After qualifying P8, Joshua Dürksen lined up second on the grid due to the top ten being reversed for the Sprint Race. The AIX driver attempted to put Arvid Lindblad under pressure in front, however Dürksen ended up having to settle for second. Still, the Paraguayan driver put on a solid performance to land another podium. This becomes his third podium in the last three rounds.
During the F2 Press Conference attended by Pit Debrief after the conclusion of the Sprint Race, Dürksen was asked if he considered a lunge on Lindblad during the final lap. The AIX driver responded:
“I was thinking about it to be honest, but Arvid [Lindblad] has done a really good job. I think both were really quick, I have good memories here, so I know the car is quick, I know we have pace here but I was really thinking about it. If I would have been a bit closer, for sure I would have sent it.”
Safety car drama
As usual, the Abu Dhabi F2 Sprint Race was immensely hectic. The first Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 8 after the VAR of John Bennett had an engine issue. The second VSC came on Lap 21 after an incident between Victor Martins and Jak Crawford. When asked how this impacted his drive, Dürksen explained that the VSC hurt his race, stating:
“They hurt me, sadly they hurt me because especially on the second virtual safety car restart, I was catching up to Arvid [Lindblad] and after that we created a gap again. Then I catched up again, but yeah, they were really not beneficial this time. I hope if there’s something happening tomorrow again like this, I hope they benefit me.”
While the VSCs were short, they did put a break in the momentum Dürksen had as he was attempting to catch up to Lindblad in first when they were deployed. Still, the Paraguayan driver put up a strong fight and has been in solid form lately. The AIX driver continued on to be asked about how pleased he is with the way he is closing out the F2 season.
“Really good to be honest. I think this is where AIX and me should be. Of course, I want to make podiums as well in the feature race. I’m doing too many podiums on the sprint, I think it’s time to mage again on the feature race. I have too many P2 caps, I really want the P1 tomorrow. Let’s see, last year I started from P8. I’m starting tomorrow P8 as well. I won the race last year, so I hope I can replicate that tomorrow as well.” Dürksen added.
Confident in the pace
Additionally, Dürksen was asked about the differences and similarities between the Qatar circuit and the Abu Dhabi track. The AIX racer secured a podium in both Sprint races, making it a consecutive podium in the Sprint Races for the driver.
” It’s quicker in Abu Dhabi comparing to Qatar because last year we also struggled a bit in Qatar. Last year in Abu Dhabi, we had a really good pace. We were quite confident that we had the pace to do for sure a podium or even get the victory. Arvid [Lindblad] was really quick. I was pushing hard, I think that mistake cost me maybe a future battle with Arvid during the race. I’m quite confident that we have a really good package here and that we can fight again tomorrow.”
Next, the driver was asked about if the lack of stress as he already has a seat for 2026 impacts his mentality for the final race weekend of the year.
“No for me, it doesn’t change a lot to be honest because I always will try to get the best result as possible on track. Having my future secured or not, yes, as Arvid said it maybe gives you a bit more confidence for next year. At least you’re a bit more relaxed because you know what you’re going to do the next year. My approach is the same. I always will give the best on track and try to be better race after race.” Dürksen responded.
In October, it was announced that Dürksen will be racing with Invicta Racing for the F2 2026 season. This will be his third campaign in the Championship, however his first with the team.
