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Formula 2 Australia: Durksen dominates Saturday, Rain Dominates Sunday

The opening round of Formula 2 in Australia saw Joshua Duerksen dominate the sprint race on Saturday to win the only race that weekend as the Feature Race on Sunday was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

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4 months ago

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Formula 2 Australia: Durksen dominates Saturday, Rain Dominates Sunday

The 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off at Melbourneā€™s Albert Park Circuit, marking an eventful opening round filled with high drama and unexpected challenges. While the Sprint Race was dominated by Joshua Durksen, heavy rain ultimately led to the cancellation of the Feature Race on Sunday, preventing several drivers from scoring their first points of the season.

Formula 2 Australia: Durksen dominates Saturday, Rain Dominates Sunday
The opening lap of the Sprint Race on Saturday – Photo – Formula Motorsports Limited.

Penalties handed out before the weekend started

Ahead of the 2025 Formula 2 season opener in Melbourne, DAMS Lucas Oil, Rodin Motorsport, and TRIDENT have been penalized for breaching FIA Sporting and Technical Regulations. The issue stemmed from illegal air pressure sensors installed in their cars by modifying the diffuser, a standard component.

As a result, the three teams have been fined ā‚¬10,000 per car and handed 10-place grid penalties for both races in Melbourne. Additionally, the Stewards recommended restricting their in-season testing in Bahrain to two days instead of three, with the Championship promoter determining which day they will be sidelined.

To ensure fairness, the FIA’s Technical Delegate may allow teams to apply for permission to use similar sensors during the Bahrain in-season test, but DAMS, Rodin, and TRIDENT will be barred from doing so. The penalties serve as a warning against unauthorized technical modifications.

Friday: Victor Martin takes pole after late Qualifying Drama

Victor Martins set the pace early on Friday, topping the time sheets in Free Practice with a 1:32.587, a tenth clear of second-placed Kush Maini. The session saw multiple red flags and the drivers could not get a proper running to get into rhythm, but Victor Martins said that he felt good in the car.

ā€œShort session, not many laps completed for all of us,ā€ reflected Martins. ā€œBut we are happy with where we are, even if we completed just one or two push laps. I have a great feeling in the car, I think we have a bit of data to work on it and approach Qualifying in a good way.”

Formula 2 Australia: Durksen dominates Saturday, Rain Dominates Sunday
Victor Martins of ART Grand Prix – Photo – Formula Motorsports Limited.

The qualifying later in the day was chaotic from the get-go with Max Esterson and Oliver Goethe colliding on the penultimate corner. Both were forced to return to the pit lane with damage, with the incident prompting a post-session investigation from the Stewards.

Once the flying laps started to come, it was Martins who set the early pace on a 1:31.012, putting him over two-tenths ahead of MinƬ. On their second run on new tyres, Martins went faster with a 1:29.523, MinƬ crossed the line late on to take Pole Position with a 1:29.286, beating his ART rival by 0.114s to the top spot.

Formula 2 Australia. Gabriel Mini after taking pole.
Formula 2 Australia. Gabriel Mini after taking pole.

MinƬ’s Pole Position was short-lived as he was handed two grid penalties. Stewards determined that MinƬ had unnecessarily impeded Crawford, at Turn 4 in the closing stages of the session. As a result, the Stewards have assigned the standard three-place grid penalty to MinƬ, which as of 2025 applies to both the Sprint and Feature Races. This moved Victor Martins up to pole position.

Saturday Sprint: Duerksen Dominates in Melbourne to Win First Sprint Race of 2025

Joshua Duerksen started the reverse grid Sprint Race from second on the grid, behind pole-sitter Leo Fornaroli. The AIX driver made a brilliant start, taking the lead from Fornaroli into turn 1.

The race saw multiple interruptions, with an early Virtual Safety Car for Victor Martinsā€™ crash at Turn 6, followed by two full Safety Car deployments after incidents involving Max Esterson and Sami Meguetounif. Despite the disruptions, Duerksen managed every restart flawlessly, gradually pulling away from Fornaroli.

While Fornaroli fended off heavy pressure from Browning and Richard Verschoor, Beganovicā€™s race unravelled further with a spin that dropped him to P17. Meanwhile, the top 10 ran closely together, with Alexander Dunne making late moves to secure ninth place.

