Rafa Câmara wins Chaotic F2 Belgian GP Feature Race at Spa

Câmara survives Spa chaos to take Feature Race victory

Rafa Câmara converted pole position into a commanding Formula 2 Feature Race win at Spa, overcoming a slow getaway, multiple interruptions and a late fight shaped by penalties. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak finished second, while Nikola Tsolov completed the podium.

Câmara initially dropped behind Inthraphuvasak at the start. The opening lap then descended into disorder: Dino Beganovic failed to launch, Gabriele Mini made contact with Roman Bilinski, and Ollie Goethe was left slow after Ritomo Miyata hit the back of his car. The incidents brought out the first Safety Car, while Mini was later handed a five-second penalty.

At the restart, Tsolov attacked Câmara for second into the first corner. Câmara left the Red Bull Junior no room, sending Tsolov through the gravel and down the order. Câmara recovered the initiative on Lap 5, using DRS on the Kemmel Straight to pass Inthraphuvasak. Joshua Dürksen soon moved into third and then passed Inthraphuvasak, creating an Invicta one-two.

The race’s early pace was heavily influenced by the supersoft tyre. Câmara was called into the pits on Lap 6 as the compound deteriorated, with the leading championship contenders following the same supersoft-to-medium strategy. Mini was the exception, having started on mediums after qualifying out of position.

Red flag resets the race

Laurens Van Hoepen’s heavy Turn 8 crash on Lap 9 brought out another Safety Car. He escaped the smoking TRIDENT unscathed, but barrier and debris damage led to a Red Flag. The interruption allowed teams to change tyres and replace damaged parts, although the work did not count as the mandatory pit stop.

Race Control ordered a rolling restart with 21 minutes remaining. Dürksen led Nicolas Varrone and John Bennett, while Câmara used the tow to climb to ninth. A subsequent spin for Emerson Fittipaldi triggered another Safety Car, bringing the pit-stop sequence back into focus and placing Câmara at the front once drivers completed their mandatory stops.

With just over ten minutes remaining, Tsolov reached fourth but carried two track-limit violations. Inthraphuvasak passed him, while Mini continued a determined recovery. Penalties then became decisive: Noel Leon received five seconds, and both Tsolov and Dunne were warned for track limits, with Dunne also receiving a five-second penalty.

Câmara controlled the final lap, crossing the line 2.9 seconds clear. Dunne held off Mini on the road but finished behind Tsolov after the penalties were applied. Inthraphuvasak took second, ahead of Tsolov, with Dunne and Mini completing the top five. Villagomez, Leon, Colton Herta, his teammate and Mari Boya filled the remaining points positions.

The result followed Câmara’s Spa pole position, but the Feature Race win required far more than a clean launch: it demanded recovery, tyre management and composure through a relentlessly disrupted afternoon.

Câmara survives Spa chaos to take Feature Race victory