Jack gets stuck in the pack in Azerbaijan 🇦🇿

Jack Doohan has endured a difficult Formula 2 race weekend in Azerbaijan, the Australian leaving round four of the season without a points finish after managing 15th place in the Feature race in Baku.

Jack faced a tall order after Friday qualifying left his Invicta Virtuosi Racing entry in 16th on the grid. Saturday's 21-lap Sprint saw him advance as far as 11th before being caught out by cold tyres and brakes as the third safety car period of the race ended with three laps left, Jack locking his right front tyre and spinning into retirement at Turn 1.

In Sunday's 29-lap Feature race, Jack dropped a spot from his starting position to end lap one in 17th place, and pitted to discard his super-soft tyres for mediums on lap six. While he regained 17th place within six laps, Jack was stuck in a DRS train for much of the remainder of the race until the final few metres, when he slipstreamed past Clement Novalak (Trident) in the shadows of the chequered flag to claim 16th, edging the Frenchman by 0.010 seconds.

Jack was later promoted to 15th when Frenchman Victor Martins (ART) was disqualified after finishing in fourth place for his car failing a post-race technical inspection.

"It was a very disappointing weekend and a tough pill to swallow being so out of place. Unfortunately that is the reality for now. As a team, we have to understand what the fundamental issue is that is holding us back on pace. In race one on the restart, I had an issue that I've been struggling with all year on the braking… it was unfortunate, but completely out of my control. When I hit the brakes, I had a huge brake migration from front locking to rear locking at the same time, which put me into a spin. I'm looking ahead to the three-day test in Barcelona where we will have more time to look through components and possibilities to nail down the issue and sort it out."

After dropping two places in the standings to 13th overall following the two non-scores in Baku, Jack has 24 points to show from the opening eight races this season, but history suggests he has reason to be optimistic with 20 races remaining in 2023.

Last year, Jack had 30 points at the same stage of the season to sit 10th overall after four rounds, but finished sixth with 128 points after winning three times in a strong second half of the campaign.

Jack and the F2 grid will next race at Imola in Italy on the support bill for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from May 19-21, the first leg of a triple-header that includes Monaco (May 25-28) and Catalunya (June 2-4) to complete the first half of the season.

FIA Formula 2 World Championship: Round 4 Azerbaijan Results
Sprint race (21 laps): Started 16th, did not finish
Feature race (29 laps): Started 16th, finished 15th
2023 F2 World Championship standings: 24 points (13th overall)
Next F2 event: Imola, Italy (May 19-21)