Dino Beganovic heads to the 2026 F2 Hungarian GP round with reasons for confidence, even after his Belgian GP weekend ended with frustration.
The DAMS Lucas Oil driver returned to the podium in Saturday’s Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing third behind Joshua Dürksen and Martinius Stenshorne. It marked Beganovic’s third podium of the season and offered an important response after what he described as a difficult run across recent rounds.
However, Spa did not end cleanly. Beganovic stalled at the start of Sunday’s Feature Race and later received a five-second penalty after the Stewards ruled that he moved before the start signal.
Still, speaking to the media after the Sprint Race, including Pit Debrief, Beganovic saw his Saturday podium as a step forward before the championship moves on to Budapest.
Beganovic builds podium from strong start
Beganovic started the Sprint Race from fifth and focused on making immediate progress without overworking the tyres too early.
“I was just focused on a good start from the beginning, which we were able to do, and then take it step by step, not overdo anything, not overdo the tyres in the beginning, and then go for it step by step, and I think we managed to do it well.”
“We had a lot of laps behind Safety Car, which is a bit unfortunate, but I think still it’s a good result, considering the last couple of rounds have been quite tough for us.”
That measured approach paid off. Beganovic moved into podium contention while others lost momentum, then stayed composed through two Safety Car interruptions and a one-lap dash to the flag.
For DAMS, the result mattered because it showed race pace and execution after recent difficulties. For Beganovic, it gave him a platform to build on before the next round at the F2 Hungarian GP round.
Beganovic confident in DAMS pace after tyre management test
Beganovic had to manage the medium tyres through a disrupted race, with Safety Cars preventing a fully representative long run. Even so, he felt he had pace left to use near the end.
“It’s difficult to say with the Safety Car, but we were definitely managing quite a bit, and there was quite a bit more to push in the end.”
“Then there’s also the track limits to be aware of, staying on track, and I was already on the limit with that, so always having that in the back of your head is not nice, but obviously I think our pace was good, and we can be confident for tomorrow.”
The track limits threat added another layer to the race. Spa rewards commitment, especially through the fast sections, but the margins remained narrow. Beganovic had to balance attacking pace with the risk of penalties, a theme that could also matter at the Hungaroring, where qualifying position and clean execution often shape the whole weekend.
Super soft challenge offered warning before Feature Race
When Pit Debrief asked the top three drivers about medium tyre degradation and the possible strategic variation with super softs for the Feature Race, Beganovic expected a tougher challenge on the softer compound.
“Yeah, I think the medium today was quite nice compared to what we will have on the super soft tomorrow. It will be quite a challenging race, I think, on the super soft.”
“Already on the soft last year we struggled, or the year before they struggled on the feature race. And I think with the other steps of the compound it will be quite tough. I guess we will see tomorrow, but it will be quite tough, I think.”
That prediction underlined how complex the Spa weekend became. The Sprint Race allowed Beganovic to manage the medium tyre and still reach the podium, but Sunday’s Feature Race brought a very different outcome after his start issue and retirement.
Ahead of Hungary, the lesson is clear. Beganovic and DAMS have pace, but they need a cleaner weekend to convert it into a bigger result.
Spa DRS battle requires strategy
Spa also placed a premium on DRS positioning, particularly before the run through Eau Rouge and onto the Kemmel Straight.
Beganovic said the tactical element remains central at the Belgian circuit, even if F2 cars make the positioning slightly different compared with F3.
“Yeah, like always here in Spa, you always talk about the DRS and being smart with that.”
“In the F2 car compared to the F3, it’s not as easy going up a rouge to be well positioned for the Kemo Straight. But yeah, it’s definitely a strategic game, the way you place your car, where you place yourself before the next detection and where you want to attack.”
“But I think everybody has quite a lot of experience from here, from the years before, and yeah, it’s no news really.”
That awareness helped Beganovic secure his podium on Saturday. He understood where to place the car, how to manage the gaps, and when to take the opportunity.
At the Hungaroring, the challenge will change. Overtaking usually proves more difficult than at Spa, which means Beganovic may need to rely even more heavily on qualifying, tyre preparation and race control.
F2 Hungarian GP round offers Beganovic chance to reset
Beganovic left Spa with mixed emotions. Saturday gave him a third podium of the season and showed that DAMS could fight near the front again. Sunday then brought a stalled start, a retirement and a post-race penalty.
That makes the F2 Hungarian GP an important reset point.
The Spa podium proved that Beganovic can still deliver when the race comes towards him. Now, as the championship heads to Budapest, the task is to turn that confidence into a complete weekend.
