Roman Stanek claimed a dramatic win in the Formula 2 feature race at a rain-soaked Spa-Francorchamps, stepping up after post-race penalties reshuffled the order.
The Trident driver, who crossed the line third, moved to first when officials slapped Jak Crawford and Victor Martins with five-second time additions for track limits breaches. Crawford, the initial leader for DAMS, dropped to fourth, while Martins slipped from second to third.
Heavy downpours turned the Belgian circuit into a slippery challenge, forcing a delayed start behind the safety car. Once green, Crawford held firm up front, but the wet conditions tested everyone, with spins and slides aplenty.
Stanek, starting from pole, lost ground early but fought back steadily. “It’s unbelievable,” he said after. “We pushed hard in tough weather, and this feels like a reward for the team’s effort.”
Further back, Pepe Marti climbed to second for Campos, capitalizing on the chaos, with Oliver Bearman rounding out the podium in fourth after the shake-up—no, wait, Martins held third.
The race saw its share of incidents: Dennis Hauger spun out early, and Richard Verschoor faced a pit stop nightmare. Points leader Gabriel Bortoleto struggled to 12th, tightening the championship fight.
This result boosts Stanek’s standings, while Crawford rues what could have been in a season where precision matters more than ever.