Kiwi driver Liam Lawson has captured his second Formula Two victory of the season at Monte Carlo, closing to within 11 points of the championship lead.
But compatriot Marcus Armstrong could only watch on, after claiming pole position, but failing to make the grid and having to start from pitlane.
Armstrong finished 10th in the first sprint race on the tight street circuit, which secured him inside running in the reverse-grid second contest. Lawson finished one spot ahead to secure the spot next to him on the front row, but found himself alone, when Armstrong was a no-show.
At the start, Aussie Oscar Piastri got the drop on Lawson to snatch the early lead, but the Kiwi handled the wet conditions better and reclaimed the advantage five laps into the 30-lap 100km journey.
While Piastri faded to third, Briton Dan Ticktum challenged, but Lawson held on to win by eight seconds.
"I didn't have the greatest of starts with wheelspin and then Oscar got through, but straight away, the car was really fast," reflects Lawson. "I could see that I had more grip early on and I was waiting for a decent opportunity around Monaco.
"Dan got through from second and came at me really quickly, so I wanted to try and cool the tyres as much as possible when I had the chance. At the end, the car was still really fast, so I am really, really happy with that."
Arsmtrong eventually withdrew, while championship leader Guany Zhou of China trailled home last.
Racers will now contest a 42-lap, 140k feature race on Sunday (NZ time).