Duerksen ultimately cruised to victory, crossing the line comfortably ahead of Fornaroli and Browning. Verschoor finished fourth, followed by Roman Stanek, SebastiƔn Montoya, Gabriele MinƬ, and Josep Marƭa Martƭ, who secured the final point in eighth.

Formula 2 Australia: Durksen dominates Saturday, Rain Dominates Sunday
Joshua Duerksen posing with the flag of Paraguay after winning the sprint race – Photo – Formula Motorsports Limited

The feature race on Sunday was cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. The race had been scheduled to get underway at 11:30 local time but following continuous rain hitting the track, it was initially then Red Flagged. However, after an attempt to start, the decision was made to cancel the event as the heavy downpour continued.

With no racing laps completed, no points will be awarded, although ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins will receive two points for starting from Pole Position.

A weekend that was plagued before it even began for Kush Maini

Kush Maini headed to Australia with a 10-place grid penalty for both races. He received this penalty through no fault of his own. His team, DAMS Lucas Oil was penalised for for breaching FIA Sporting and Technical Regulations.

Kush started the weekend well, he finished second in the practice, only a tenth below Victor Martins. In the qualifying, Kush seemed to be having good pace but spun out on his final push lap and could not improve his lap times. This left him with 13th in qualifying, which means he’d start at the lower end of the grid for both races. In the sprint race, Kush failed to move up the field and finished P16, 3 places up from where he started. The feature race getting cancelled worked out for Kush as the grid penalty would have no effect on him.

Kush feels confident about his chances this year and is very comfortable with the team. He displayed flashes of pace in Melbourne as well, but made mistakes that overshadowed them. Going forward, the Indian driver would want to be more consistent with his pace and minimise the mistakes so everyone can see his true potential, which we know is as good as anyone on the grid.

Read more: Formula 2 Season Preview: Third Time Lucky for Kush Maini?

Up Next

Formula will head to Bahrain next for an in season test, followed by Round 2 of the championship from 11-13 of April.

Desi Racing Co. brings you the latest updates and insights from Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, and more! Stay connected for in-depth motorsport analysisā€”follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn for all the latest news and updates.

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Formula 2

Formula 2 Round 7: Austria Chaos Roundup

Published

3 weeks ago

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July 4, 2025

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Formula 2 Round 7: Austria Chaos Roundup
Image Credit - Formula 2

In the Styrian hills, the Red Bull Ring delivered a stunning weekend of racing as Formula 2 entered Round 7 of the 2025 season. The circuit is known for its high-speed nature and overtaking hotspots, and it played host to one of the most dramatic and eventful rounds yet. The stakes were high with the championship fight tightening, and by the end of the weekend, the landscape of the standings had shifted in a significant way.

Fornaroli Stuns Late in Qualifying

Qualifying saw Leonardo Fornaroli steal the spotlight. The Invicta Racing driver clinched his second pole of the season with a last-lap masterclass, delivering a 1:15.229 that edged ARTā€™s Victor Martins by a mere 0.014s. The top three were separated by just 0.024s, with MP Motorsportā€™s Richard Verschoor in third.

It was a closely contested session from the start, with the top 10 separated by just three-tenths of a second. Premaā€™s Gabriele Mini set the early benchmark but was quickly beaten by Fornaroli. Martins came agonizingly close with a purple middle sector but was pipped at the very end by 0.014s. Verschoor, too, looked threatening but ran wide on his final attempt. Behind the top three, Mini slotted into fourth, ahead of Rodinā€™s Amaury Cordeel and Invictaā€™s Roman Stanek. Championship leader Alexander Dunne salvaged seventh late on after languishing in 18th for much of the session.

With the top 10 reversed for the Sprint, it was Van Amersfoort Racingā€™s John Bennett who inherited the reverse-grid pole for Saturdayā€™s dash.

Sprint Race: Marti Returns to the Top Step

The Sprint Race was a statement drive from Josep Maria Marti, who claimed his second win of the season in style for Campos Racing. Starting fifth, the Spaniard launched aggressively and showcased tactical brilliance to dispatch rivals one by one, ultimately wrestling the lead from AIX Racingā€™s Joshua Duerksen.

