FIA FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP Round 7 – 06/07/08 July – Silverstone Circuit, Great Britain

First win for Maximilian Günther in Formula 2 in Silverstone

Maximilian Günther won the Formula 2 sprint race at Silverstone and clinched his first victory in the junior series of Formula 1. Starting from pole position, the BWT Arden driver stayed in the lead for 21 laps and crossed the finish line in first position by showing an impressive performance. The German laid the foundation for his success in Saturday’s race, which he finished eighth and secured first place on the grid by reversing the starting order of the top eight drivers in Sunday’s race.

Maximilian dominated the race from the start and kept cool with his competitors behind trying to catch up. Lap by lap he was able to pull away and manage his tyres. Just before the end, things got exciting again when a rival behind Maximilian made a clean sweep through the field and caught up with him two laps before the end of the race.

But the man from Rettenberg kept a cool head and did not let his first win in Formula 2 slip through his fingers. After second place in Bahrain, it was the second podium for Maximilian. However, the cheering and the joy of the first victory outshone everything. The BWT Arden Team is located just a few kilometres from the Silverstone circuit and Maximilian gave the team their first home win in Formula 2.

Maximilian collected 19 championship points with a win on Sunday and eighth place on Saturday and climbed up to eleventh place with a total of 39 points in the drivers’ standings.

​Maximilian Günther: ​”My first victory in Formula 2! It’s an indescribable feeling, I’m just happy! I would like to congratulate my BWT Arden team on their home victory and thank them for making this success possible! I had a good race and got pressure from behind at the beginning. But I was able to pull away, manage the tyres and thus bring the win to the finish. I am very proud of this success and extremely relieved that the hard work has finally paid off after the difficult weekends before. I would also like to thank my family and my supporters, because without them this would not be possible and I would not be where I am now! I hope that we will be successful in the next races too and that we can celebrate even more victories.”

BWT Arden Team Manager Kenny Kirwan: ​”A perfect finish to the end of the home race for BWT Arden. Maximilian drove a very sensible race on Saturday to deliver him a reverse pole position for Sunday’s sprint race. He led from the start to the chequered flag and showed his potential in the series with a fantastic win. I am certain we will continue this form into the next races.”