Dino Beganovic achieved his first podium of the season at the F2 Miami Round. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver put up a brave fight with bold moves and was in contention for the victory until the end. The Miami round brought chaos, triumph, and excitement for both drivers and spectators. With this being the first time Formula 2 took place in the United States, it was a brand new experience for the drivers.
First podium of the season for Beganovic and DAMS in Miami
While the F2 season has only had two rounds thus far, already having a podium under his belt is impressive. With the second round taking place at a new track, the podium was not achieved without challenges. Still, with a clean and smart drive, Beganovic delivered the first P2 of the season for DAMS at the F2 Miami Round.
Speaking at the post-race press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, about how achieving the first podium felt, the DAMS driver said:
“It feels very good to stand here on the podium in Miami. It’s a bit of a revenge after the Melbourne Feature Race. We started the year great with pole and then we had an issue in the Feature Race, so I feel like we deserve this one. Great race, and I really want to thank DAMS and happy to bring this first podium for them.”
The Swedish-Bosnian driver refers back to the Melbourne round, when he had an issue that forced him to park his car at Turn 12. The issue forced him to retire from the Feature Race. Up until the misfortune, the driver was fighting for podium contention. The weekend started brilliantly for the driver, who grabbed the first pole of the season before misfortune struck. After that, the P2 in Miami became his “revenge.”
Last lap action in Miami
The last lap came with a three-way fight. In front, Beganovic looked to run wide around the outside of Turn 17. It was unclear whether it was a mistake in judgment when he attempted to overtake for the lead or an intentional move. The move allowed for Minì to join in on the fight in the front, and eventually take his maiden F2 Feature Race victory.
Beginovic was asked whether, at the end of the race, when he ran wide, it was a mistake or an intentional move to give up the position to Gabriele Minì.
“No, I was first trying to give back the position before the straights and he was not very keen to take that position. I tried again in the last corner, running a bit wide to give him that place because I thought it’s better to be on the safe side than risking that penalty turn in the chicane. After that I thought I could fight him in the end in the last lap but there was not much left of the tyres and it was more about managing the position and finishing the race in P2.”
New F2 track in the rain
Not only did the second round take place at a new F2 track, but the weather also posed an additional challenge. Racing in the rain is no easy feat. When one adds that it is an unfamiliar track, it becomes a very different situation.
Still, the drivers mastered it well. Speaking about racing in the rain in Miami, Beganovic said:
“It was very cool actually. It was better than I expected because the track has quite a lot of grip, more than expected again and also in the wet it’s cool in sector 2 where you got the tight section. It’s very technical so it’s very cool to race in the wet. A little bit too much overheating maybe and it could have been maybe a bit more exciting for us drivers. Just focusing on the driving instead of management but a very cool race in general.”
Driver instinct and relying on feeling on the Miami track
When asked about the challenge of racing in the rain at a new track and whether it’s about instinct or alertness, the driver agreed with fellow driver Minì that it’s largely about driver instinct.
“I think Gabriele has summed it up pretty well. It’s a lot about feeling, especially when you haven’t been here before. In general, I was a bit surprised that we started the race as soon as we did, because there was not much you could see in the pack where I was starting. When you have to rely on, you know, you’re looking kind of two metres straight to the side just to see the metre boards and kind of relying on that and braking there, because you can’t really see the guy in front of you.
“So, it’s a lot about feeling, relying on the boards that you have on the track, but yeah, it was very cool. I like the challenge a lot when it comes it, you know, nobody’s done it before. There’s not been any preparation driving in the wet, like Gabriele said. We don’t have it in the sim so it’s pretty cool.”
Adapting to the Miami track and changing lap by lap
The DAMS driver was then asked whether it was difficult to judge when the right brake and turning points would be. He spoke about the challenge of adapting to the track, especially with changing conditions.
“Yeah, like I said, it’s a lot about feeling the car, feeling the instinct, what to do. Then also you got to see what the others are doing on track. The person in front of you, the driver behind you, if it’s positive what you’re doing or if you can do something better, following the guy that’s in front of you.
