Noel León announced himself to Formula 2 in style, charging from seventh on the grid to claim second place in a thrilling Sprint Race at the 2026 Australian GP. The Campos Racing driver delivered an overtaking masterclass to secure his first podium with the team on his F2 debut.
Full Send from the Off
León wasted no time making his presence felt in the opening laps of the 2026 F2 Australian GP Sprint Race. After Kush Maini’s aggressive move sent Oliver Goethe into a spin at Turn 11, the Mexican seized his opportunity, sweeping past Maini to move up to third by the end of Lap 2. Rafael Câmara quickly applied pressure, diving to the inside at Turn 11 to claim fourth, but León held firm and continued to push forward.
After the safety car period, León kept the pressure on Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and the move finally came on Lap 20, the Mexican executing a neat pass into Turn 11 to take second place. From there, he held on to cross the line behind race winner Joshua Dürksen, with Alexander Dunne completing the podium after Martinius Stenshorne’s five-second penalty dropped the Norwegian to tenth.
Reflecting on the race, León was in high spirits. “It was a really good race to be honest, a very fun race. I did a lot of overtakes, there were some risky ones, but we managed pretty well. The car was really good as well, so everything felt nice and in the end the first podium with a team, so very happy to start the season like this.”
Sending it at the 2026 F2 Australian GP Sprint Race
Asked whether the overtaking opportunities had surprised him, León was characteristically relaxed about his approach. “I mean, not surprised. I think where I was overtaking were the typical points where you can overtake here in Melbourne. The car was good, so I just took the opportunity and sent it.”
The Campos driver has built a reputation for his fearless, attacking style since his days in F3, and he made clear that nothing has changed on his step-up to F2. When asked how the transition had been, León kept his answer short and sweet. “The same, just full send it and hope for the best.”
A Season of Full Send
With a strong starting position lined up for Sunday’s Feature Race, León showed no signs of changing his approach for the rest of the campaign. “The whole season is going to be like this, full send. I think we have a great car, that’s the most important thing. It’s going to be a longer race, so obviously be smart when we have the chance to overtake, if not we just manage the tyres.”
The step-up to F2 also brings with it the added physical demands of longer races and pit stops, something León acknowledged but played down. “Obviously it’s a bit more physical, especially because you do a pit stop, so when you go out of the box you have a lot of grip again, so obviously it’s a bit tough, but it was okay today.”
If his debut in Melbourne is anything to go by, Noel León looks every bit ready for the challenge of F2. Campos Racing will be hoping the full send approach continues to pay dividends as the season gets underway.
