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Gabriele MinĂŹ strengthened his Driversâ Championship challenge with a controlled victory at the Hungaroring, winning from second on the grid and adding the fastest lap. The MP Motorsport driver resisted the temptation to force the issue early, managed his tyres and waited until the pace was on his side before taking control.
Dino Beganovic finished second for DAMS Lucas Oil, while TRIDENTâs Laurens van Hoepen completed the podium. Their positions were shaped by a collision between polesitter Sebastian Montoya and Nikola Tsolov, which ended both driversâ races.
The result also builds on the competitive picture outlined in Kush Mainiâs Formula 2 pole position at the Hungaroring, with the circuit producing another race in which track position and tyre management proved decisive.
Montoya made the best start from pole and held MinÏ through Turn 1, while Tsolov climbed to third. Rafael Câmara was also among the early movers, rising from ninth to sixth. As DRS became available, MinÏ gradually reduced the gap and was within a second of Montoya by Lap 5, as the leading nine cars began to separate from the rest of the field.
By Lap 8, MinĂŹ was close enough to force Montoya into a defensive move at Turn 1. The order remained unchanged, but the pressure continued. Tsolov then closed on the leading pair after conserving his tyres and was back within DRS range by Lap 13.
MinĂŹ finally made his move on Lap 17. A strong exit from the final corner gave him the DRS run he needed, and Montoya locked up while defending into Turn 1. MinĂŹ covered the move through Turn 2 to take the lead.
Tsolov attacked Montoya on the following lap, but the decisive moment came on Lap 21. A late-braking move into Turn 1 ended with contact, putting Tsolov out immediately and leaving Montoya with race-ending damage. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed.
Once racing resumed, MinÏ was never seriously threatened. He led Beganovic by 2.3 seconds, while van Hoepen held third. Câmara recovered fourth, ahead of ART Grand Prix teammates Kush Maini and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. Joshua Duerksen held off Martinius Stenshorne to secure seventh, with the Norwegian taking eighth.
âFinally another win! Our pace was very good, had an OK start, just kept our position and followed for a few laps,â MinĂŹ said. âWhen I felt I had much more pace I started to attack, and once I got the overtake done, it was all about managing and we did that very well. Now onto tomorrow.â
Nikola Tsolov remains championship leader on 161 points, but MinĂŹ has reduced the gap to 16, moving to 145. Câmara is third on 130, while Beganovic rises to fifth on 71. Campos Racing leads the Teamsâ Standings on 230 points, with MP Motorsport second on 174.
The FIA Formula 2 Feature Race follows on Sunday at 11:25 local time, with Maini starting from pole.
Heâs 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.