The 2026 F2 Australian GP marked the start of a new chapter for the championship as it celebrated its 10-year anniversary. As always, Albert Park delivered chaos, unpredictability and exciting battles as the opening round got underway. Emerging victorious from the weekend were Invicta Racing’s Joshua Dürksen and Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov, who claimed the Sprint and Feature Race wins respectively.
With a short break before action resumes, we take a look at the winners and losers of the 2026 Australian GP.
Winners of the weekend
Nikola Tsolov
The Red Bull Junior impressed during his two-race debut at the end of 2025 and delivered another strong performance last weekend. Tsolov claimed his maiden F2 victory with a composed and well-executed drive, making history as the first Bulgarian driver to stand on the top step in Formula 2.
The weekend began on a relatively positive note for Tsolov and Campos Racing, with the Bulgarian finishing 4th in Free Practice. This result proved a strong foundation as they headed into Qualifying and looked competitive for the first weekend of the 2026 F2 season. The 19 year-old secured a place in the top five, qualifying 5th and marking a solid start to his campaign.
While Sprint Saturday proved challenging for Tsolov after contact with Colton Herta at Turn 4 sent him spinning, his fortunes turned around on Sunday as the rookie charged through from 5th with a commanding and mature drive. Capitalising on others’ mistakes while keeping his race clean paid dividends, rewarding him with the first Feature Race victory of the season and the championship lead.
Gabriele Minì
Some could argue that the MP Motorsport driver found himself on the receiving end of misfortune. However, the Italian refused to give up and fought his way impressively through the field in both races after Qualifying at the back of grid.
Minì got his weekend off to a competitive start, setting the benchmark during Free Practice and topping the timesheets. However, near the end of the session, he was forced to jump out of the car after losing power. The same issue struck again in Qualifying, prematurely ending his chances of fighting for pole and redemption around Albert Park after a penalty stripped him of pole position last year.
Starting 21st for both races, scoring points was always going to be a big ask, with everything needed to fall into place. Despite the setback, the 20 year-old fought his way through the field on Sprint Saturday to finish 6th and claim his first points of the season. He defied the odds again on Sunday, following it up with an 8th-place finish.
Rafael Câmara
The reigning Formula 3 Champion made a solid start to his rookie F2 campaign, securing a 2nd-place finish in Sunday’s Feature Race at the 2026 F2 Australian GP. However, the weekend still brought its share of ups and downs for Câmara. He began the weekend with a strong showing in Free Practice, finishing 3rd behind Minì and Noel León. However, the Brazilian struggled to piece together a competitive lap in Qualifying and could only managed 6th, just behind Tsolov.
Saturday brought its challenges for the 20 year-old, who finished 11th. He admitted that several mistakes during his charge through the field costed him points. Redemption came on Sunday, however, as Câmara crossed the line in 2nd to claim his first F2 podium on his debut weekend.
Laurens van Hoepen
For a team that struggled much of last season, van Hoepen’s podium marked a significant step forward for Trident. The Dutchman entered the 2026 F2 Australian GP having raced with Trident in the final three rounds of the 2025 season. Despite finishing 20th in Free Practice, he produced a strong lap in Qualifying to secure 11th, starting just outside the reverse-grid positions for Saturday’s Sprint Race. On Saturday, van Hoepen fought his way to 7th and claimed two points ahead of the Feature Race.
Like the other top-three finishers in the Feature Race, staying out of trouble and capitalising on others’ mistakes paid dividends as he secured Trident’s first F2 podium since 2024. After a well-judged strategy and composed drive, the 20 year-old crossed the line to finish on the final step of the podium, marking a promising start to his and Trident’s 2026 campaign.
Losers of the weekend
Alex Dunne
Despite the highs of his weekend, Dunne left Melbourne with a significant lost opportunity to score big points and kick off his second season strongly. As a returning driver, he entered the year as a potential contender for the title, proven through his strong performances last season. After qualifying 3rd and finishing 3rd in Saturday’s Sprint Race, Sunday’s Feature Race proved upsetting for the Irishman.
Battling with his teammate Martinius Stenshorne for the lead, a late move from Dunne to emerge ahead at Turn 1 resulted in a collision between the two Rodins. This left both drivers with significant damage, forcing them to retire from the race early.
The Irishman has found himself in these situations repeatedly, and it has often proven costly. While the season is still in its early stages, if Dunne makes calculated and decisive moves to keep his race craft clean, the 20 year-old is sure to have a strong campaign ahead.
Dino Beganovic
The weekend began with the highs for the Swede before turning into heartbreak on Saturday and Sunday. Beganovic delivered an impressive last-lap effort to claim the first pole position of the season, edging out Stenshorne and Dunne at the top of the timings. However, Saturday proved difficult, with the 22 year-old finishing 20th. On Sunday, as he looked set for a strong podium finish, his car came to a halt, ending his race prematurely. Ultimately, the opportunity went to waste as the Swede left Melbourne without scoring any points in both races.
Mari Boya
The 2026 F2 Australian GP got off to a disappointing start for Boya. During the weekend, the Spaniard hit the barriers twice — once in Qualifying and again in the Sprint Race. After his crash in Qualifying, he was permitted to start both races from the back of the grid. While he would’ve hoped to make his way through the field on Sunday, Boya only managed to cross the line on 13th, closing out his first F2 weekend on an extremely disappointing note.