“So you always kind of try to take all the inputs, looking in the mirrors, looking in front to see what you can improve, especially when the track is drying like this. It’s always going to change lap by lap, and it’s very rarely that one thing works on the lap and then it’s going to work the next lap. It’s normally something else that will work. It is a lot about feeling and seeing, and trying to experience from the lap before and learn.”
Final stint of the F2 Miami Feature Race for Beganovic
Despite the challenges, the Ferrari Academy driver did a wonderful job. He moved through the field all the way from P11 to P2. For a while, he looked like he could secure the win. While the move with Minì might have cost him one step up on the podium, there will be other chances for the driver.
When asked by Pit Debrief if, with hindsight, there is anything he would have changed in the final stint of the race.
“I think we did a lot of things right today. If I could change something with the last stint, it would…Yeah, good question. I mean, in the end, it was about trying to keep the tyres cool, so maybe a bit that. At the same time, maybe wouldn’t open the opportunity to overtake Rafa, to fight with him. I don’t know, I will think about it but I don’t have a clear answer now.”
Despite not securing the win, Beganovic demonstrated strong skills and steady progress. The driver now sits sixth in the Drivers’ Standings with 21 points, marking a solid start to the first two rounds of the season.
Beganovic preparing for next F2 Round in Montreal
The next race weekend takes place at the Montreal circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Like Miami, it becomes another new track for Formula 2 to tackle. Montreal has produced many exciting Formula 1 races over the years, and one can only hope it will do the same for F2.
When asked how useful the experience from Miami will be to prepare for Canada, and if he feels there will be more entertaining F2 races like the Miami weekend, Beganovic said:
“I hope we can see exciting races like with this one. At the same time, you can learn a lot from this weekend, but the track in Montreal is very different. The conditions will be different. It will be much colder than it was here. So, it’s going to bring new challenges.
“We will kind of do the same preparation in the simulation like we’ve done here, doing all the stuff, trying to cover all the points and be as prepared as possible. Both from DAMS, from Formula 2, but also trying to experience things from the F1 team, from Ferrari, and see what we can learn there.”
Visibility and changing conditions in Miami
One of the toughest battles to tackle in a rain-filled race is the low visibility. With the cars bunched close together at times, the spray from the car ahead makes it difficult to see ahead. Asked what he was seeing in the final laps as the track began to dry and how aware of other drivers he was, Beganovic reflected on the F2 Miami race:
“I agree with Gabriele. I wouldn’t like to be in his spot. A bit less stressful than for me and for Rafa in the front. A spectator view sounds very nice for the last couple of laps. No, but jokes aside, I think to be in the front fighting for the position, trying to be first for the last lap is quite tough because you take a lot out of the tyres when you’re fighting. Especially, with the conditions we had, you kind of paid it and we both did it, me and Rafa.
“So I think Gabriele managed it very well on the race, and staying in P3 while we were doing our things in front was definitely beneficial. Then he was also not under threat for the last lap. It was a great job from his side. At the same time, we had great battles with both the drivers, which was respectful and wheel-to-wheel without crashing. I think it’s nice and it shows that the level is quite high in the front, which is nice to see. I think also for the fans and for the F1 teams to see that.”
Fans expecting more F2 excitement in Canada
Beganovic was asked about his message to new viewers and what they can expect from him for the rest of the season. The Swede emphasised that a growing viewership in Formula 2 would be good. While F2 is more popular in Europe, the stands at the Miami race looked bare. F2 always brings plenty of excitement, and Beganovic hopes more people will come to see that after Miami.
“I hope they watch this race because I guess they will want to watch the next one as well. It was very exciting and I hope more people get involved in Formula 2 because the racing is very nice to watch and it’s always been. So hopefully, when we go to Canada we have lots of spectators there for our race and hopefully as many as we have in Europe as well. It would be nice to see.”
