F2 | Sprint | Monaco GP | Maini dominates to claim first 2025 win - Motorsport

Spread the love

Kush Maini delivered a masterclass on the streets of Monte Carlo, converting reverse-grid pole into a commanding 2025 F2 Sprint Race victory Monaco. The DAMS driver led every lap and held his nerve through a Safety Car restart and mounting pressure from PREMA’s Gabriele Minì, who ultimately settled for second after a strategic yet unsuccessful bid for the fastest lap.

Behind them, drama unfolded throughout the field. An early collision between Jak Crawford and Arvid Lindblad shuffled the order, prompting a ten-second penalty for the Campos driver. Further incidents, including retirements for Cian Shields, Joshua Dürksen, and John Bennett, as well as a controversial tangle between Victor Martins and Oliver Goethe, kept the Stewards busy and the race unpredictable.

Though Lindblad crossed the line third after a spirited late-race charge, his penalty dropped him to eighth, handing Luke Browning the final podium spot.

Dunne pips Martins to Monaco pole

Rodin’s Alex Dunne claimed his maiden Formula 2 pole position at the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, edging out ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins by just three thousandths of a second in a dramatic Qualifying session.

The unique Monaco format split the field into two groups. In Group A, Martins topped the session with a 1:21.145, having fought off challenges from Richard Verschoor and Arvid Lindblad. Despite a lap time deletion for cutting the chicane, Martins bounced back with a lap faster than last year’s pole.

In Group B, Dunne battled for clear air and overcame early drama involving Rafael Villagómez, who caused a red flag after a clash with Dunne. Once the session resumed, Dunne delivered a 1:21.142 to secure pole. Sebastián Montoya impressed with consistent pace, while Leonardo Fornaroli briefly led before settling into third. Montoya spun on his final lap, blocking others from improving.

The final grid for Sunday’s Feature Race saw Dunne on pole, followed by Martins and Fornaroli. Verschoor, Montoya, Lindblad, Crawford, Minì, Browning, and Maini completed the top ten.

For Saturday’s Sprint Race, the top ten were reversed, placing Kush Maini and Luke Browning on the front row.

Maini on Sprint Race Pole in Monaco

After qualifying P10, DAMS Lucas Oil’s Kush Miani started from pole for the 2025 Monte Carlo F2 Sprint Race, benefiting from the reverse grid rule. Alongside him on the front row was Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning, while PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì and DAMS teammate Jak Crawford occupied the second row in P3 and P4 respectively.

Just behind, Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad lined up fifth, with PREMA’s Sebastián Montoya alongside in sixth. Meanwhile, MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor and Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli completed the fourth row in seventh and eighth.

On the fifth row, ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, who had topped Group B in Friday’s qualifying, started ninth. Beside him, Feature Race pole-sitter Alexander Dunne of Rodin Motorsport lined up in tenth.

Further back, ART’s Ritomo Miyata led the second half of the grid in P11, with AIX Racing’s Joshua Dürksen alongside him. MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe started thirteenth, ahead of Invicta’s Roman Staněk in fourteenth. Campos’ Pepe Martí and Rodin’s Amaury Cordeel formed the eighth row in P15 and P16.

Trident’s Max Esterson and Hitech TGR’s Dino Beganovic occupied P17 and P18, while AIX’s Cian Shields and Trident’s Sami Meguetounif followed on the penultimate row. Finally, Van Amersfoort Racing’s John Bennett and Rafael Villagómez completed the grid in P21 and P22. Notably, Villagómez had failed to set a time but was permitted to start by the Stewards, although he also served a five-place grid drop for a collision during qualifying.

Maini and Minì lead as Browning drops back

After a slight delay, Kush Maini led the pack around the Monte Carlo circuit, commencing the formation lap for the Monaco Sprint Race. Following an uneventful tour, the drivers returned to the grid, lining up in their respective positions in anticipation of lights out.

