Beganovic delivered a controlled and efficient drive to P4 in the Abu Dhabi F2 Sprint Race at Yas Marina. Starting from seventh, the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver gained ground early and maintained a competitive pace throughout the 23-lap race. With Beganovic qualifying P4 for Sunday’s Feature Race, he approaches the finale with a realistic chance of fighting for a podium.
Strong start
Expectations rose quickly as Beganovic launched confidently off the line, immediately gaining positions from P7. He highlighted the opening phase as crucial for establishing the rhythm he carried through the race.
“I’m super happy with today’s race,” he said. “We had a good start and good first lap, I made a nice move into T6 as well. And then I just kind of paced myself.”
With Yas Marina offering limited overtaking opportunities, Beganovic focused on tyre management and analysing the drivers ahead. It was a thoughtful, tactical approach as he waited for the right moments to attack.
“I saw what the other guys were doing and then tried to take advantage of it. In the end, it wasn’t super easy, not easy to overtake either, but I managed to get ahead of Ollie in the end after a few tries with quite a special one into Turn 9. But super happy overall with today’s race,” Beganovic stated.
Decisive pass
The defining moment of Beganovic’s Sprint Race came in his prolonged battle with Oliver Goethe. After several laps studying the MP Motorsport driver, Beganovic executed a decisive late-braking move into Turn 9. Despite a small lock-up, he carried enough speed and grip to complete the pass around the outside.
“It was a tricky one. I said in the car that this was the time, I have to take him now because I’ve been trying for so many laps. I knew I had to go for it and I made it stick,” he stated.
“There is a lot of grip around that corner as it’s very banked, so I took advantage of that and felt the speed. Luckily, he gave me the space at the exit, and I could manage to pull the move off.”
The overtake secured P4 and showcased the confidence Beganovic has built over the final stretch of the season.
Momentum for Sunday
With a P4 starting position for the Feature Race, Beganovic heads into Sunday with strong momentum. He pointed to Monza as the turning point that unlocked the pace he has carried into the season finale.
“We found some stuff that we improved and took into Sunday’s race in Monza. After that we have had very good pace. It’s always been very strong, and I’ve been pretty happy about it. That’s been the main reason that things have changed.,” he stated.
He noted how important clean air will be in the Feature Race, observing the leaders’ pace in the Sprint. Still, his Abu Dhabi performance suggests he is firmly in contention.
“I think the pace looked great today. Obviously in more clean air, it will be even better just by looking at Arvid and Duerksen pulling away quite a lot today. I think getting that clean air is very important. Let’s see how Invicta do tomorrow. They looked equally strong, and Jak also looked strong today. Let’s see what we can do strategy-wise, but our race pace seemed to be good, so we can probably challenge for a podium.”