Duerksen had made a clean getaway to lead from the pole, followed by Stanek and Marti. The race was quickly red-flagged following a dramatic multi-car incident at Turn 3, involving Luke Browning, Arvid Lindblad, and Sami Meguetounif. Thankfully, all emerged unscathed.

After the rolling restart, Duerksen led away confidently again, but Marti was relentless. With DRS enabled, the Campos driver pounced, attacking at Turn 3 and taking the lead on Lap 17. Duerksen briefly fought back, reclaiming P1 at Turn 6, but Marti wasnā€™t to be denied. The Spaniard launched another attack into Turn 3 on the next lap and, this time, made the move stick.

Behind the leading trio, chaos and position changes defined the midfield. Richard Verschoor muscled past Bennett to climb into the top five, while Mini executed a brave outside move at Turn 7 to secure sixth. Alexander Dunne endured a difficult race marred by a five-second time penalty for jumping the start. He slipped to 11th at one stage but recovered to sixth.

The final lap brought the drama as Cordell spun and was collected by Mini, Fornaroli, and Bennett, causing a late reshuffle. Marti crossed the line nearly three seconds clear of Duerksen, with Stanek holding onto third after fending off multiple challenges. Verschoor was classified fourth, followed by Sebastian Montoya, Dunne, Martins, and Ritomo Miyata, who rounded out the points.

Marti was thrilled post-race: ā€œOne step better than last year so very, very happy about it. Even with the three-place grid drop, we managed to get the win.ā€

Feature Race: Verschoor Strikes Gold Again

Sundayā€™s Feature Race belonged to Richard Verschoor, who executed a strategic masterclass to claim his third win of the season and, with it, the lead of the Driversā€™ Championship. Starting third, the Dutchman played the long game, timing his pit stop perfectly and pulling off key overtakes to take control. Polesitter Fornaroli led the early stages, defending hard against a fast-starting Verschoor into Turn 3. While the Invicta driver held firm, he soon found himself under pressure as Verschoor and others began the undercut strategy. Martin pitted first, on Lap 7, followed closely by Verschoor. When Fornaroli responded on Lap 9, he rejoined behind both.

Meanwhile, Marti, starting from 12th, had charged up to fifth on the opening lap and was back in the thick of it, battling Dunne once again. Their duel intensified post-pit stop, with both overtaking Fornaroli in quick succession before Dunne muscled his way past Marti at Turn 4. While battles raged behind him, Verschoor caught and passed Martins with a sublime outside move at Turn 4 on Lap 15 to take the net lead. From there, he managed his pace expertly, pulling clear of his nearest challengers and retaking the on-track lead once pit stops cycled through.

The closing stages saw a fierce battle for third place. Fornaroli, having regained composure, reeled in Martins and dived down the inside at Turn 3. Martins responded with a late braking move around the outside to reclaim the place. Their fight allowed Marti to catch up and pounce, only for a three-car scuffle to unfold. At Turn 4, Fornaroli ultimately got through on both Martins and Marti, who made slight contact, resulting in a 10-second time penalty for the Campos driver. This skirmish demoted both down the order, with Fornaroli holding onto the final podium spot.

Further back, Luke Browning and Jak Crawford produced stellar drives. Browning surged from 17th on the grid to P6 on the road, passing multiple rivals with clinical efficiency. Crawford, too, has impressed with late moves on Martins and Browning to snatch fourth. Montoyaā€™s alternative strategy paid dividends as he stormed through the field late on to finish fifth, while Martins ended up eighth after a final-lap off-track moment at Turn 1. Dino Beganovic and Stanek rounded out the top ten.

Verschoor was jubilant after the race: ā€œSuper happy to have the biggest trophy today. Amazing race, good start, good pace and a good strategy, so a massive thank you to MP Motorsport and Iā€™m looking forward to Silverstone.ā€

Formula 2

Post-Race Drama: Dunne Disqualified, Bennett Penalised

Just when things seemed to have settled, the Stewards surprised us with the announcement that Alexander Dunne, who had initially finished second, was disqualified due to excessive front plank wear on his Rodin Motorsport car. The disqualification came after post-race checks revealed the plank thickness was below the legal limit, in violation of FIA Technical Regulations.

As a result, every driver behind Dunne was promoted one place, gifting Crawford third and Montoya fourth. Marti fell to sixth after serving his penalty, and John Bennett received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision, dropping him to 14th.

