León dominates Monaco Sprint Race to claim second F2 victory of the season
A Controlled Masterclass on the Streets of Monte Carlo
Noel León delivered a near-flawless performance in the Formula 2 Sprint Race at Monaco, leading every lap from pole position to claim his second victory of the season. The Campos Racing driver crossed the line over three seconds clear of the field, managing the race with composure and precision on one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar.
Roman Bilinski claimed a landmark result for DAMS Lucas Oil, securing his maiden F2 podium in second place, while MP Motorsport's Gabriele Minì completed the top three in what was a controlled but closely-watched encounter at the front.
How the Race Unfolded
León made a clean getaway from pole, holding the lead into the first corner ahead of Bilinski, with Minì slotting in third and Joshua Duerksen right behind in fourth. Early on, the top four formed a compact unit — separated by just two seconds by Lap 5 — and quickly broke clear of the rest of the field.
An early flashpoint came in the battle for P11, where Ritomo Miyata and Oliver Goethe made contact through the hairpin and Mirabeau. Goethe was forced to pit and dropped to the back, while Miyata continued with a damaged front wing — a compromise he would carry for much of the afternoon.
Despite leading throughout, León was unable to immediately shake off Bilinski, with the Polish rookie consistently within DRS range in the opening laps. That changed gradually as the race entered its middle phase, with the top two eventually opening a three-second gap over Minì by Lap 18.
Further back, Laurens van Hoepen — who had charged from P21 to P15 by Lap 8 — saw his progress halted by a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at the start. Dino Beganovic, meanwhile, closed on Duerksen's Invicta Racing car around the halfway mark and remained a threat through the closing stages.
Miyata, still running his damaged car, finally found a way through on Lap 22, diving inside Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Tabac after several laps of pressure. The ART Grand Prix driver subsequently retired from the race with an issue five laps from the end, removing one more variable from the equation.
A Strong Championship Statement
With five laps remaining, the race was effectively settled. León was 2.4 seconds clear of Bilinski, and continued to extend his advantage to the chequered flag. Bilinski held firm against a late charge from Minì to take second, with Duerksen fourth ahead of Beganovic. Stenshorne finished sixth, Kush Maini seventh, and Rafael Câmara — who had taken a dramatic pole position in Monaco qualifying earlier in the weekend — rounded out the points in eighth.
In the Drivers' Championship, Gabriele Minì retains the lead with 63 points, but León has moved up to second, now 20 points adrift. Martinius Stenshorne sits third on 38 points, with Câmara a further point behind in fourth and Nikola Tsolov fifth on 36.
In the Teams' Standings, Campos Racing have surged to the top with 79 points, displacing MP Motorsport — who drop to second on 75. Rodin Motorsport are third with 68, Invicta Racing fourth on 58, and DAMS Lucas Oil fifth with 38.
Key Quote
"Feels great to win in Monaco, my second win in a row on a weekend and in a Sprint. I feel very happy to be honest. Yesterday we missed a bit, we missed pole, but luckily it put me in a position to start on the front row today, to get the 10 points, and for the championship it is great. I have a great opportunity tomorrow to score again good points, that's the goal for this weekend and I am very happy that every weekend we are stronger and stronger and qualifying is going to get there at some points, so very happy." — Noel León, Campos Racing
León and Campos will be looking to consolidate further in Sunday's Feature Race, which is scheduled to start at 09:25 local time.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.