Dino Beganovic made his way from P11 to P2 in the F2 Miami Feature Race. Up until the last few laps, the DAMS driver looked close to victory. However, after running wide across the chicane in Turn 17, Gabriele Minì took the lead from him and went on to win the race. Still, Beganovic was satisfied after a successful F2 weekend in Miami.
Hard work paying off for Beganovic and DAMS in F2
Despite not taking the win, the Swedish-Bosnian driver did an amazing job, securing double points at the F2 Miami round. The Sprint Race saw him finish in P8, taking valuable points for DAMS Lucas Oil. When speaking to F2 about the Miami Feature Race, Beganovic reflected:
“It was cool. I think Gabriele [Minì] and I had a great fight. He did a good job being a spectator to it all, but I think it was great.
“Gabriele and I have been driving wheel-to-wheel for a very long time now and we know each other very well. So it was great and it was all under control it was nice.
“The first two rounds have been like a receipt that all the work we put in is paying off. So I’m very happy with this and it shows that we are there fighting for the championship.”
Misfortunes in Mebourne
The strong weekend follows a difficult Round 1, in which the DAMS driver was forced to retire from the Feature Race. After taking the first pole of the season, Beganovic’s weekend started on a high note. However, his luck quickly changed when technical issues forced him to pull over to the side of the track. Still, the Ferrari Academy Driver chose to take positives from the round and moves forward.
Reflecting on the opening round of F2, Beganovic said:“I spent a good amount of time with DAMS. The result didn’t come for us in the Feature Race, but at the same time it was one round, we still had 13 to go.
“There are lots of opportunities, but it’s important that we take the positives, the pole, all the good pace from the beginning of the weekend and just learn from what we could have done better. I’m confident that we can do so.”
Ferrari helped Beganovic prepare for F2 in Canada
As Beganovic is a Ferrari Academy Driver, he has the opportunity to work with the team ahead of the next Round in Montreal. This weekend will be the first time the F2 drivers take on the Canadian track. In order to prepare for it, the 22-year-old spoke with the Italian outfit. While it will be his first outing there, his time in the F1 simulator made him more familiar with it. Speaking with the Ferrari engineers and drivers has also helped him familiarise himself with the track.
“With both the drivers and engineers I am trying to dig deep to find the characteristics of the track that are maybe unknown to us.
“There are characteristics that are unknown to all the teams and drivers, and I am trying to pull all my strings that I have to get some advantages.
“But obviously I have been spending quite a lot of days in the F1 sim, especially in Montreal. So this feels good because I actually spent time in the sim there and it doesn’t really feel like the first time coming here, even if it is.”
F2 returning to Europe after Canada
The Montreal Round will be the third in the F2 Championship. After this, the grid returns to Europe, with six rounds in eight weeks. The intensity of the next leg will be immensely important. However, Beganovic chooses to view it as every other race weekend.
“They are super big but also every race weekend is important, as important as any other.
“So it’s important to not throw away a weekend because you’re not prepared or you’re not in the right place. I think this break was also a moment to prepare yourself for when it’s busy because then you will not have time to come back, sit back, have a think about things.
“So you prepare yourself for what ifs in the sense when you’re in the busy period because it’s going to be really, really busy this summer, especially after Montreal.
“It’s good to have had this break to reflect and prepare for it all, because like I said, every weekend is as important as any other.”
Currently sitting 6th in the standings after two rounds, the DAMS driver is confident he can win the championship with the team this season. With eleven rounds remaining, the fight for the title remains open.
