Herta misses out on Formula 2 podium after final lap mistake in Barcelona

After finishing a position ahead of Tsolov, Mini now leads the drivers' standings by three points ahead of the Red Bull Racing junior.

Kush Maini got off to a great start in Barcelona and took the lead from Noel Leon into Turn 1. Red Bull talent Tsolov also made a strong start, with the Bulgarian climbing to third place, while Cadillac’s Herta dropped to P4.

On Lap 2, the American lost another position as Mini went around the outside of his rival in Turn 3. A lap later, Tsolov also passed his Campos teammate into Turn 1 to move up to second place. By Lap 6, Leon had dropped another position to the Italian talent.

As the Sprint race reached its halfway point, Tsolov and Mini began cutting the gap to Maini at the front, and Herta was also putting his Mexican rival under pressure for P4. The American made the move stick on Lap 14, and re-claimed fourth place.

Despite initial gains, Maini managed to keep his lead ahead of Tsolov and Mini, as the Bulgarian had to look over his shoulders with his title rival behind him. On Lap 22, the Italian launched his first attack, but it was not successful, and it only invited Herta to join the party as well.

A lap later, Mini completed his move on his rival around the outside into Turn 1, and Tsolov then lost a further position to Herta in Turn 7 as well. On both occasions, Tsolov's rivals made contact with the Red Bull talent, and the incidents were also noted by the stewards. On the final lap however, Herta suddenly lost positions, and fell down to P5 after going wide in Turn 5, despite being on course to score his first podium in F2.