Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov emerged victorious on the streets of Albert Park with a controlled and well-executed drive in the F2 Feature Race at the Australian GP, full report and results below.
On Friday, Gabriele Minì set the pace during Free Practice the 2026 F2 season got underway at Albert Park. However, just as he looked poised to challenge for pole in Qualifying, misfortunes struck when his car lost power. After a decisive final-lap effort, Dino Beganovic claimed the first pole position of the season and is set to line up alongside Martinius Stenshorne on the front row.
But, on Sprint Saturday, Joshua Dürksen enjoyed another triumphant day at Albert Park, securing yet another win in Melbourne. The Paraguayan delivered a controlled drive to take a well-deserved victory, while Noel León and Alex Dunne completed the top three. However, for the first Feature Race, Beganovic and Stenshorne will lead the pack down to Turn 1.
Lights out for the first F2 Feature Race of the season!
Drama hit even before the race had started as Sebastian Montoya was noted for an unsafe release, after the Colombian crashed into Roman Bilinski in the pit lane. With everyone getting off the line safely, drivers headed on the formation lap. The ideal strategy for the race was to start on the softs, however, many opted to start on the super soft tyres.
Five lights and away we go for the first Feature Race of the season! It was a great launch off the line for Dunne and Stenshorne, both jumping ahead of pole-sitter Beganovic who quickly plummeted down the field. Meanwhile, Stenshorne emerged to claim the lead from Dunne, but slotting behind the Rodin duo was Nikola Tsolov and Rafael Câmara. Further down the field, as drivers settled into a rhythm, several drivers ran off the track as they fiercely battled for on-track position.
Safety car for Dunne and Stenshorne
Out in front, tensions continued to rise between the Rodin Motorsport teammates. Heading down to Turn 1, Stenshorne looked in his mirrors and had to aggressively defend from Dunne. With DRS open, Dunne overtook Stenshorne before running into his front-wing, as both drivers sustained damage to their car. Both drivers ended up in the gravels at Turn 1 as Tsolov took the lead.
Race control soon noted the incident between the two teammates that will be investigated after the race. On Lap 6, Tsolov controlled the safety car restart, as Câmara and Beganovic trailed closing behind. Further down the field, Ritomo Miyata found his way past Kush Maini at Turn 9. Joining the fight, Montoya closed in and was looking for an opportunistic move on the Indian driver.
Miyata was on a charge and claimed 9th from Maini at Turn 9. Closing in on the fight, Montoya was looking for an opportunistic move on the Indian driver whilst Colton Herta soon joined the fight.
First pitstops of the race
The first drivers into the pit lane for their stops were Montoya, León, Minì and Bilinski. However, Campos were busy fixing a new front-wing for León. Beganovic, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, Herta, Rafael Villagomez and Joshua Dürksen were the next group in the pits.
With Tsolov, Câmara and Goethe pitting on the next lap, a good stop from Campos Racing kept the Bulgarian in the net-lead as he emerged from the pit lane ahead of the reigning Formula 3 Champion. Unfortunately for Montoya, the Colombian received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Similarly, Dürksen also received a five-second time penalty, but for moving before the lights.
As Beganovic continued to hunt Câmara down, the Swede finally got past the Brazilian to claim a net-second place. Further down the field, Herta and Miyata battled for the final points-scoring position as Dürksen and Minì slowly joined the four-way fight.
Misfortune strikes Beganovic
Misfortune struck for the pole-sitter Beganovic who was on a charge. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver slowed down on track, parking his car at Turn 12 as his race ended prematurely. The race neutralised with a virtual safety car. However, a safety car was then deployed as race marshals worked on retrieving his car. Under the safety car, both Cian Shields and Nicolás Varrone completed their pit stops as all drivers now fulfilled their mandatory stops. In a strategic masterclass from Van Amersfoort Racing, this saw Varrone miraculously emerge as the race leader.
On Lap 21, the safety car returned to the pits as he controlled the field. On the throttle, the VAR driver led the field down to Turn 1. Lunging down the inside of Varrone, Tsolov made a bold move to reclaim the lead. The stewards had noted Varrone for speeding in the pit lane. Unfortunately for the Argentine, he was also handed a five-second penalty. Battling hard for 4th, van Hoepen defended from Goethe, who looked for an opportunistic move around the outside at Turn 9.
A DRS train forms
The battle for 4th heightened as van Hoepen led a DRS train. Câmara continued to chase down Varrone, but wasn’t able to make a move just yet. Out in front, Tsolov held a one second lead over Varrone. On Lap 27, Câmara finally found his way past Varrone at Turn 11 to claim 2nd. With open DRS at Turn 9, van Hoepen was next to make his way past the VAR driver.
Tsolov continued to extend his advantage out in front. As Varrone’s tyres started to fade, Goethe lunged down the inside to claim 4th. Soon enough, Miyata and Inthraphuvasak made their way past the VAR driver as well.
Final laps of the race
On Lap 31, Tsolov appeared to have the race in control with a three-second lead. However, as we reached the final laps of the race, several drivers were still fighting for the final points-scoring positions. Around the outside of Turn 9, Herta claimed 8th, having climbed through the field from 14th. Heading towards the final corner, Tsolov crossed the line victorious as Câmara and van Hoepen completed the top three.