As the lights went out, Luke Browning suffered a poor launch and immediately dropped down the order. In contrast, Maini made an excellent getaway and surged into the lead, with Gabriele Minì slipping neatly into second. Jak Crawford and Arvid Lindblad claimed third and fourth respectively, yet a coming together at Turn 5 derailed their momentum. Crawford slipped to fifth behind Browning, as Race Control swiftly noted the incident. Over team radio, Crawford voiced his frustration, criticising Lindblad’s manoeuvre.

Up front, the Alpine Academy duo began to pull away—Maini controlling the pace for DAMS, while Minì kept close in his PREMA. Meanwhile, yellow flags waved as AIX Racing’s Cian Shields collided with Van Amersfoort’s Rafael Villagómez. Shields retired on the spot. Further back, Richard Verschoor, running in sixth, reported smoke emerging from Crawford’s car. Nevertheless, neither DAMS nor Race Control intervened, and Crawford continued without issue.

Lindblad penalised for first-lap incident

On Lap 6, the Stewards handed Lindblad a ten-second penalty for the earlier clash with Crawford. Around the same time, Alexander Dunne, running in P12, reported via radio that Pepe Martí had overtaken under yellow flag conditions.

By Lap 7, Dino Beganovic, down in P18 after a difficult Friday qualifying, capitalised on green-flag conditions and set the fastest lap of the race—a 1:24.136. At the front, Maini and Minì maintained their relentless pace, with the PREMA driver stretching more than 8.4 seconds clear of Lindblad. Less than a second separated the two leaders, promising a fierce battle for the win.

Behind them, Lindblad received orders to back the pack up, a tactical move from Campos to give him clear air in the final stint. However, the complexion of the race changed again on Lap 9 when the Stewards issued Villagómez a ten-second penalty for his earlier collision with Shields. Moments later, Joshua Dürksen collided with Oliver Goethe exiting Mirabeau, bringing out the Safety Car. Dürksen retired immediately, while John Bennett returned to the pits after brushing the wall and also retired. Lindblad’s penalty remained a contentious issue, with Campos informing their driver that they had lodged a protest.

Maini sets the pace at the restart

On Lap 14, after several laps under the Safety Car, Maini judged the restart perfectly and bolted at the beginning of Lap 15. Minì, by contrast, reacted slowly, remaining ahead of Lindblad but losing ground to the race leader. Shortly after, Goethe dived down the inside of Victor Martins at Turn 17. The pair collided, forcing Martins to pit with front-wing damage. Though he rejoined, he dropped to the back of the field, effectively ending any hopes of scoring points. Martí also pitted and subsequently retired.

By Lap 19, the gap between Maini and Minì shrank to under a second, while Browning stuck to the rear of Lindblad. The Campos driver had successfully opened a gap of over ten seconds to Minì, executing his team’s plan to perfection. By Lap 22, that gap extended to 12 seconds, allowing Lindblad to break away into clean air. Browning, meanwhile, fell over a second behind Lindblad. Meanwhile, the Stewards penalised Goethe with a ten-second time penalty for his earlier clash with Martins.

On Lap 24, Minì, who had shadowed Maini for most of the race, deliberately dropped back, apparently in an attempt to set the fastest lap. Lindblad, still charging, continued to close in on Minì; however, the rest of the pack had also begun to push, potentially undermining his strategy.

Maini sails to the F2 Sprint Race win in Monaco

By Lap 28, Lindblad had closed to within half a second of Minì, piling pressure on the PREMA driver in the final laps. The Campos driver had shown outstanding pace in the last third of the race and launched a late bid for second. With Browning more than four seconds adrift, Lindblad looked set for a top-three finish.

Ultimately, Maini crossed the line unchallenged to secure a commanding win, having led every lap. Minì fended off Lindblad’s late charge and held onto second. Lindblad crossed the line in third, but the ten-second penalty dropped him to eighth, promoting Browning to the final step of the podium.