STAVELOT, Belgium, (CMC – Teenaged Barbadian race car driver, Zane Maloney, finished 10th in the Formula 2 sprint race of the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, but his Rodin Carlin teammate, Enzo Fittipaldi, of Brazil brought home a long-awaited first win.

Starting seventh on the grid, the 19-year-old finished the actual race 11th, but the post-race disqualification of Van Amersfoort Racing driver, Richard Verschoor, of the Netherlands from second enabled Maloney to move up in the official result.
Verschoor was found to have used a throttle map not in compliance with Article 3.6.5 of the technical regulations for both the formation lap and race start, but this did not help Maloney add to his points tally for the season.

Campos Racing driver Ralph Boschung of Switzerland was moved up to eighth and the final point-paying position, so Maloney remained stuck in 10th in the 23-driver F2 standings on 66 points with three more 14 races on the schedule for this year.
Fittipaldi saved his medium tyres right to the end and snatched the victory from the clutches of Verschoor with a daring move on the penultimate lap.

Art Grand Prix driver Théo Pourchaire of France was third on the track, but moved up to second following the Verschoor disqualification, and MP Motorsport driver Denis Hauger of Norway finished fourth on the track, but he was awarded third.
Maloney had good position early in the race, but he was passed by Art Grand Prix driver Victor Martins of France at Blanchimont for eighth.

Verschoor inherited the lead on the fourth lap, but the safety car was deployed when Invicta Virtuosi driver Amaury Cordeel of Belgium spun and stalled on track.
When green flag conditions resumed on the fifth lap, Hauger got the perfect run down the Kemmel Straight to repass Prema Racing driver Frederik Vesti into Les Combes.

Australian Jack Doohan, the other Invicta Virtuosi driver, kept the pressure on Maloney, going deep at the Bus Stop chicane as he tried to go the long way around the Barbadian driver.
Doohan got the job done one lap later through Les Combes, and Maloney failed to mount a serious challenge after that.

Up front, Fittipaldi, starting third on the grid, whittled way a healthy two-second gap that Verschoor had built, taking half-second out of the Dutchman’s advantage on the 13th lap of the 17-lap race.
The Brazilian driver worked his way to within DRS range of the Verschoor driver, and he nailed his run out of La Source on the penultimate lap.

Fittipaldi got the slipstream along the Kemmel Straight and sealed the position into Les Combes and drove out the race for the win.
The Rodin Carlin driver crossed the finish line 2.3 secs clear and became the 11th different winner on the 2023 grid.
Maloney will start the F2 feature race on Sunday from fourth on grid and will be hoping for better results, and Fittipaldi will start eighth.

Formula 2 is the second tier to Formula 1 racing organised by the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and held on select circuits on the F1 schedule.