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Marco Sorensen wins spectacular Spa Formula Renault 3.5 race

Marco Sorensen won an action-packed first Formula Renault 3.5 race of the weekend at Spa

The Lotus driver capitalised on a scrap for the lead between Kevin Magnussen (Carlin) and Sam Bird (ISR) getting out of hand to make the decisive move, and then controlled the race from there.

Sorensen ran third in the early stages, staying on the tail of Bird as he tried to find a way past polesitter Magnussen.

Magnussen appeared to have Bird under control, but at the end of the first lap after a mid-race safety car Bird was able to get alongside on the approach to the Bus Stop chicane.

Both drivers cut the chicane, with Bird emerging in the lead. He slowed to let Magnussen re-pass, but the Carlin driver had clouted a kerb and was slow down the start finish straight. An opportunistic move from Sorensen allowed him to pass both of the leaders into La Source, and from there he was never headed.

Bird tried to pass Magnussen on the inside at the Bus Stop a lap later, and while he completed the pass, both he and Magnussen went wide, and this time it was Jules Bianchi (Tech 1) and Robin Frijns (Fortec) who capitalised to sneak into second and third.

Frijns could not hold Bird off at La Source though, and after surrendering third place to the ISR driver the Dutchman then plummeted down the order as car after car caught him out as he rejoined from going wide at the first corner.

That left Sorensen leading Bianchi and Bird, which would remain the order to the finish. But fourth-placed Magnussen's drama was not over, as three laps from the end he was hit up the back by DAMS' Arthur Pic at La Source, forcing him to retire.

Pic fell to 15th, leaving former champion Mikhail Aleshin fourth for RFR after Frijns had been shuffled back another three places shortly before that.

Aleshin had to fight hard to keep Draco's Nico Muller at bay to the finish, while Frijns came across the line seventh, behind Jake Rosenzweig (ISR).

There was more drama further down the field on the final lap, with Daniil Move the big loser in a messy final corner. The Russian had been on course for a top 10 finish for P1, but he ended up 14th in the melee.

Results - 21 laps:

Pos  Driver              Team           Time/Gap
 1.  Marco Sorensen      Lotus        46m10.968s
 2.  Jules Bianchi       Tech 1         + 2.081s
 3.  Sam Bird            ISR            + 4.639s
 4.  Mikhail Aleshin     RFR           + 14.966s
 5.  Nico Muller         Draco         + 15.375s
 6.  Jake Rosenzweig     ISR           + 22.451s
 7.  Robin Frijns        Fortec        + 25.361s
 8.  Walter Grubmuller   P1            + 28.324s
 9.  Nick Yelloly        Comtec        + 28.923s
10.  Nikolay Martsenko   BVM Target    + 29.238s
11.  Alexander Rossi     Arden         + 30.121s
12.  Andre Negrao        Draco         + 30.527s
13.  Will Stevens        Carlin        + 30.973s
14.  Daniil Move         P1            + 31.704s
15.  Arthur Pic          DAMS          + 31.822s
16.  Giovanni Venturini  BVM Target    + 33.860s
17.  Yann Cunha          Pons          + 47.383s
18.  Zoel Amberg         Pons        + 1m10.076s
19.  Lewis Williamson    Arden       + 1m51.553s

Retirements:

     Vittorio Ghirelli   Comtec          20 laps
     Kevin Magnussen     Carlin          18 laps
     Richie Stanaway     Lotus           13 laps
     Lucas Foresti       DAMS             7 laps
     Carlos Huertas      Fortec           5 laps
     Kevin Korjus        Tech 1           0 laps
     Anton Nebylitskiy   RFR              0 laps

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