"It was like driving a drift car" – Jak Crawford reflects on victory in rain-hit Silverstone F2 Feature Race

Aston Martin Aramco Young Driver Jak Crawford shares his thoughts following his thrilling Formula 2 Feature Race win at Silverstone Circuit in the build-up to the British Grand Prix.

Just a stone's throw away from the AMR Technology Campus, Aston Martin Aramco Young Driver Jak Crawford notched the fifth F2 win of his career, showing precision, control, and bold – and perfectly timed – strategy calls behind thee wheel as he mastered a wet Silverstone.

A lightning start saw him catapult his way from the second row of the grid to lead of the race, from where he delicately balanced speed with tyre management to triumph in tricky conditions and move into second position in the championship.

After a gripping race, here's what Jak had to say...

On that race start

"On the formation lap, I knew I was going to be quite strong at the start. I felt good grip. I had the perfect launch. I already positioned my car ahead of time. I felt I was going to have a good start, and I did. That sets you up the best, when you are out front leading the race. That helped me a lot. I had great pace and I was able to manage the gap."

We knew it was going to be a long race and that we needed to save the tyres.

On managing weather conditions

"In Formula 2, we only have full wet tyres. We don't have Intermediates. Intermediates would've been great today.

"Basically, after three laps, everyone started struggling with their tyres. My pace dropped by about two seconds within three laps, and then it was just management mode while the track was slippery. We had to manage everything.

"I wish it was a lot more straightforward, if it was just a wet race the entire race. But we knew it was going to start to dry out. We knew it was going to be a long race and that we needed to save the tyres."

On the pitstop

"The end was super stressful, trying to decide what tyre to go on.

"When it got drier, Alex [Dunne] started to close in. He was within half a second during the last couple of laps before I boxed. I had to make all those decisions with the pressure from Alex. I knew it was time to put on dry tyres, but my engineer kept telling me rain was coming so eventually I said, 'Either we box or we're going to get overtaken.'

"We boxed at the perfect time, right when the VSC came out, and managed to keep the lead."

Driving at the end of the race was like driving a drift car on those wet tyres.

On crossing the finish line

"Driving at the end of the race was like driving a drift car on those wet tyres. I was just trying to stay on the track while driving as fast as possible.

"What a day! What a chaotic race to win. This race was a big opportunity for us and we took advantage of it well."

On the Championship

"It's great to be in contention [for the Championship], and this was a big one to win. It is just about getting the wins like today, that separates you apart a little bit."

Andy Cowell on Jak's victory

"Jak mastered the conditions superbly. It's never easy to dominate in the changing weather, but he managed his tyres incredibly well.

"It's great to see him continuing to challenge for the title – now sitting second in the championship."

Jak returns to action in F2 at the Belgian Grand Prix on 25-27 July, where he will look to carry his momentum over to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps – a circuit where he starred on the podium last season.