After the Formula E Madrid Rookie Test, Pit Debrief caught up with Joshua Dürksen in the media pen. The Formula 2 driver had his first experience behind the wheel of the Formula E car around the Circuito del Jarama.
Jumping into the Formula E car at the Madrid Rookie Test
Dürksen finished the Formula E Madrid Rookie Test morning session in twelfth place before moving up to tenth in the afternoon session. When asked which aspects he was the most excited about before getting in the car, Dürksen said:
“To be honest, it’s been a really cool experience at the moment. What I’ve been looking forward to is just to know how all the systems work and all the technology behind it, which I’m amazed with. It’s been really good. For sure, it’s a very different car to drive than all the feeder series single-seaters, but it’s been really good. I’m learning a lot, especially with the engineers because you have to work a lot more with the engineers to get it here, but it’s going well.”
Speaking about how the experienced line up with his expectations, Dürksen stated:
“I didn’t know what to expect because I just heard it’s very different to any other car. So I didn’t really know what to expect, so I was just like, okay let me drive it first and I will see what I think about it.”
While many drivers transition from the feeder series to Formula E, it’s still nice to see active F2 drivers try a new category. When asked why he wanted to participate in the Rookie Test, Dürksen mentioned he has always been curious about Formula E.
“Formula E is always a category I wanted to try. Formula E is always a car I wanted to drive because of everything I’ve heard. Especially with all the systems, the technology, all the development that’s going on, which is really amazing. It’s is something I had on my bucket list, so I was really happy that the opportunity came now.”
The goal is the F2 championship for Dürksen
The Paraguayan driver began his F2 season strongly with a Sprint victory in Melbourne. After qualifying ninth, he started on the front row for the reverse-grid Sprint Race. With confident overtakes and solid defending, the Paraguayan driver controlled the race. From that point, his consistent and sharp drive led him to victory.
When asked by Pit Debrief what his goals for the remainder of the F2 season are, Dürksen said:
“My goal is for sure to win the championship, or at least be very in the front. I think I have the car now, I have the potential. I have two years of experience already, so that’s going to help a lot. I’m feeling quite confident. We’re at a very good pace in Melbourne. The teamwork is going really well, so I’m super excited for the rest of the season.”
While the F2 season picks back up in the beginning of June, jumping from a F2 car in March to the FE car a few weeks later can be a difficult task. The differences the categories present, combined with it being his first time behind the wheel of the FE car would make it challenging for anyone. However, the driver delivered a well managed drive on the Madrid circuit.
Asked about the most challenging aspect of driving the GEN3 Evo compared to the Invicta car, Dürksen was candid.
“Just the way of driving, the driving style you need for this car. It’s very, very different, the demands of the car, how to get the car into the limit, how to get the car into a nice balance window. It’s just very different because in F2, of course, let’s say it’s a bit easier because you have all of the downforce, the aero. Formula E has a little bit less, so you need to get used to a bit of sliding again. In F2, you basically have to drive very cleanly. Here you can play a little bit with it, which is also fun, but it’s just a different driving style.”
Dealing with pressure and expectations in F2
While 2026 marks the driver’s third season in F2, it is his first with Invicta. Dürksen competed with AIX Racing for two seasons before he made the move to Invicta Racing. When asked about how he is settling in at the new team, the 22-year-old was immensely positive.
“Very nice, very nicely. They welcomed me super nicely. I feel like a family already with them from day one. We adapted together very quickly and we somehow connected very nicely and really I love to work with these guys.” Dürksen responded.
Lastly, as he has been racing for years but consistently improving, Pit Debrief asked Dürksen about his biggest area of growth as a driver recently.
“I think it’s about how to deal with my own expectations. Usually, I was putting a lot of pressure into myself when there was no external pressure, but a lot of internal pressure. Now, I learned to manage it a little bit and automatically, the results are getting better. I’m just enjoying more. I’m forgiving myself a little bit more and that’s helping a lot to be quicker.”
Dealing with setbacks and difficult race weekends can be rough for young drivers. With Dürksen having found a way to grow and manage expectations, the road ahead will be improved.
