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Formula 2 Bahrain Weekend Review: Rookies Shine in Bahrain

Formula 2 made its first stop of the double-header in Bahrain, in a weekend where Rookies proved their mettle.

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2 months ago

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Leonardo Fornaroli of Italy and Invicta Racing (1) drives on track during qualifying ahead of Round 2 Sakhir of the Formula 2 Championship at Bahrain International Circuit on April 11, 2025 in Bahrain, Bahrain.


Bahrain delivered a thrilling spectacle to the 2025 Formula 2 season, with rookies proving that they’re ready to shake up the grid. From unexpected poles to last-lap heroics, the desert drama set the tone for what promised to be a fiercely competitive campaign.

Formula 2 Bahrain Weekend Review: Rookies Shine in Bahrain

(Credit – feederseries.net)


Qualifying: Fornaroli Storms to Maiden Pole

Last year’s Formula 3 champion, Leo Fornaroli, stunned the field by grabbing his first-ever F2 pole position. The Italian rookie edged out experienced Frenchman Victor Martins to secure the top spot, delivering a confident statement in his debut qualifying session.

Behind them, Luke Browning and Alex Dunne locked out the second row in P3 and P4 respectively. Speaking after the session, Dunne said, “Not happy, but not unhappy,” suggesting he still had more pace to extract.

The third row featured a more seasoned duo — Roman Stanek and Richard Verschoor, both looking strong heading into the weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, Indian driver Kush Maini struggled for pace, qualifying down in P20, and leaving himself a mountain to climb in both races.


Sprint Race: Pepe Marti Masters the Chaos

Starting from P11, Pepe Marti lit up the track with a storming drive in Saturday’s Sprint Race. The Spaniard launched off the line, gaining five positions on the opening lap to sit P6. He held station until Lap 16 when a late-race Safety Car was triggered by Max Esterson’s retirement on track.

Pepe Marti crosses the line to win the Formula 2 Sprint Race in Bahrain.
Pepe Marti crosses the line to win the Sprint Race in Bahrain.

At the restart, Marti wasted no time overtaking Villagomez into Turn 1 and capitalizing on a scrap between Richard Verschoor and Alex Dunne just ahead. By Lap 22, chaos among the top three gave Marti the perfect opportunity – he picked off his rivals and soared into the lead as they crossed the line to start the final lap.

From there, it was all about defence. Marti expertly held off a late charge from Verschoor in the MP Motorsport car to claim a brilliant Sprint Race victory.



Drama Behind the Winner

Joshua Dürksen crossed the line in P3, but post-race scrutineering revealed a technical breach, leading to his disqualification. As a result, Dino Beganovic was promoted to the podium.

Leo Fornaroli, after starting P8 due to the reversed grid, had a muted race, losing one position and finishing P9. Meanwhile, Victor Martins, who started in P7, had a disastrous opening lap, dropping to the back of the field and finishing well outside the points.

One of the standout performances came from Oliver Goethe, who climbed ten positions from P15 to P5 — showcasing both speed and racecraft.


Formula 2 hits a big milestone

The Feature Race marked Formula 2’s 200th race start, showing the considerable success of the feeder series.



Feature Race: Alex Dunne Dominates to Make History

After a disappointing Sprint Race where he finished P19, Alex Dunne came back swinging in Sunday’s Feature Race. Starting from P4, the Irish rookie had a lightning launch, jumping to P2 by the end of the first lap. He stayed locked in behind pole-sitter Leo Fornaroli until Lap 6, when he lined up the overtake — and made it stick at the start of Lap 7 to take the lead.

When the pit window opened, Dunne’s team pulled the trigger early, calling him in on Lap 17 to cover off a potential undercut from Fornaroli. From there, it was a masterclass in race management. Dunne pulled away in the second stint and crossed the finish line with a commanding 8.244-second lead — securing his first-ever Formula 2 victory and becoming the first Irish driver to win in the series.


Pepe Marti The Master Of Starts

After Pepe’s brilliant Sprint Race, he said on his team radio, “Try and do it all over again, shall we?” and he did exactly that. Starting from P11 once again for the Feature Race, Marti had a storming start, gaining 6 positions on Lap 1. He moved up into P4 soon enough after overtaking Roman Stanek. Coming into Lap 7, he pulled a brilliant move on Villagomez, placing him in the Top 3. At the first round of pitstops, he got undercut by Luke Browning which dropped him back to P4. Marti made a valiant effort to get back into the top 3.

Fornaroli Takes Debut Podium

Leonardo Fornaroli started on pole for the feature race. He dropped to P2 losing the lead to the storming Alex Dunne on Lap 7. Come to the end of the race, he had a brilliant battle with Pepe Marti for the final podium spot after he was also jumped by Luke Browning in the pits.




A weekend to forget for Kush Maini

It was a tough weekend for the Indian Driver. Having qualified in P20, he had his work cut-out for him. In the sprint, he moved up 3 positions to P17, and for the Feature Race he managed to move up into P18. It was a learning weekend for Kush – hopefully he can iron out the issues and move closer to the top in Saudi next weekend.



Driver Standings

After the weekend in Bahrain, the Driver Standings have closed up at the top with 2 rookies topping the standings.

As for the constructors, Hitech GP stands on top after this round, jumping up 3 spots from where they were after Round 1 in Australia, with Campos Racing trailing behind by 6 points. Invicta Racing isn’t far off either being just 1 point away from Campos Racing.

MP Motorsport and Rodin Motorsport are in a fight for 4th in the Constructors having 27 and 25 points respectively

Next week in Jeddah

It’s a doubleheader for the Feeder Series. After two gruelling races in the desert, they will go racing in Saudi next, a track known for its dangerous walls and high speeds. The drivers will need to have utmost precision throughout the weekend.

Saudi is known to be a stronger track for some drivers including the Indian driver Kush Maini, who took pole position last year round. He’ll be hoping to learn from the last 2 race weekends and return to form in Saudi.

Something to look at is the rookies that are currently atop the WDC Standings. Will they be able to continue their run and leave the field behind? Or will they drop off in the next few rounds?

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 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 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: 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

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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