Stepping up to Formula 2 in 2024, Joshua Dürksen arrived in the championship with a strong grounding in single-seater racing. The Paraguayan talent had already secured victories in several junior categories, including the UAE Formula 4, as well as the competitive Italian F4 and ADAC Formula 4 Championships, before making the leap to F2.
His rookie campaign proved immediately promising. Dürksen scored four podiums, including two victories, on his way to 10th in the F2 Drivers’ Championship, never without the flag of Paraguay around his shoulders. The performances earned him a second season with AIX Racing for 2025, where he has already added a win and four additional podiums to his tally.
But behind the results lies a much more complex journey, one shaped by national identity, commercial challenges, and the weight of representing a country without a big motorsport industry.
Speaking exclusively to Pit Debrief, Dürksen and his manager, Eduardo Sanchez, opened up about the unique hurdles they face when pitching his Paraguayan heritage to sponsors and international teams.
“We have to explain everything… It’s not easy at all”
For Sanchez, navigating the commercial landscape has been a two-front battle: educating companies within Paraguay about motorsport, convincing international stakeholders of the rarity and the potential of a Paraguayan driver climbing the ladder toward Formula 1.
“It’s not so easy. It’s not easy at all. We have to explain everything all the time to everybody,” Sanchez admitted.
“So like I say, we have to create, in the first part, explain everything here in Paraguay because the companies don’t understand how motorsports work, how fast they are. I explain all the time the dynamics of motorsports change every time, every moment, every second. And here we are more slow in some things.”
“So it’s a big challenge. And the other side, we have to explain to everybody outside Paraguay that Joshua is a very rare case and he has a lot of opportunity. We’re talking with a lot of teams of different categories.”
“And now with the big days, it’s a big, big jump for everybody. And everybody is very happy here. Very, very happy.”
His work has extended beyond traditional management duties. Sanchez described how they were forced to create an entire structure around Dürksen because no such motorsport pathway existed in Paraguay.
“It was a bit of a challenge for us too. But now we have to create a company, especially for Joshua. Now we have another three drivers in another category.”
“But we have to create, with the family of Joshua, a company to support him. Because we don’t have industry here. I think I’m the first Paraguayan manager in the pitlane ever.”
A passion project built from scratch
Despite being new to the world of motorsport management, Sanchez brings decades of commercial expertise and a lifelong love of racing.
“I am a big fan of motorsports. I know. I saw the last race of Senna. You can imagine now,” he said.
“But my experience is more on the commercial side. So I am a big fan of advertisers. I was working in this the last 20 years. But this is all a creation that we made directly with Joshua. It’s a team with his family. That’s all.”
“People see the potential… it’s also a big plus to represent Paraguay”
For Dürksen himself, leveraging his Paraguayan heritage is less about marketing strategy and more about sharing a story that resonates with those who believe in long-term vision.
“Yes, it’s of course never easy talking to the big guys from every company. Because of course they have a lot of experience in business. And they need to see the value of sponsoring somebody in motorsport,” he explained.
“Because of course the budgets we manage are really high. And of course then we need to be really creative and smart. To let them know how they get a return of the investment.”
“How this benefits them with the bigger amount of resources we need per year.”
But while the financial demands are daunting, Dürksen believes his journey and identity play a crucial role in inspiring confidence in his supporters.
“But for sure I think what inspires or what everybody likes is my history. How I started, what I’m dreaming of, what I have achieved. What I’m still about to achieve. And I think they just see the potential in me. And they see that there can happen something big.”
“And as long as these people have the vision and they see that it’s worth it. They always come in.”
For Dürksen, representing Paraguay in F2, a nation with little motorsport tradition, adds emotional weight, but also motivation.
“And as I told you it’s not easy. Because the budgets are really high. But as I told you it’s also a big plus to represent Paraguay. And to have this weight on my shoulders.”
“Because I think this also motivates the people to invest and to believe in this project. Because it’s quite a big one. And if it goes well it will go really well.”
A project bigger than one driver
As Dürksen continues his 2025 F2 campaign with AIX Racing, already with a win and multiple podiums, the momentum behind his story is growing. But both he and Sanchez know the road ahead requires the same mix of resilience, creativity, and national pride that has brought them this far.
For Paraguay, Dürksen is breaking new ground in F2.
For international motorsport, he stands as proof that talent can emerge from far beyond traditional racing nations.
And for both, the journey is only just beginning.
