The Formula 2 field returned to action in Spielberg for the Sprint Race at the 2026 Austrian GP after Noel León secured his maiden pole position in Qualifying. The reversed-grid format, however, shuffled the order, sending Sebastián Montoya to the head of the field with John Bennett alongside him on the front row in the Trident.
Hot temperatures at the Red Bull Ring promised to test drivers and their Pirelli tyres alike as the formation lap got underway.
Green lights for the Sprint Race in Spielberg
The lights went out and John Bennett immediately made his move, seizing the inside line at Turn 1 to snatch the lead from Montoya before the field had barely drawn breath.
Chaos then erupted at Turn 3, where Joshua Dürksen tagged Nikola Tsolov and triggered a multi-car incident that brought the safety car straight out. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was among the casualties, retiring on the spot after getting caught up in the mayhem. Oliver Goethe was spun around after getting collected in the collision, while Dino Beganovic sustained damage and Emmerson Fittipaldi was also eliminated from contention, leaving the field severely depleted before the race had properly begun.
The safety car headed back to the pits at the end of that same lap, handing the field back to racing.
2026 F2 Sprint Race back underway at the Austrian GP
Alexander Dunne seized the opportunity to sweep past Gabriele Minì at Turn 3, and immediately set his sights on Rafael Câmara ahead, pressuring him hard through the final sector.
At the front, Montoya had latched firmly onto the back of Bennett’s car by lap five, while further back Rafael Villagomez was on the verge of losing touch with the DRS train behind the Colombian.
DRS opened up on lap seven and Montoya immediately put Bennett under pressure, forcing the Trident driver to defend hard through Turns 4 and 5. The move came a lap later, Montoya diving to the inside at Turn 4 to wrest the lead away from Bennett. Further back, Roman Bilinski produced a late lunge at Turn 3 to muscle past León and climb to seventh.
By lap thirteen, the urgency had given way to calculation, with drivers settling into a measured rhythm as they began nursing their tyres ahead of the closing stages.
Dunne overtakes
Dunne had Câmara squarely within his sights by lap seventeen, and the difference between them had decreased to less than 0.5 seconds. He needed little further invitation, using DRS on the run to Turn 4 to sweep past the Brazilian and claim fourth place.
The position was far from settled, however. Dunne failed to pull clear and Câmara stayed glued to his gearbox as the pair continued to scrap deep into the final stages. Their battle was briefly neutralised when Colton Herta ran off the circuit and brought out the virtual safety car, marshals recovering the stricken Hitech between Turns 3 and 4. Once the VSC withdrew, Montoya led Bennett by under a second, with Câmara’s lap seven effort of 1:18.962 still standing as the fastest of the race.
Mini then took a hand in proceedings, passing Câmara at Turn 4 for fifth, though the Brazilian hit back immediately. Minì was not to be denied, however, sealing the place for good around the outside of Turn 7. Further back, Tsolov continued his recovery drive, picking off teammate León on the outside of Turn 4 to climb to ninth.
The final battle
At the front, the tension was building. Bennett had Montoya within DRS range by lap twenty-four, and the gap continued to fall, standing at just 0.7 seconds across the line before shrinking to half a second with two laps remaining.
The final lap of the 2026 F2 Sprint Race at the Austrian GP delivered a breathtaking conclusion. Montoya ran wide out of Turn 1 with Bennett right on his gearbox, and the Trident driver pounced at Turn 4, executing a perfectly timed switchback on the corner exit to snatch the lead. Montoya threw everything at clinging on but had gone too deep on the brakes, leaving the door ajar for Bennett to seize his moment and take a stunning victory.
The PREMA driver held on for second ahead of Villagomez, who pushed him all the way to the line, with Dunne fourth for Rodin. Minì, Câmara, Bilinski and Kush Maini completed the points positions.
