2017 Silverstone Sprint Race

The 2017 Silverstone Sprint Race, otherwise known as the 2017 Silverstone Race 2, was the twelfth race of the 2017 FIA Formula Two Championship, staged at the Silverstone Circuit on the 16 July 2017. The race would see Nicholas Latifi claim his maiden victory in F2, despite seeing his massive early lead cut to shreds by a late safety car.

The Canadian racer would start the race from pole, and duly aced his getaway to grab the lead to leave Luca Ghiotto and Oliver Rowland to squabble for second. Rowland came out second best in that fight, and would subsequently clash with Jordan King at turn three, and Artem Markelov in turn four.

The latter incident between Rowland and Markelov would ultimately end with the Brit being slapped with a time penalty, for the Russian had been forced onto the grass. Latifi, meanwhile, sprinted clear ahead of Ghiotto, who dragged Rowland and a fuming Markelov along with him as he chased the Canadian.

Behind them came an enthralling duel between Sergio Canamasas and Championship leader Charles Leclerc, who was throwing his Prema around desperately seeking a way past the Rapax. Indeed, their fight would rage until a late safety car was called, required to remove Ralph Boschung's car from the barriers after he bounced off the side of Alexander Albon.

That safety car also destroyed Latifi's lead out front, with the race restarting with just one lap left to run. Fortunately for Latifi he had no trouble getting clear of Ghiotto at the restart, meaning it was the antics of his teammate Rowland that drew the eye.

Indeed, knowing that he would be slapped with a five second time penalty anyway, Rowland decided to back the field up massively before the restart, before trying to sprint after the lead duo. Unfortunately for him his novel tactics would not work, and the Brit was officially classified in tenth before a further penalty was applied as a result of his restart revolution.

That left Latifi as the victor from Ghiotto, with Markelov retroactively promoted to the podium. Canamasas survived a late assault from Leclerc in the final sector to claim fourth, with Norman Nato, Nyck de Vries and Nobuharu Matsushita completing the points.

Background
The Silverstone Circuit was not modified overnight after the Feature Race, meaning there was no requirement for a practice session. There were likewise no modifications to the grid, meaning Nicholas Latifi was set to start from pole position as expected, courtesy of the reverse-grid rule.

Into the Championship and yet another pole-victory combination in the Feature had ensured that Charles Leclerc extended his lead, moving 63 points clear of second placed Oliver Rowland. Indeed, the Brit's third place in the Feature only really reinforced his hold of second, moving him six ahead of Artem Markelov. They seemed set for a private duel for second, with fourth placed Latifi some 35 points further back.

Leclerc's fifth win of the season had also re-established Prema Racing's control of the Teams' Championship in the Feature, moving them ten points clear of DAMS. Indeed, the French squad had arrived level with the Italians at the start of the weekend, but had been unable to beat Prema's tally. Russian Time were now closer to them then they were to Prema, eight points back, with ART Grand Prix losing ground in fourth.

Entry List
The full entry list for the is displayed below:

Grid
The grid for the fourteenth race of the 2017 campaign was formed from the finishing positions of the Feature Race, with the top eight reversed as per-FIA Formula Two rules.

Results
The final classification of the is displayed below:
 * Italics indicate that a driver set fastest lap.
 * * Rowland was hit with a five second time penalty for forcing Markelov off the circuit. An additional twenty second time penalty was subsequently added for impeding the field at the restart.

Milestones

 * Maiden victory for Nicholas Latifi.
 * DAMS claimed their second victory as an entrant in Formula Two.
 * Also the French squad's 27th win at GP2/F2 level.
 * Fourth and final fastest lap recorded by Charles Leclerc.

Standings
Another points finish and another extension for Charles Leclerc's Championship lead, the Monegasque ace leaving Silverstone with a 67 point advantage. Behind, Artem Markelov had become his closest challenger, moving four ahead of Oliver Rowland after the Brit's late double demotion. Nicholas Latifi, meanwhile, had used his maiden triumph to drag himself closer to the fight for second, with Luca Ghiotto secure in fifth.

The lead in the Teams' Championship was proving somewhat more fluid that the Drivers' Championship, although it was still Prema Racing who led the way. Indeed, come the end of the Silverstone weekend the Italian team had built a three point margin over DAMS, with Russian Time just a point further back in third. ART Grand Prix were now a distant fourth, with equal distance between themselves in fourth, the fight for the Championship, and the brewing fight for fifth between Rapax and Pertamina Arden.

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.