F2: De Vries wins as Schumacher causes red flag at Rascasse

Nyck de Vries boosted his F2 championship chances by winning the Monaco feature race after Mick Schumacher caused a lengthy red-flag interruption.

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However the final result of the race remains in doubt as race control is investigating whether multiple teams broke rules during the race suspension.

De Vries took the lead easily at the start after fellow front row occupant Callum Ilott’s car “turned itself off” ahead of the original start, according to its distraught driver.

Ilott’s demise gave fourth-placed Schumacher a clear view of the front, but he spun his wheels at the start and Anthoine Hubert muscled his way past. However within a couple of laps Schumacher had re-passed the Arden driver, who left the door open at Mirabeau.

Schumacher gained a place from Nicholas Latifi when the pair pitted together. Latifi then tangled with the Prema man at the Fairmont hotel hairpin.

However it was Schumacher’s turn to cause contact next was a half-committed move on Tatiana Calderon at Rascasse. He tipped the Arden driver into a spin and the pair blocked the track, ironically at the very corner where Schumacher’s father tried to halt proceedings during qualifying for the grand prix 13 years ago.

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Tatiana Calderon, Mick Schumacher, F2, Monaco, 2019 — Schumacher and Calderon blocked the track

The race was red-flagged while the field was disentangled. Following the restart Schumacher, and the other drivers behind him who has pitted, were classed as being a lap down. Schumacher was also given a drive-throughpenalty for the Calderon collision, as well as a five-second time penalty for cutting the track.

Latifi briefly looked like recovering a good result by passing Hubert at the chicane. However he then hit Gelael in much the same way Gelael’s team mate hit Calderon, breaking the Prema driver’s front wing, and earning a drive-through penalty.

Luca Ghiotto pursued De Vries but had to settle for second after grazing the barrier following their pit stops. Jack Aitken, whose qualify effort was ruined by traffic, was taken out of the race by Mahaveer Raghunathan with two laps to go.

At the same time Juan Manuel Correa dumped his car into the barrier at the exit of the Swimming Pool. Those two incidents brought out the Safety Car, but despite a final-lap restart De Vries hung on to take a vital victory.

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14 comments on “De Vries wins as Schumacher causes red flag at Rascasse”

bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
24th May 2019, 12:18
I still can’t figure out how half the field restarted a lap down? Even if we didn’t go back to the previous lap, Nyck hadn’t got anywhere near lapping that many cars?
He deserved the win regardless, he looked excellent in qualifying (sliding through Saint Devote) and looked unassailable prior to the red flag.
1. RetardedF1sh (@retardedf1sh)
  24th May 2019, 12:27
  @bernasaurus Schumahcer and Calderon and everyone behind them went straight into the pits after the incident while everyone ahead of them got to start the next lap and pitted only at the end of that lap. Therefore they were a lap ahead.
  1. Hugh (@hugh11)
    24th May 2019, 13:05
    I think that in the regs, like under a safety car, they’re allowed to unlap themselves, and should’ve been able to do so, but weren’t. Very weird.
  2. bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
    24th May 2019, 13:06
    @retardedf1sh ahhh, thank you, kinda makes sense, I think i’ve got it.
2. Phylyp (@phylyp)
  24th May 2019, 23:31
  @bernasaurus – your confusion is justified: https://www.racefans.net/2019/05/24/f2-race-control-blunder-put-more-than-half-the-field-a-lap-down/
  1. bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
    28th May 2019, 10:43
    @phylyp I knew I wasn’t crazy!
    1. Phylyp (@phylyp)
      28th May 2019, 10:49
      @bernasaurus – well, not in this instance. Can’t speak for you generally ;)
falken (@falken)
24th May 2019, 12:41
“clock the track”?
is the editor hung over from the party?
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
24th May 2019, 13:07
I read “Schumacher causes red flat at Rascasse” and figured this was an ‘on this day in F1’ article for a second
1. Islander
  24th May 2019, 14:35
  No Schumacher should be allowed near Rascasse corner in a car!
2. Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
  24th May 2019, 15:31
  The Ralf side of the family is innocent?
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
24th May 2019, 15:39
Afternoon @keithcollantine – has there been any update from the stewards or does the result stand?
1. Miani (@miani)
  24th May 2019, 17:42
  The only thing they are investigating was “not allowed changes” on some cars during red flag. I don’t think they would change the results because of the way they handled the red flag.
Miani (@miani)
24th May 2019, 17:41
To be fair to everyone, the lap should be discounted but the ones that still had to make the obligatory stop should be allowed to discount on the red flag. No one would end up prejudiced.