Joshua Dürksen claimed victory in the F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race, passing Martinius Stenshorne for the lead on Lap 11 before holding on through a final Safety Car restart to take the win. Speaking in the post-Sprint press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Dürksen reflected on a race that brought everything together for him after a difficult stretch of results.
Dürksen on how he claimed victory at the 2026 F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race
Dürksen made a strong start from fourth on the grid, climbing to third immediately before working his way past Montoya and then Stenshorne. Once in the lead, his focus shifted to managing the gap.
When asked how he claimed victory, Dürksen responded: “Well, good question. I mean, I would have wished that I had more podiums this season, but finally I’m here now. It has been a long time and it was a very good race.”
“I think we had a very good start straight away into P3, then I was fighting with Montoya, I could overtake him and then also with Martinius [Stenshorne]. The DRS is very powerful and then as soon as I was P1, I just started, I tried to create a gap to get out of the DRS zone.”
“It was a very nice race, the car felt good, I was feeling good and somehow everything fitted together today.”
Dürksen also has his sights set on a broader milestone. The win at Spa marked his sixth in his F2 career, leaving him two shy of the all-time record of eight victories. When asked if he would be able to achieve the milestone, Dürksen responded: “100%, I think yes.”
“I think we had a very tough time, but we learned a lot, we worked a lot and I think we will have a much better pace now and much better results on these coming races. I think that record is for sure beatable.”
Tyre management throughout the F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race
Tyre management played a key role throughout. Dürksen explained how he adapted his approach depending on his position in the race.
“Yeah, behind the cars I was trying to manage for sure, just to save a bit for the end and especially for the moments that it matters, especially Sector 2 because it’s quite tricky to overtake there anyways. As soon as I was in the lead, I just started to use a bit more of the tyre just to make sure that I can stay in front. But yeah, Spa is a track where a bit of management is for sure important.”
Dürksen on the DRS battle and weaving on the Kemmel Straight
Questions were raised about Dürksen weaving on the Kemmel Straight to break Stenshorne’s slipstream. He was direct in his response.
“For sure the tow is a big thing here. As we know from the regulations, as long as there’s a big gap between those cars, there’s no problem. It starts to be a problem when the car is super close and having a chance to make an overtake, then it gets dangerous.”
“But I think we as drivers, we know where the limit is of when it’s already too much, when not. I think we respected that both times. It’s something guys do a lot as well in Monza, because in Monza it’s also very tow relevant. It’s just like this. I think we know where the limits are and we respect that.”
Dürksen on his confidence starting from fourth on the grid
When asked whether he expected to fight for the 2026 F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race win from fourth on the grid, Dürksen said the opportunity was clear from the outset.
“To be honest, yes. I knew I had a very good chance because it’s Spa and from fourth position you can do a lot. I know that you can overtake here in Spa.”
“So I knew that if we have the pace, if the car balance is good, if I’m feeling good, for sure we would have a big chance to win today.”
Tyre strategy ahead of Sunday’s Feature Race
In response to a question from Pit Debrief about tyre degradation on the medium compound and what Sunday’s Feature Race might look like strategically on the super soft, Dürksen admitted the compound’s unpredictability.
“Yeah, for sure the medium has some degradation. For sure it’s not as bad as in other tracks or with other compounds.”
“With the super soft, as Martinius said, even for the second push on the super soft you felt already quite a drop. And I think it’s going to be very interesting regarding the strategy tomorrow, because it’s going to be very exciting, to be honest, because we don’t have data with the soft, we only have data from the qualifying. And I think it’s going to be a bit of a gamble tomorrow to know what strategy will be the best.”
Dürksen on the importance of the result for his season
Dürksen’s F2 Belgian GP Sprint result carries weight beyond the points. After a run of difficult weekends, Dürksen was clear about what the win means for him heading into the second half of the season.
“Yeah, for sure this result helps a lot, especially for the confidence and just to keep this momentum up. Because I also had very tough weekends and for sure to have a result like this just gives you extra energy again, extra motivation to keep going.”
“And yeah, I think we will be in a very good spot for the next races,” he stated.
Dürksen on the Safety Car restart and leading at the 2026 F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race
The final Safety Car set up a one-lap sprint to the flag, and Dürksen’s restart proved decisive.
“The safety car restart was incredibly important because I knew that if I can have a good restart, I can open the gap and then the tow effect is a bit less for Martinius. Of course, he also did a very good restart. I was kind of expecting that he would start there.”
Dürksen was coy about the specifics of his restart but made clear it was a calculated decision. “And about my restart, I don’t want to tell why I did it there, but I have my reasons and I think it worked out quite well. Yeah, I think that was the key as well to get the victory today.”
Dedicates his win at Spa to Paraguay
Asked about what the win means for his country, Dürksen was keen to dedicate the result to Paraguay despite their group stage exit at the World Cup.
“For sure, it’s very nice to get this win again. And for sure, I think after the World Cup, I think Paraguay needed again a bit of good news because Paraguay anyway did very good, I think, on the World Cup. But I also wanted to give them good news again. And I’m very happy and delighted that I could do it now, especially here in Spa, which is our special track.”
Dürksen on DRS tactics at Spa
The power of DRS at Spa has been a talking point all weekend, and Dürksen acknowledged it is something experienced drivers know how to read and exploit.
“As Dino said, I think all of us have a lot of experience already in Spa and we know how the DRS works. And I think it’s also something that you see in other tracks. It’s not only here, but that DRS strategy is quite important and you need to be clever with it.”
“And as I said, all of us, I think we know more or less what we should do in each scenario and then we try to maximize that.”
Dürksen on the mental challenge of leading at Spa the 2026 F2 Belgian GP Sprint
When asked about the mental challenge of leading the F2 Belgian GP Sprint Race at a circuit where the slipstream and long straights make defending so difficult, Dürksen was measured.
“Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, our job is the same always. It’s just to go as quick as possible. So that doesn’t really change if I’m not in the lead or if I’m in the lead.”
Whether leading or chasing, the approach remains the same for Dürksen.“For sure on the lead, you don’t have anybody in front of you to have a reference, let’s say, of where you maybe can gain some time. But then you just really focus on maximizing what you have. And when you’re behind, of course, you just try to catch the other one. But there’s no complex tricks around that,” he stated.
Tyre differences between 2025 and 2026
Dürksen also addressed how the tyre compounds feel different from last season ahead of the F2 Belgian GP Sprint Feature Race, noting that degradation has become more prominent in 2026.
“Yeah, for sure, you feel a bit of a difference in all the compounds between last year and this year. I feel like this year they have a little bit more of degradation, which of course makes the tyre management a bit more important. On the setup-wise, I don’t think it affects a lot, to be honest. I think it’s just more about the management and how you keep it clean during the race.”
Dürksen sets his goals for the second half of the 2026 F2 season
For the Paraguayan, the win marked a return to the top step for the first time since Melbourne. In response to a question from Pit Debrief on his goals heading into the summer break, Dürksen was clear on what he wants from the remaining races before the break.
“A victory now helps a lot for the confidence. And the target is just to keep improving. You know, just to keep working on myself and just trying to fine-tune a little bit and of course hoping for good results after the summer break,” Dürksen concluded.