The Standings Shake-Up

Verschoorā€™s victory and Dunneā€™s misfortune saw the Dutchman leap to the top of the Driversā€™ Championship with 114 points. Dunne slips to second on 90, while Crawford moves up to third on 88. Fornaroli and Browning are close behind with 86 and 83 points respectively.

In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing retained their lead with 146 points. MP Motorsport move into second with 126, leapfrogging Hitech TGR. DAMS Lucas Oil and Invicta are tied in points with 109 each, remaining in fourth and fifth.

FP1 Opportunities: Dunne and Beganovic Impress

Outside the Formula 2 action, two familiar names made waves in Formula 1. Alexander Dunne stepped into McLaren machinery for the FP1 session at Spielberg, replacing Lando Norris and finishing an impressive fourth. Ferrari also handed a debut to Dino Beganovic, who took over Charles Leclercā€™s seat for the session, gathering vital experience.

Looking Ahead: Silverstone Awaits

With a reshuffled leaderboard and momentum swinging toward MP Motorsport and Verschoor, all eyes turn to Silverstone for Round 8. The British track promises another thrilling chapter in this fiercely contested championship.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether itā€™s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, weā€™ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

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Formula 2

Formula 2 Barcelona: Lindblad Shows His Worth, Blazing Verschoor & Unlucky Maini

Arvid Lindblad converts Pole to a win while Verschoor’s pit stop gamble works to perfection in Formula 2 Round 6 at Barcelona.

Published

1 month ago

on

June 13, 2025

By

Arvid Lindblad celebrates after taking the feature race win in Round 6 of Formula 2 in Barcelona.

Formula 2 made a stop at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the final leg of the triple header. The weekend saw Richard Verschoor take his second win of the season after gambling to change tyres during a late safety car in the sprint race. The gamble saw him go from the back of the grid to leading the race in just a few laps. On Sunday, it was Arvid Lindblad’s time to shine as he converted pole to a win to get his maiden Feature Race win in Formula 2.

Verschoor Storms The Sprint Race

Verschoor qualified P6 on Friday, placing him P5 for the sprint. He was P9 on Lap 7. However, a few good overtakes and a lucky late-race Safety Car prompted him to bolt on the Soft compound tires.

Compared to the top 5 ahead who decided to stay out on new tires, Verschoor was able to make an easy pass on the bunch of them, going from P10 to P1 in just four laps. Even though he was challenged by Alex Dunne till the finish line, he kept his cool and brought it over the finish line to take his second win of the season.

Other Notable Performances From The Sprint

Rookie Alex Dunne qualified P5, but was demoted to P19 after a series of penalties were served. However, the Irishman made the most of the opportunities that presented themselves in the Sprint, including a well-timed Safety Car. He followed the same strategy as Verschoor and charged through the grid for a blazing P2 finish.


Rafael VillagĆ³mez started the Sprint dead last, in P22. However, following the trend of the drivers who were on Softs, he too was able to make up good time, putting him P3 for his maiden podium in F2.


The names of Jak Crawford, Sebastian Montoya, Victor Martins, Luke Browning, and finally polesitter for the Sprint, Leo Fornaroli, rounded out the point scorers.


Kush Maini had lined up P8 for the Sprint, and after a phenomenal start to the race, he was sitting in the top 5 comfortably. Unfortunately, the unlucky timing of the Safety Car saw him tumble down the grid, ultimately crossing the line in P16 for the Sprint race.

Lindblad Makes It Two

Arvid Lindblad set the fastest lap time in Friday’s qualifying session. He also got his maiden pole for F2, which put him at the front of the grid for Sunday’s Feature Race. The young Redbull junior kept his nose clean and maintained his cool at the front, landing him his second F2 win. This also gave Campos racing their first ever win on home soil.

Notably, after the weekend, Red Bull requested the FIA to grant Arvid Lindblad a superlicense, which would allow him to participate in Formula 1 sessions. This gives Arvid the oppurtunity to appear in his first-ever Formula 1 Grand Prix; now that Max Verstappen has 11 penalty points on his superlicense, and 1 more may result in a race ban.

