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Rafael Câmara delivered another emphatic qualifying statement in Barcelona, taking his second consecutive Aramco Pole Position with a 1:24.810 that proved beyond reach for the rest of the FIA Formula 2 field.
The Brazilian led an Invicta Racing 1-2, with teammate Duerksen securing second place and Alexander Dunne ending the session third for Rodin Motorsport. In a qualifying hour defined by shifting grip, track limits pressure and a late red flag, Câmara’s lap stood out not only for its pace but for how early it established control of the session.
Dunne was the first to put down a serious marker, moving to the top with a 1:25.528. That time did not last long. Colton Herta, fresh from his FP1 running with Cadillac, went quicker on a 1:25.387, adding another Barcelona storyline after his appearance among the weekend’s rookie and reserve outings, covered in our Barcelona FP1 rookie rundown.
The opening phase remained tight. Duerksen and Hitech teammate Ritomo Miyata both improved, leaving the top three split by just 0.056s inside the first eight minutes. With half the field choosing to delay their first representative efforts, the order continued to evolve.
Nikola Tsolov then moved to the top with a 1:25.222, before Kush Maini closed to within 0.042s of the Bulgarian. But Câmara’s response changed the tone of qualifying. His 1:24.810 put him four tenths clear at the halfway stage, creating a target that would survive every late attack.
The final push runs began with five minutes remaining, bringing a stream of personal bests. Rafael Villagómez surged to second for Van Amersfoort Racing, only for Gabriele Minì to displace him shortly after.
Dunne, whose earlier lap had been deleted for exceeding track limits, recovered strongly to go second, just over two tenths behind Câmara. Moments later, Duerksen completed the Invicta front-row lockout by jumping into P2.
Qualifying was then halted by a red flag after Miyata spun through the gravel and into the barriers at the exit of the final corner. The Japanese driver climbed out and was confirmed OK before the Hitech was cleared, allowing the session to resume with 3:41 left.
Several drivers still needed gains, but nobody could trouble Câmara’s benchmark. Dunne remained third ahead of Minì and Villagómez, with Tsolov sixth from Nico Varrone, Herta, Maini and Noel León.
The FIA F2 Sprint Race is scheduled for 14:15 local time on Saturday, with León set to start from reverse-grid pole position.
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.
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