Formula 2 was back in action this weekend under the lights of Sakhir with the 2025 Bahrain GP F2 weekend, with an action-packed weekend that delivered drama, debut victories, and Championship statements across the board.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Alex Dunne stole headlines with a dominant maiden Feature Race win at the 2025 Bahrain GP F2 weekend, becoming the first Irish driver to stand atop the podium in F2 history.
- Earlier in the weekend, Leonardo Fornaroli stormed to his first-ever pole position in F2 during Quali, maintaining the consistency which saw him clinch the F3 title last year.
- Josep María Martí pulled off a masterclass in overtaking to win a chaotic Sprint from 11th on the grid.
- Joshua Duerksen was disqualified from the Sprint following a technical infringement on his AIX car. The Paraguayan driver was stripped of his P3 finish and Dino Beganovic was promoted.
MP Motorsport Lead Practice
The 2025 Sakhir GP F2 weekend kicked off with Free Practice around the Bahrain International Circuit. Oliver Goethe set the benchmark in the final moments of the session to lead a dominant MP Motorsport 1–2. The Red Bull Junior saved his best until last, snatching P1 with a 1:47.789. Teammate Richard Verschoor followed just 0.2s behind in a session defined by late improvements and tight margins.
Campos Racing’s Josep María Martí looked sharp in P3, while Victor Martins and Gabriele Minì both found late gains to slot into the top five. The top 10 was split by less than seven-tenths, foreshadowing a tightly contested Qualifying to come.
Fornaroli Stuns to Claim Maiden F2 Pole
In a breakthrough performance, Leonardo Fornaroli delivered Invicta Racing their first Pole of the season – and his first in Formula 2 – with a blistering 1:44.008 lap. The Italian went toe-to-toe with ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins, trading fastest lap times late in the session. Martins briefly reclaimed provisional pole with just minutes to go, only for Fornaroli to snatch it back with a lap that left no room for debate.
Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning impressed in P3, just ahead of the McLaren Junior Alex Dunne and Roman Stanek. PREMA’s Gabriele Minì and Sebastián Montoya found themselves further down than expected, while Martí showed pace.
Martí Charges To Glory From P11 in Sprint
Martí delivered one of the most thrilling drives of the weekend, slicing through the field from P11 to win a chaotic Sprint Race under the Sakhir lights.
After a clean getaway from pole, Joshua Duerksen looked poised to take a maiden victory, holding off early pressure and navigating a Safety Car period. But as the race reached its final laps, tyre strategy came into play – and Martí was on a mission.
The Campos driver surged past four cars in the final three laps, including a daring switchback on Duerksen and Verschoor at Turn 8 on the penultimate lap. He sealed the deal with a DRS-assisted overtake into Turn 1 to start the final lap.
Verschoor finished second after a smart final-lap move, while Duerksen clung to P3. Oliver Goethe, meanwhile, surged from P15 to P5 after a gutsy call to bolt on Softs during a late Safety Car.
However, Duerksen would find himself disqualified following a technical violation. The AIX was found to have a diffuser height breach, nullifying the Paraguayan’s result and promoting Dino Beganovic to P3.
Dunne Makes History in Maiden Feature Race Win
Unlike in Australia, where the Feature Race was called off due to torrential rain, the Bahrain Feature Race saw 32 laps of action. Alexander Dunne delivered a sensational drive to take his first Formula 2 victory in the Sakhir Feature Race. Starting from fourth on the grid, the Rodin Motorsport driver stayed patient early on before going on the offence, taking on Leonardo Fornaroli for the lead into Turn 1 on Lap 7. From there, Dunne managed the race perfectly, responding to pit stops around him and maintaining strong pace on the Hard compound to win by a dominant margin of over eight seconds. The McLaren Junior becomes the first ever Irish driver to stand atop the podium in Formula 2.
The Battle for P2
Luke Browning proved himself the standout on the alternate strategy. The Hitech TGR driver started the Feature race on the Hard tyres, running long into the race before switching to Softs. Using the extra grip, the Brit charged through the field in the final stint, passing both Fornaroli and Victor Martins to claim a well-earned second place — his second podium of the season.
Fornaroli held onto third for Invicta Racing, holding off a hard-charging Josep María Martí in the closing stages. The Campos Racing driver, who started P11 on Softs, made early progress and looked a podium threat before losing out in the pit cycle. He fought back in the final laps, getting close to the Invicta driver on the final tour, but couldn’t quite find a way past.
Victor Martins had a rollercoaster race, recovering from a poor start and managing an undercut strategy, but eventually faded to fifth as his pace dropped off. Richard Verschoor and Dino Beganovic were in the thick of the midfield battle and finished sixth and seventh respectively.
Further back, Arvid Lindblad impressed again with a gritty drive from 16th to eighth, continuing to rack up points in his debut season. Gabriele Minì and Joshua Duerksen completed the top ten.
The result sees Leonardo Fornaroli maintain a narrow Championship lead, but Dunne and Browning are now just one point behind as the field heads to the high-speed streets of Jeddah next weekend.
FEATURED IMAGE: Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool
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