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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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3 months ago

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Formula 2 Australia: Durksen dominates Saturday, Rain Dominates Sunday

The 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off at Melbourne’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 €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.

“Short session, not many laps completed for all of us,” reflected Martins. “But 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 Minì. On their second run on new tyres, Martins went faster with a 1:29.523, Minì 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.

Minì’s Pole Position was short-lived as he was handed two grid penalties. Stewards determined that Minì 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 Minì, 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 Martins’ 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, Beganovic’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, Sebastián Montoya, Gabriele Minì, and Josep María Martí, 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 analysis—follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn for all the latest 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.

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1 week ago

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June 13, 2025

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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 Villagómez 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 — gaining position after position— 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. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’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: 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.

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3 weeks ago

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May 30, 2025

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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.

We’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 there’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 it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’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: DAMS Double in Monaco as Maini Makes History

Kush Maini became the first Indian to win around Monaco in Formula 2. Jack Crawford wins on Sunday to make it a DAMS double in Monte Carlo.

Published

4 weeks ago

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May 27, 2025

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Kush Maini after winning in Monaco in Formula 2

When Formula 2 visits Monaco, chaos is almost guaranteed, and this weekend was no exception. The Sprint Race made history as Kush Maini became the first-ever Indian to win on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo. On Sunday, DAMS completed the double, with Jack Crawford winning one of the most unpredictable Feature Races of the season.

READ MORE: Formula 2 Round 5: Streets of Monaco Await an Epic Thriller

Saturday: Maini Writes History for India

Kush Maini was coming to Monaco after having the worst start to his Formula 2 season. In the seven races leading up to Monaco, Kush had a best finish of 10th and had scored just one point. There was something that was just not clicking for him this year. There was no doubt about the pace Maini possesses, this is the same driver who surprised everyone two years ago in his debut season, constantly challenging for top spots in qualifying in a team that was not very competitive that year. But for some reason, by luck or by chance, it just wasn’t working out for him.

Just last weekend in Imola, when Kush was finally getting into rhythm to show what he is capable of, finishing P3 in practice and then challenging for the top 5 in qualifying, he made a mistake and crashed out on his flying lap. That brought out the red flag, and as per regulations, his fastest lap was deleted, dropping him to 13th. That weekend, from then on, was another one to forget. Coming into Monaco, Kush was again looking for that one moment that would give him that confidence boost.

Due to the nature of Monaco, F2 does its qualifying in groups. Drivers are divided into Group A and B based on their competition number, and whoever is the fastest in either group gets pole. But here’s the interesting bit: pole in Monaco is on the left side. So, for example, if a driver from Group A gets pole, then everyone in Group A will start on the left side—i.e., in positions 1, 3, 5, 7, and so on. This means that even if you’re in Group A and your time is good enough to put you P2, you’d still start P3 if the fastest driver from Group B gets to start on the other side of the grid.

Kush was in Group A. His time put him fifth fastest in the group, which meant he would either start P9 or P10 based on the results of Group B. Alex Dunne, in Group B, put in a banker lap to set the fastest time of qualifying, faster by three-thousandths of a second than Victor Martins, who was fastest in Group A. This meant everyone in Group B would start on the left side, i.e., odd-numbered positions and everyone in Group A would start on the right, the even-numbered positions. Kush was supposed to start the Feature Race from P10, but the most important bit: he would start the reverse grid Sprint Race from pole.

Formula 2: DAMS Double in Monaco as Maini Makes History
Kush Maini in Monaco. -Photo: DAMS Lucas Oil

Come the Sprint Race, and Kush made the perfect getaway, keeping his lead going into Turn 1 at lights out. From then on, it was all about keeping control of the race. Alongside him on the front row, Luke Browning had a terrible start, getting swallowed by three cars, allowing Gabriel Minì to overtake him and slot into second, along with Jack Crawford and Arvid Lindblad, who were third and fourth.

Formula 2: DAMS Double in Monaco as Maini Makes History
Maini leads Mini in the Sprint Race. – Photo: Formula Motorsports Limited.

From here on out, all Maini had to do was keep his calm and not make a mistake, which, when you’re driving around Monaco, is not the easiest thing to do. But the Indian driver drove brilliantly to take the chequered flag and claim his first-ever win in Monaco, also the first-ever win for India on the streets of the principality.

Some of Kush’s earlier bad results could be chalked up to bad luck or circumstance, but it was that very same twist of fate that handed him the reverse grid pole and ultimately the victory in Monaco. His lap time was good enough for P7, which under normal conditions would have placed him fourth on the reverse grid. And from there, it’s anyone’s guess how the race might have unfolded.

Formula 2: DAMS Double in Monaco as Maini Makes History
Kush Maini wins in Monaco. Photo: Kush Maini via X

“P1, first Indian to win in Monaco too. It’s a great honour and a dream come true. I want to say thank you to DAMS and everyone who has supported me. We keep believing!” – Kush Maini after his win in Monaco.

Sunday: Jack Crawford Wins Carnage-Packed Feature Race

Jack Crawford secured his second win of the season in a race full of chaos on the streets of Monaco. A perfectly timed stop before the Safety car helped the American take the win on the streets of Monaco.

Starting on Pole, Alex Dunne had Victor Martins to accompany him on the front row. At the start, Martins got a better launch to be ahead of Dunne into the first corner, but Dunne was not ready to let go of the inside line, and the two made contact, leading to a chain reaction of crashes which saw 5 more drivers get involved and ultimately retire from the race.

After a lengthy Red Flag, Leonardo Fornarolli would lead a rolling restart of the race, with the cars lining up based on the qualifying positions minus the retirements. After the race restarted, Fornarolli led the pack with Lindblad leading Montoya and Lindblad with Crawford in fourth.

Virtual Safety Car was deployed when Dino Beganovic went into the barriers at Casino Square, which would then be upgraded to a full safety car. The timing of the safety car was such that the top 3 had passed the pit entry, but Crawford was at the perfect position to make his stop. The top 3 came around and made their stop,s but Crawford had done enough to take the race lead.

Once the safety car was not withdrawn and the race was red-flagged as the barrier needed repairs. Crawford crossed the line to take the win with Fornaroli in second. Lindblad crossed the line in third but was handed a 5-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to fifth and promoting Montoya to third.

Formula 2: DAMS Double in Monaco as Maini Makes History
Jack Crawford after winning the Feature Race in Monaco. Photo – Formula Motorsports Limited.

Up Next in Formula 2

Formula 2 now heads to Barcelona, to make its final stop of the intense triple header from 30th May to 1st June.

Desi Racing Co. is dedicated to bringing the latest updates and insights from the world of motorsport. Whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, or other racing series, we’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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