F2 | British GP | Free Practice | Martins the top performer ahead of Browning - Motorsport

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Free Practice for the 2025 F2 British GP marked the start of the championship’s second half, with teams tackling Silverstone’s high-speed layout. Following a brief Virtual Safety Car test, early lap times rapidly tumbled as drivers found rhythm. Victor Martins ended the session quickest with a 1:41.699, narrowly ahead of home favourite Luke Browning and Jak Crawford. A mid-session red flag, caused by Rafael Villagómez beaching his car at Vale, interrupted proceedings and compressed run plans. However, the final 15 minutes saw a late flurry of improvements as drivers completed qualifying simulations. Less than two seconds covered the entire field, underlining the competitive nature of the grid. While Martins led the way, championship leader Richard Verschoor finished eighth, and rival Alexander Dunne placed 11th after losing a lap time to track limits. With margins tight, the weekend promises fierce competition across both races.

Verschoor takes Championship lead in Spielberg

Richard Verschoor delivered a commanding drive in the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race at the 2025 Austrian GP, securing his third victory of the season and taking the lead in the championship standings. Although Leonardo Fornaroli launched well from pole and led through Turn 1, Verschoor swiftly took control with a decisive move at Turn 3 and remained unchallenged at the front.

Victor Martins settled into third early on, unable to match the leaders’ pace. Alexander Dunne, who entered the weekend as championship leader, gained ground in the opening stages, overtaking Fornaroli and Pepe Martí to climb into second. However, post-race scrutineering revealed excessive wear on the plank of his Rodin Motorsport car, breaching Article 3.2.2 of the Technical Regulations. With no exceptional circumstances provided, Dunne was disqualified, losing his second-place finish and all associated points.

The pit stop phase played a crucial role in reshaping the order. Victor Martins, Pepe Martí, Jak Crawford, and Dino Beganovic pitted early to attempt an undercut. Verschoor responded promptly, regaining the net lead and controlling the race thereafter. Fornaroli, who delayed his stop by a lap, rejoined behind Verschoor and Martins before battling Martí and Dunne for the final podium place.

Further post-race penalties added to the drama. John Bennett received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Sebastián Montoya, dropping him from 13th to 14th. Arvid Lindblad was also penalised 10 seconds for contact with Ollie Goethe on the final lap, though his position remained largely unaffected.

Verschoor now leads the championship with 114 points, 24 ahead of Dunne. Jak Crawford moved up to third overall, with Fornaroli now fourth. Luke Browning impressed with a drive from 17th to sixth, keeping his title hopes firmly alive.

Free Practice begins at Silverstone

The second half of the 2025 F2 season resumed at the British GP, with Free Practice taking place at the iconic Silverstone Circuit. The session began under the mandatory Virtual Safety Car test, with drivers exploring the circuit at reduced speed. Once completed, the pit lane reopened and the cars returned to the track with just over 40 minutes remaining on the clock.

Drivers used their first laps to bring tyres into the optimal temperature range. Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad was the first to set a benchmark, recording a 2:05.797. That time was soon beaten by Invicta Racing’s Roman Staněk, who moved to the top with a 2:01.786. It was on the following lap that truly representative times began to appear. Prema Racing’s Sebastián Montoya went fastest with a 1:43.160, while ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins set a 1:43.305 to slot into second, just 0.1 seconds behind.

Staněk improved to 1:44.215 to go third, ahead of Richard Verschoor in P4. The top 20 drivers were separated by only 8.1 seconds at this stage. However, Rodin Motorsport teammates Alexander Dunne and Amaury Cordeel had not yet posted competitive lap times, with both circulating near the bottom of the timesheets in the early phase.

Rapid improvements before red flag

Montoya continued to lead the session after lowering the benchmark to 1:42.465. Dino Beganovic briefly climbed to second with a 1:42.817, but he was soon pushed down as Leonardo Fornaroli and Jak Crawford found improvements to move into P2 and P3 respectively. Victor Martins then reclaimed the top spot, clocking a 1:42.393 to edge out Montoya.

Meanwhile, Dunne and Cordeel improved to P12 and P15 respectively. AIX Racing’s Cian Shields remained at the bottom of the timing sheet with a best of 1:45.172, nearly three seconds off Martins’ benchmark.

Trident’s Sami Meguetounif then jumped to P1 with a 1:42.369. However, with just over 25 minutes remaining, the session came to a halt as a red flag was deployed. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez had spun at the Vale chicane and beached his car in the gravel, prompting marshals to recover the stricken machine. The clock continued to tick down during the stoppage, interrupting the rhythm of several drivers who were preparing for long-run simulations or qualifying laps.

Session resumes as late improvements shake up the order

The session resumed with just under 16 minutes remaining, and all drivers returned to the track on the hard compound tyres. Eager to salvage their run plans after losing nearly ten minutes to the red flag, most began with a preparatory lap before pushing for flying laps. Luke Browning was the first to ignite the action, going fastest with a 1:42.324. Victor Martins soon eclipsed that effort with a 1:42.317, while Alex Dunne slotted into third with a 1:43.330.

The top three were covered by just 0.13 seconds, and Trident’s Sami Meguetounif, in P4, trailed Dunne by only 0.069 seconds. A mere 0.2 seconds separated the top 10, with just 2.1 seconds between leader Martins and Max Esterson in P22, who set a 1:44.512. Dunne then lost his lap time for exceeding track limits and fell back to P8.

With just over eight minutes on the clock, Montoya returned to the top with a 1:42.004, edging out Crawford on a 1:42.170 and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Kush Maini on a 1:42.221. However, Browning responded by posting a 1:41.750 to reclaim P1. Oliver Goethe joined the mix in P3 with a 1:42.170, before Martins went second with a 1:41.806, demoting both Goethe and Crawford.

In the closing minutes, lap times stabilised with no significant changes. With a 1.8-second spread, Browning led the field while Cian Shields sat 21st with a 1:43.595. On his final push lap, Crawford locked up in the last sector, improving his time but remaining P3. Dino Beganovic, however, improved to P4 with a 1:41.923. Martins ultimately finished fastest with a 1:41.699, while Dunne, after a promising middle sector, failed to improve due to a poor final sector and ended the session in P11.