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Martinius Stenshorne delivered Rodin Motorsport its first Formula 2 Feature Race victory in one of the most dramatic and incident-packed contests of the season, as relentless rain and a series of accidents turned the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve into a survival test for the entire field.
The race began with Lauren Van Hoepen — who had claimed Trident's first pole position in two years — immediately coming under pressure from Nikola Tsolov, the Bulgarian looking to steal an early advantage over the Dutch driver. The early skirmish settled temporarily, but pockets of rain appearing at Turn 10 quickly changed the complexion of the race. With the grid on the softest compound tyres, the vast majority of drivers chose to bide their time and tiptoe through the opening laps.
Tsolov, however, was not content to wait, continuing to pile pressure on Van Hoepen at the front. Further down the field, Formula 3 champion Rafael Camara demonstrated his racecraft with a clean overtake on Gabriele Mini, executing the move as the pair approached the hairpin.
As the rain intensified, Van Hoepen's race came to an abrupt and painful end. The 20-year-old, who had started from pole, lost control and slammed his front-right tyre into the infamous Wall of Champions — ending his bid for a maiden victory and triggering the first safety car of the afternoon.
Much of the field initially elected not to pit during the first safety car window, but the race was far from done producing drama. A second safety car was required shortly after, when Enzo Fittipaldi crashed at Turn 1 just moments after leaving the pit lane on fresh soft tyres — a stark reminder of just how treacherous the conditions had become.
The second caution period prompted the bulk of the field to make their pit stops, and it was during this phase that Trident's misery deepened further. John Bennett, the team's second driver, collided with Rafael Villagómez in the pit lane, leaving the British driver with significant front-end damage. It was a wretched afternoon for the squad, having already lost their race-leading car earlier in the event.
With multiple pit cycles completed, Roman Bilinski emerged as the new race leader, with Colton Herta slotting in behind him. But the chaos was far from over. Tsolov made contact with Kush Maini as conditions worsened again, and Bilinski's lead was short-lived — the Polish driver sliding wide at the hairpin, handing Martinius Stenshorne the front position and control of the race.
The carnage continued. Camara spun approaching Turn 2, dropping the Invicta Racing driver to the back of the field — a blow compounded later by a five-second penalty for his earlier contact with Maini. Ritomo Miyata then had his own spin at the hairpin, while Dino Beganovic was forced to retire with an engine failure, necessitating a third safety car period. To cap a thoroughly turbulent sequence, Mari Boya also spun while running behind the safety car.
It was, in essence, the kind of race that has historically defined Montreal — a track that punishes the slightest lapse in concentration. The wet-weather concerns that had been widely flagged heading into race day were fully realised. As was noted ahead of the weekend, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had already served up chaos in the F2 Sprint Race, and the Feature Race continued in the same vein.
When racing resumed for the final time, Stenshorne led a Rodin one-two with teammate Alex Dunne in second, and championship leader Gabriele Mini in third. The conclusion, however, came not under green flag conditions — Oliver Goethe's crash in the closing stages brought out yet another safety car, and the race was ultimately ended under caution.
Stenshorne crossed the line to take a well-deserved maiden Formula 2 victory, with Dunne completing an impressive Rodin one-two. Mini secured third, a significant result given his championship position at the top of the standings.
Behind the top three, Joshua Dürksen claimed fourth place, with Nikola Tsolov recovering to fifth despite his earlier incident. Sebastián Montoya finished sixth, just ahead of Cian Shields in seventh. Nicolás Varrone came home eighth, Roman Bilinski ninth, and Colton Herta rounded out the points-scoring positions in tenth.
For Stenshorne, it was a breakthrough moment — a first F2 win forged in the most testing of conditions, and one that will do his championship ambitions no harm whatsoever.
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.