The sixth round of the 2026 F2 season in Spielberg delivered plenty of on-track action and drama at the Austrian GP, as the series saw a new pole-sitter, a maiden race winner, and a repeat winner across the weekend. Friday belonged to Noel León, who secured a historic first pole position for both himself and Mexico. In the races, TRIDENT’s John Bennett claimed his first F2 victory, while León’s teammate Nikola Tsolov also emerged as a standout, taking his third Feature Race win of the season.
However, before racing resumes at Silverstone next weekend, we take a look at the winners and losers of the 2026 F2 Austrian GP.
Winners of the weekend
Nikola Tsolov
The Bulgarian continues to be one of several drivers impressing with his consistency, regularly finishing inside the top three across weekends so far. As a rookie, it marks an impressive feat for the Red Bull Junior driver, who secured victory on home soil and joined a select list of drivers to do so. Having qualified P3 on Friday, another top three finish in Qualifying saw Tsolov once again place himself in an ideal position to continue building his points tally.
After finishing P8 on Sprint Saturday and picking up the final point on offer, Tsolov set his sights on maximising Sunday’s Feature Race. He made a strong launch off the line to move ahead of León and held position through the opening stint. Following his mandatory pit stop, a battle with Alex Dunne resulted in front-wing endplate damage, but it did not halt his progress through the field. Controlling the race out front, Tsolov went on to claim a third Feature Race victory, securing half of the Feature Race wins in the 2026 F2 season so far.
While the gap to the championship leader remained within striking distance, his win reduced it to just two points. Sitting 2nd in the Drivers’ Standings with 106 points, the Red Bull Junior will be hoping to steal the lead off Gabriele Minì, who continues to impress with his consistency.
John Bennett
The 2026 F2 Austrian GP marked a turnaround weekend for several drivers, including Bennett, who undoubtedly delivered a standout weekend in his Formula 2 career so far. After a difficult start to his sophomore campaign, the Briton qualified inside the top ten on Friday, securing himself a P9 start for Sunday’s Feature Race. However, with the reverse-grid format for Saturday’s Sprint Race, this placed him on the front row alongside Sebastian Montoya.
Throughout Saturday’s Sprint Race, a strong launch off the line saw him lead the field during the opening stages. However, while he lost the position several laps later, the Briton maintained his pace and stayed in close contention behind Montoya. But with a bold last-lap lunge, Bennett overtook the Colombian to claim a well-deserved victory.
Although the Feature Race proved disappointing as he failed to score any points, TRIDENT’s progress after a difficult 2025 season has been evident through the performances of Bennett and Laurens van Hoepen earlier this year. Having claimed his first points of the season in the Austrian Feature Race, the result marked a step forward and a positive sign of momentum building for Bennett and within the team.
MP Motorsport’s Gabriele Minì & Oliver Goethe
While Minì has clearly outshone his teammate for the majority of the season so far, Goethe’s drive in Sunday’s Feature Race marked a long-awaited result for the German as he continues his second full-time campaign. The 2026 F2 Austrian Grand Prix proved far more fruitful for Goethe, although Minì once again impressed, securing another podium finish—his seventh of the season.
Minì, who qualified P4, and Goethe, who qualified P7, both placed themselves in competitive positions to fight for points across the weekend. Although Goethe was taken out of the Sprint Race on the opening lap, Minì’s point-scoring streak continued as he crossed the line in P5. Despite the setback following a strong qualifying performance, a gamble on the alternative strategy for Sunday’s Feature Race paid dividends for Goethe, earning him his maiden F2 podium. As for Minì, a P2 finish earned MP Motorsport a significant points haul.
Minì continues to lead the way in the Drivers’ Standings, sitting atop the table with 108 points. Meanwhile, for Goethe, a P3 finish ends a four-round points drought and lifts the German driver to 12th in the standings with 28 points. A double podium finish for MP Motorsport also saw them move up the Teams’ Standings, now sitting 2nd ahead of Rodin Motorsport.
Losers of the weekend
Martinius Stenshorne
It was another disappointing weekend for Stenshorne at the 2026 F2 Austrian GP, as he failed to bounce back from a difficult round in Barcelona. Having qualified P21, the Norwegian found himself at the back of the grid, severely limiting his chances of scoring points in both the Sprint and Feature Races, with a points finish always proving a tough ask.
Despite finish P14 in the Sprint Race, the Feature Race proved much more competitive for Stenshorne, who crossed the line in P6 on track. However, the Norwegian was later handed a 30-second time penalty for failing to complete a mandatory pit stop after pitting under the virtual safety car. As a result, he was relegated to the bottom of the final classification, dropping well out of the points-paying positions.
Heading into the Silverstone weekend, Stenshorne will be hoping to rediscover the early-season momentum and strong results he once showed, with a return to the points firmly in his sights.
Dino Beganovic
Having completed another FP1 outing for Ferrari, Beganovic’s F2 weekend proved underwhelming, with teammate Bilinski appearing to have the upper hand in race pace compared to the Swede. With both DAMS drivers qualifying side-by-side—with Beganovic in P14—there was significant work to do, requiring a fight through the field if he was to reach the points.
Unlike Bilinski, who managed to progress through the field to finish in the points in both races, Beganovic struggled for pace and ultimately finished P13 in both the Sprint and Feature Races. After taking pole position at the season opener in Melbourne, the Ferrari Junior’s campaign has been marked by inconsistency. Currently sitting 6th in the Drivers’ Standings, the Swede will be hoping to close the gap to the drivers ahead as the season reaches its halfway mark.
