Roman Bilinski claimed his maiden Formula 2 (F2) podium in the 2026 Monaco Sprint Race after finishing second behind Campos Racing’s Noel León.
The DAMS Lucas Oil driver started alongside León on the front row and held second at the start, with championship leader Gabriele Minì slotting into third behind him. Around a circuit where track position often decides the race, Bilinski gave himself the best chance of a breakthrough result by keeping the launch clean and staying close to León in the opening phase.
Speaking in the post-Sprint Race press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Bilinski said the result felt deserved after a difficult start to the campaign for DAMS.
“Yeah for sure I think it’s something we deserve, it’s not been the easiest start to the season for the team in general but I’m very happy to be on the podium and to also share it with two great drivers as well. It is really good and it was great and thank you to Dams.”
Bilinski keeps León under pressure
León made the better start from pole and retained the lead into Turn 1, but Bilinski did not let him escape immediately. The Polish rookie kept the Campos driver within DRS range during the opening laps, while Minì and Joshua Dürksen followed closely behind.
By Lap 5, the top four were covered by just two seconds, with Bilinski still applying pressure from second. As the race settled into a management phase, he stayed in touch with León while also keeping Minì behind.
The DAMS driver continued to run close to the leader through the middle part of the race, but Monaco’s narrow layout gave him little room to create a proper overtaking opportunity.
“There’s only so much you can do” around Monaco
Bilinski admitted he tried to keep León under pressure for as long as possible, but the circuit limited his options once the Campos driver held track position.
“Yeah it’s definitely not easy especially when the guy in first is quite fast I tried to put him under pressure for as long as I could but around Monaco there’s only so much you can do and then getting to the late stages in the race I started to struggle with the tyres but I just tried everything I could today, it wasn’t quite enough but we’ll learn overnight and move on.”
In the closing stages, León began to pull clear and eventually won by more than three seconds. Bilinski then had to focus on defending second as Minì reduced the gap behind him.
The MP Motorsport driver closed to just over a second on Lap 27, but Bilinski held on to secure P2 and his first podium in Formula 2.
Monaco brings out Bilinski’s commitment
Bilinski also showed strong form in Monte Carlo during his Formula 3 campaign, and he said the circuit rewards a committed approach.
“I mean yes it was a good race for me last year but I think it’s one of those tracks where you get in the car and you just send it and you give everything you can so I guess maybe I have that with me but it’s a fantastic track and such an honour to drive here.”
That confidence mattered in a Sprint Race where overtaking proved difficult and tyre management became increasingly important. Bilinski could not find a way past León, but he stayed composed under pressure and converted his front-row start into a landmark result.
DAMS gains important momentum
Bilinski’s podium gave DAMS Lucas Oil an important boost after a challenging start to the season. His team-mate Dino Beganovic also finished fifth, helping the team add valuable points in Monaco.
The result lifted DAMS to fifth in the Teams’ Championship on 38 points, while Bilinski’s first podium gave him a platform to build from during the rest of the weekend.
For Bilinski, second place in the 2026 Monaco Round marked more than a strong F2 Sprint Race finish. It confirmed that DAMS had begun to turn its potential into results, while giving the Polish rookie the first major reward of his Formula 2 career.
