Lawson fends off Daruvala to win maiden Formula 2 race in Bahrain

Liam Lawson resisted late pressure from a fast-charging Jehan Daruvala to take his maiden Formula 2 victory in Bahrain.

Lawson made a flying start from third on the grid to claim the lead on the opening lap.

The Hitech driver established a comfortable lead over the chasing pack but had to fend off Daruvala in the closing part of the race.

Daruvala showed impressive pace in the second half of the race but couldn’t find a way past the F2 rookie in the closing laps.

Lawson and Daruvala were in a league of their own, ultimately finishing over 14 seconds clear of David Beckmann in third.

Beckmann inherited third after ART’s Theo Pourchaire hit trouble on Lap 13, forcing the Frenchman into an early retirement.

Pourchaire had started from first place but dropped to third on the opening lap.

The 17-year-old was on course for a podium finish on his F2 debut but a mechanical issue ended his chances.

Robert Shwartzman fended off Prema teammate Oscar Piastri in the final laps for fourth place.

The Russian started from 11th after a mechanical issue in qualifying but made his way up to fifth on the opening lap.

Christian Lundgaard could only manage sixth ahead of feature race pole man Guanyu Zhou.

Dan Ticktum finished eighth after picking up a five-second penalty for spinning Richard Verschoor into Turn 1 on Lap 2.

Lirim Zendeli picked up two points for the fastest lap in ninth.

Juri Vips recovered from the back of the grid to finish 10th and thus will start from pole position in the second sprint race later this afternoon, with Zendeli joining him on the front row of the grid.

The Red Bull-backed junior was set to start the race from fifth place but was disqualified for a technical irregularity, ultimately handing Pourchaire first spot on the grid.

The second Formula 2 sprint race will take place after Formula 1 qualifying this afternoon.

Click here to find the full Formula 2 sprint race 1 results from Bahrain.