s final round of 2020.

Completing the top eight and the Sprint’s points scorers were Guanyu Zhou of Uni-Virtuosi, Schumacher’s teammate Robert Shwartzman, Giuliano Alesi of MP Motorsport, Luca Ghiotto of Hitech Grand Prix and Felipe Drugovich of MP Motorsport.

Ticktum started from pole on the F2 reverse grid rule after being promoted to eighth place in Saturday’s Feature Race classification. A double five-second penalty was handed to Nikita Mazepin, dropping him to ninth from third place originally.

Schumacher and Ilott were engaged in a heated battle for third early on in today’s Sprint, but Schumacher’s struggles forced him to pit and he dropped to the back of the field.