Debrief
Joshua Dürksen holds off Stenshorne to win F2 Sprint Race at Spa
Joshua Dürksen wins a dramatic Formula 2 sprint at Spa-Francorchamps ahead of Martinius Stenshorne and Dino Beganovic after two Safety Cars.
Dürksen survives late Spa showdown
Invicta’s Joshua Dürksen claimed his second Formula 2 victory of the season in a stop-start sprint at Spa-Francorchamps, holding off Rodin’s Martinius Stenshorne in a tense final-lap shootout. DAMS driver Dino Beganovic completed the podium, returning to the top three in 2026.
Championship leader Nikola Tsolov produced the decisive late move to finish fourth, overtaking Sebastián Montoya on the final lap. Rodin’s Alex Dunne was fifth, ahead of Invicta team-mate Rafa Câmara, while Roman Bilinski recovered from a difficult start to take seventh. MP Motorsport’s Ollie Goethe collected the final point in eighth.
The result came after a disrupted weekend. Following Noel León’s qualifying penalty, Montoya inherited sprint pole ahead of Stenshorne and Bilinski. Câmara, meanwhile, had secured his fourth pole of the season in Friday qualifying, as detailed in our report on his Spa pole.
Safety cars reshape the race
The sprint’s start was delayed while barriers were repaired after Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One practice incident. Once the race began, Stenshorne moved around the outside at Les Combes, while Dürksen advanced to third and Beganovic settled into fourth. Bilinski slipped from third to ninth at the start, setting up his eventual recovery.
Dürksen passed Montoya for second around Les Combes on Lap 5, but the first Safety Car was deployed a lap later after Cian Shields spun into the barriers at Turn 9. Racing resumed after one lap, with the field compressed behind Stenshorne.
Montoya’s lock-up at Turn 1 on Lap 10 allowed Beganovic through for third. Tsolov nearly followed him past the PREMA driver, while Stenshorne then surrendered the lead to Dürksen at Les Combes.
Final-lap drama decides the points
A second Safety Car followed John Bennett’s heavy spin on the run to the Bus Stop chicane. Dürksen was investigated for multiple changes of direction while defending, but no penalty followed.
Green-flag running returned on Lap 18, leaving one final dash to the finish. Dürksen created enough breathing room at the Bus Stop to secure victory, while Tsolov’s bold move on Montoya reshaped the top five. Montoya was then passed by Dunne on the run to Eau Rouge.
Beganovic held third, with Tsolov and Dunne completing the leading group. Minì, Varrone, Bennett and Shields were among the retirees, while Kush Maini’s difficult afternoon was compounded by a five-second track-limits penalty.