TRIDENT’s John Bennett crossed the line to secure his second podium of the 2026 F2 season, converting his front-row start in the Sprint Race into a P2 finish at Monza.
At lights out, Bennett made a strong getaway from pole and retained the lead as the field charged down towards the Rettifilo chicane. However, Invicta Racing’s Joshua Dürksen carved his way through the field before making a decisive overtake on the Briton to snatch the lead that ultimately secured him victory.
Adding eight points to his tally, the Trident driver now sits 16th in the Drivers’ Standings with 26 points. Starting the Feature Race from P10 on the fifth row, the Briton will look to secure another solid points haul at the Temple of Speed to end the European leg of the season on a high.
Speaking in the post-Sprint press conference, where Pit Debrief was in attendance, Bennett reflected on his race, saying: “Yeah, it was good. It was a good race. You know, obviously we’re targeting the win starting from pole, but still satisfied with the podium.”
“We felt quite strong out front in the beginning stages of the race. I think we up to about a three-second gap before the first safety car came out, kept the lead for a few laps, but Josh [Dürksen] was, at the end, just too fast for us. And then yeah, it was just following him for the rest of the race.”
“We built quite a big gaps of the cars behind. So yeah, I think all in all it was quite a strong race, pace seemed good, tyre management was good. And yeah, another podium is a good feeling.”
Added DRS zone “a nice addition” to Monza
When asked about tyre management around the 5.793km circuit, Bennett highlighted that the track requires less tyre management than other venues on the calendar. While the TRIDENT driver noted the importance of managing the rear tyres, running in clean air saw him push hard at the front of the field.
“You don’t need to save here as much as other tracks.”, he said. “So what it was, you know relatively flat out, you know. You still try and take care of the tyres. Take care of the rears.”
“Especially it’s quite easy to wheel spin and overheat. But yeah, with that being said, I think we were pushing quite hard out front, especially when you’re in the clean air.”
The addition of another DRS zone brought a new element to racing at Monza this year, creating more overtaking opportunities around a circuit renowned for its long straights. Sharing his thoughts on the impact of the additional DRS zone, Bennett said: “Yeah, I think it’s been a nice addition this year so far. All the DRS changes we’ve had at tracks, normally just extending them, seems to be quite a good change.”
“I think we’ve had a lot of exciting racing this year, and I think the extra DRS zone just adds to that. Obviously, it makes us a bit quicker, quali lap times are faster. And then yeah, I think the racing was good.”
“Obviously, I didn’t have the most exciting race, just following Josh for most of it. You know, it kept me in the DRS range. And then yeah, with the race behind it looked quite exciting. So I think it was a good change.”
Bennett: “Anything can happen in Monza”
“Yeah, I think of course, anything can happen in Monza, everyone always talks about [Gabriel] Bortoleto winning from last. You know, Josh won from seventh today. So I think starting P10 tomorrow we will definitely be targeting strong points.”, Bennett said when asked about his expectations for the Feature Race.
With plenty of overtaking opportunities around Monza, the Briton is not ruling himself out of contention for another strong result in Sunday’s Feature Race.
He added: “But yeah, I mean anything’s possible, a podium or even a win. I think the race will be quite different for me. Like today, half the race I was in clean air, and then the other half are just following the one car, whereas tomorrow I don’t expect it’ll be that straightforward.”
“You know, I think there’ll be lots of strategy going on with the safety cars. But yeah, I think as everyone says, anything can happen at Monza really.”
Navigating the safety car restarts
The race featured two safety car restarts, including one in the closing stages. Explaining how he approached both restarts, the TRIDENT driver said: “Obviously it neutralized the racing again. I think myself and Josh had build quite a huge gap behind. So that was starting to factor in, but then it also gave me an opportunity to fight again for the win.”
“It’s really just making sure the brakes are in. You know, T1 can be very tricky after a safety car restart. But I knew my tyres were in quite good shape. I wasn’t really worried by any of the cars behind; I knew they were fighting a lot. Whereas I was really just managing things out front.”
After staying close to Dürksen out in front, the Briton explained that the restarts were largely about keeping his tyres and brakes up to temperature. Confident with how he managed the race before the late safety car, Bennett knew his priority was to bring the car home safely.
“But yeah, just keeping the brakes in, keeping the tyres in, trying to get a solid restart. And then yeah, it kind of resumed as it was before the restart, followed Josh around. There wasn’t too much for me to do, no defending, no attacking, and then brought it home with only two laps to go.”
Sets sights on “a strong points finish” on Sunday
Throughout the 2026 F2 season, Bennett has enjoyed much of his success in Sprint Races, including his maiden victory in Austria. When Pit Debrief asked what he needs to do to translate that strong Sprint Race form into Sundays, Bennett said: “Yeah, I feel quite happy going into tomorrow. We’ve shown quite good pace so far this weekend.”
“I felt quite happy in the car from the first lap of FP. Yeah, I think so far luck hasn’t quite gone our way in the Feature Races. Usually the strategy hasn’t quite worked. I mean, I saw we were fighting for a podium and then the red flag came out. Whereas Hungary, I think we were quite strong.”
“So, I’ll be targeting a strong points finish tomorrow. I think that’ll be very important for us. But yeah, I feel like we’re in a good position with the car and with myself. So yeah, I think it’ll be good tomorrow.”
Monza Sprint podium fuels Bennett with confidence
“Yeah, it’s really nice. You know, obviously coming back from the summer break, it’s easy to feel rusty. But starting things off with a podium is a nice way to get things started.”, Bennett said when asked how encouraging a result like this is as the championship begins the final stretch of the season.
Although the first half of the season had its challenges, Bennett saw the podium as a step in the right direction and a sign of what the team can achieve. Heading into the final rounds of the season, the Briton emphasised the importance of making the most of every weekend from here on.
“It wasn’t the most straightforward first half of the season for me. But I think that’s just about maximising the races that we have left. And yeah, today is a good first step to achieving what we can. So, yeah, it for sure fills us with confidence, I think the first half of the season could have been a lot better.”
“There was quite a few things that didn’t quite turn out as they should have. But yeah, it’s now just about maximising what we can until the end of the season.”
