Dennis Hauger (19) led Saturday’s Formula 2 race for a long time, but then he was told to drive into the depot. Then everything turned for the Norwegian.
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– I do not know what the race management has against me. It’s completely dark. It does not seem like anything is going to go right this season. You run out of words when you do not even know what is happening. I just did as I was told, Hauger told Viaplay after the race.
It was after Jack Doohan and Logan Sargeant crashed on the start-finish-long side in the seventh round of Saturday’s sprint race in Saudi Arabia that the safety car came out on the track.
Then it seemed that all the cars had to drive via the depot, but Hauger in front was the only one who did it after being told about it by his team, Prema Racing.
This caused Hauger to fall from first to twelfth place, before he was given a time penalty of ten seconds as a result of the depot being closed when he drove in.
– We received confirmation twice to drive through the depot. Now they do not want to do anything about it. Sorry, Hauger was notified by his team over the radio.
– Was the depot closed or was it open? exclaimed a despairing Hauger.
– We were told twice to drive in, the team replied.
– If we were told to drive in, why do I get a penalty?
–After serving the time penalty, Hauger was far behind and ended up finishing last of the 17 drivers who completed the race.
– Dennis did as he was supposed to do, while the others drove straight ahead. Incredible pity for Hauger who could have won this race. This is amateurish, commented Viaplay’s expert commentator Henning Isdal.
– You can not keep on in this way. I run out of words, says Viaplay commentator Atle Gulbrandsen.
A still resigned Hauger told a good while after the race that he – together with his team – should talk to the race management.
– Those who sit up there, I do not think should sit there if they continue like that, Hauger says.
– In any case, there is nothing to do now. We may have been taken from a victory, but at least a podium place. It is indescribable. It will boil for a few hours before it calms down.
Hauger originally got the worst possible place in the qualification on Friday: Number 11. As the top 10 list is turned upside down for Saturday’s race, it is namely number 10 in the qualification that has the best starting track.
But after Australian Jack Doohan was discarded after qualifying, Hauger advanced to tenth place, and thus he only started in Saturday’s sprint race.
There, the 19-year-old from Aurskog got off to a brilliant start, consolidating his position through the first turns.
However, it did not take more than a couple of laps before the safety car came on the field as a result of Amaury Cordeel crashing into the wall. Four laps later, the course was cleared, and Hauger was again able to set the pace in front.
However, he did not get the gas on more than along the start-goal-long side before Doohan and Sargeant crashed further back in the field.
The race ended with a victory for Liam Lawson, while the dramatic start to the season for Hauger continued.
In the Formula 2 debut last weekend, Hauger finished ninth in Saturday’s sprint race. On Sunday, he was on the verge of scoring, but had to break when he lost his left front wheel in the depot after changing tires four laps before the end. Points are awarded to the eight best in Saturday’s sprint race and the top ten in the main race on Sundays.
Thus, the Norwegian is still without points at the level under Formula 1. On Sunday, there are new opportunities when he starts from tenth starting position in the main race.
– It is important to get a good start and get up, says Hauger.
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