- GP2 - British GP - Race 1
Evans overcomes Palmer for maiden victory
Mitch Evans saw off Jolyon Palmer after a titanic duel to claim his maiden GP2 series victory at Silverstone.
Evans arguably won the race on the qualifying-style in-lap before his stop, pitting a lap later than Palmer and gaining the crucial tenths needed to undercut the championship leader on lap 19. Some stern defensive driving followed on colder tyres from Evans, with the charging Palmer having to take evasive action on the asphalt through Brooklands after coming off second-best in a wheel-to-wheel duel for the lead.
The pair had also fought for second on the opening lap, with Palmer forcing Evans wide at Village, only for Evans to reclaim the position with a sweeping move though the Loop a couple of laps later. Despite Palmer's best efforts after the pit stop Evans held him at bay, eventually gaining some breathing space and crossing the line 4.9s ahead. Despite failing to overcome Evans, second meant Palmer extended his championship lead to 46 points with Felipe Nasr coming home sixth.
Behind the leading pair McLaren prospect Stoffel Vandoorne rounded off the podium, albeit a massive 25 seconds behind the sparring leaders. Vandoorne had inherited third after pole-sitter Raffaele Marciello - who had started on a reverse tyre strategy to most of the cars behind him - had his race compromised by out-lap traffic before a mechanical gremlin brought him to a halt at the side of the race track.
Behind Vandoorne was another thrilling battle, with Julian Leal recovering from a woeful start to take fourth by barely a tenth from Stefano Coletti. The pair had been close for several laps and touched wheels through the final corner, but Leal held on brilliantly to stay in front across the line. Nasr looked well-placed to pick up any scraps from Leal and Coletti's duel but in the end crossed the line just six tenths behind.
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