Motorsport UK Team UK driver Luke Browning claimed his first race win in FIA Formula 2, converting pole position in a dramatic Monza Feature Race for Hitech TGR.

With the entire field starting on the Supersoft tyres, Browning got a great start, but Kush Maini bogged down from the front row and dropped down the order. Onto Lap 2 and Maini attempted to make amends for his difficult start and battled with Arvid Lindblad at the first chicane. Both went deep into Turn 2, with the DAMS Lucas Oil driver running through the gravel and dropping down to last as a result.

Lap 4 and Goethe had DRS on Browning, and the MP Motorsport driver went by with ease into Turn 1, with the Drag Reduction System giving him the overspeed to take the lead. With the pitlane open for mandatory stops on Lap 7, Goethe was in immediately from the lead, handing over first to Browning, who had Stanek within DRS range and right with him as the pair continued on, choosing not to respond at the end of the lap to the German’s stop. Alexander Dunne then looked to complete a pass on Duerksen into Ascari but was hit from behind by Lindblad, sending the Rodin Motorsport driver into the barriers, resulting in a Safety Car. That brought everyone into the pitlane for their mandatory stops, and the Campos Racing driver was later assigned a 10-second time penalty for the incident.

Browning re-emerged with the lead ahead of Stanek, but Goethe’s earlier stop left him in eighth as Duerksen, Lindblad, Martins, Gabriele Minì and Rafael Villagómez were able to pit and come out ahead of the Red Bull Junior Team member. The Hitech TGR race leader got back underway with a late restart entering the start/finish straight, and Stanek looked to have a good run into the first corner. Just behind however, Lindblad suffered another lock-up and couldn’t avoid the Invicta driver, resulting in contact that left both out of the race and brought the Safety Car out once again.

Racing resumed entering Lap 14, and Duerksen had a great run through the final corner, leaving Browning unable to prevent the AIX driver seizing the lead into Turn 1..

Onto Lap 19 and Browning had DRS once again and he was able to slipstream his way back through for the race lead into the first corner. Fornaroli was back on the attack and into fifth with DRS on Lap 20, clearing Crawford ahead of Turn 1. Another title contender was on the move as Richard Verschoor moved into the points in P10 with a late dive on Sebastián Montoya at Turn 4.

The fight for the final podium place was a three-car battle as Browning broke out of DRS range to Duerksen behind. It was Martí that made the first move in that fight with a late dive on Villagómez at Turn 1 to move himself up to third, while the Van Amersfoort driver had to skip across the chicane. Onto the final lap and Martí tried another late dive at Turn 1 but locked up and had to take to the escape road. Their fighting meant Browning was clear by over three seconds as he claimed his maiden win in the Championship ahead of Duerksen and Martí. Fornaroli held off Beganovic by just 0.077s for fourth. Minì followed in seventh having gone from 15th on the grid, as Verschoor, Montoya and John Bennett completed the points in 10th.

Browning commented on his win,  “P1 in the Feature Race here at Monza. That one felt pretty special! Walking out onto that podium is something else. It felt pretty cool. It was well managed today, car was just fantastic and what a step from yesterday. So all thanks to Hitech and Williams. It’s a mega start to the second half of the year.”

Fornaroli retains the lead in the Drivers’ Standings, going onto 174 points with Browning’s win moving him up to second on 153.