Other Notable Performances From The Feature Race

Sebastian Montoya scored his second Feature Race podium on the trot, after the Colombian started from P2 following a solid qualifying performance on Friday. He attempted to challenge Arvid for his position, but a late-race Safety Car neutralised the race, dismissing his attempts.

After winning the Sprint race on Saturday, Richard Verschoor rounded out the podium on Sunday, marking the most points scored throughout the weekend. He started the race in P5, and gained two vital positions in the race, leading him to finish P3.



Jak Crawford and rookie Alex Dunne rounded out the top 5 on Sunday, scoring some valuable points for themselves and their team.

Although Kush Maini started in the top 3, he failed to hold positions after a disastrous start dropped him outside of the top 10. A strong recovery ā€” gaining position after positionā€” got him back into the points, eventually finishing P7. Luck was not on Maini’s side this weekend.



Weekend Results



Standings



Next Round In Austria

Formula 2 has a long break before their next outing in Austria, which runs from 27th through 29th June.
Alex Dunne now has only a 3-point lead in the WDC, with Richard Verschoor trailing close behind. Arvid Lindbald closes the gap to the top and lines up P3 in the standings, 8 points behind Dunne.

As for the WCC, Campos racing now hold a commanding 26-point lead over Hitech TGR, who are closely followed by MP Motorsport, DAMS Lucas Oil and Rodin Motorsport who are in a tight fight for P2.

Desi Racing Co.Ā is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether itā€™s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, weā€™ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us onĀ Twitter/X,Ā Instagram, andĀ LinkedInĀ to keep up with the latest motorsport newsĀ andĀ updates.

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Formula 2

Formula 2: Final Stop of The Triple Header in Barcelona

After 2 back to back racing weekends in Imola and Monaco, Formula 2 now heads to Barcelona for the final stop of the triple header.

Published

2 months ago

on

May 30, 2025

By

Start of Formula 2 Feature Race in Barcelona 2024

The Formula 2 paddock makes its final stop of the triple header at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for another weekend of intense racing action. The last 2 weekends at Imola and Monaco have given us unpredictable races, let’s see what Barcelona has to offer this weekend.

Championship Battle Tight as Ever

The championship battle is tight as ever in Formula 2, the top 3 are separated by only 6 points. Luke Browning leads the championship after a good haul of points in Monaco saw him replace Alex Dunne at the top. The Williams Academy driver is yet to win a race, but he has been consistently stacking up points to emerge as a championship contender.

Alex Dunne was leading the championship coming into Monaco and even got the pole position for the Feature Race. A win in the feature race would have meant that he would have extended the lead in the championship. But, an impatient move into Turn 1 to keep his lead resulted in him going into the side of Victor Martins, eventually leading to a pile-up which saw a total of 7 cars retire. He is still second in the championship, 3 points behind Browning.

Kush Riding On a Wave of Confidence

After making history in Monaco, becoming the first indian to win on the streets of the principality, Kush Maini is full of confidence heading into Barcelona, a circuit where he had good success last time around. Last year, Kush got a Sprint race podium and a solid P6 in the feature race at Barcelona. Full of confidence and heading to a circuit he likes, Kush will be looking to get some solid results before the short break.

Weā€™ve had a very rocky start, with a lot of things going wrong. Some things were in our control, some things not, but our season starts today and thereā€™s still a long way to go for us, so this is a positive note to take forwards. – Kush Maini after his win in Monaco.

Hitech TGR vs Campos

The top 2 teams in the standings are separated by just 7 points. Both Hitech and Campos this year have been very consistent in their performances. Hitech, courtesy of Luke Browning, who has been on the podium every single race weekend this season, leads Campos narrowly. But these teams have been in Formula 2 long enough to understand the season is still very long and it all can change in just a couple of weekends.

Formula 2: Final Stop of The Triple Header in Barcelona
Luke Browning leads the championship, having been on the podium every weekend this season. Photo: Formula Motorsports Limited.

Where to watch Formula 2 in India

You can watch all the sessions of Formula 2 live in India on Fancode and F1TV. The schedule for the weekend in IST is given below:

Formula 2: Final Stop of The Triple Header in Barcelona

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether itā€™s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, weā€™ve got you covered! Stay connected with us for in-depth motorsport coverage. Follow us on Twitter/X/, Instagram, and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest motorsport news and updates.

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