The glamour of Monte Carlo was matched only by the chaos it delivered across the fifth round of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship. From Victor Martins’ early dominance, to a masterful Sprint Race win for Kush Maini and a first-corner pile up in the Feature Race, the streets of the Principality provided a tense and action-packed backdrop to a pivotal weekend in the title fight.
The Chronicle Headlines
- It was a clean sweep for DAMS at the 2025 F2 Monaco GP Weekend, who secured both the Sprint and Feature Race wins – Kush Maini and Jak Crawford drove to victory in the respective races.
- Alex Dunne claimed the inaugural Pole Position Award, snatching P1 from Victor Martins by 0.003s.
- Kush Maini secured his second career F2 win in the Sprint, leading from lights to chequered flag.
- Each overtake in the Sprint Race led to a penalty highlighting just how difficult a Monaco race can be.
- A perfectly timed Safety Car in the Feature Race saw Jak Crawford leapfrog the top three to clinch victory.
- A six-car crash at the first corner during the Feature Race saw a dramatic shakeup in the Championship standings as frontrunners failed to finish. 14 points now separate the top five in the Championship.
- A five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane meant heartache for Lindblad during the Feature Race, stripping him of a Monaco podium immediately after the chequered flag.
- Luke Browning is now in the Championship lead heading into Barcelona next week.
Free Practice – Martins Sets the Early Pace
Victor Martins wasted no time asserting himself in Monte Carlo, dominating Thursday’s Free Practice session for ART Grand Prix with a commanding 1:21.715 – the only lap in the 1:21s. Behind him, Luke Browning and Leonardo Fornaroli showed strong pace for Hitech TGR and Invicta Racing respectively, but were over half a second adrift of the Frenchman.
Championship leader Alexander Dunne posted the eighth-fastest time, while PREMA’s Gabriele Minì narrowly missed the top three in a tight midfield. The session was briefly halted by a Red Flag when Amaury Cordeel slid his Rodin Motorsport entry into the Turn 1 barriers, cutting into valuable track time.
At the back of the field, AIX Racing’s Cian Shields and TRIDENT’s Max Esterson struggled for grip, finishing 22nd and 21st respectively. With street circuit margins tighter than ever, even these early struggles hinted at a tough weekend ahead for some.
Dunne Snatches Pole in a Tight Street Shootout
Friday’s split-group qualifying session lived up to expectations, offering a dramatic fight for pole on one of the calendar’s most iconic circuits. Victor Martins looked set to convert Thursday dominance into pole after topping Group A with a 1:21.145, three tenths clear of the pack.
However, in Group B, McLaren junior Alex Dunne pulled off a stunning late effort, clocking a 1:21.142 to take his maiden F2 pole by an agonising 0.003s over Martins. It was a moment of redemption for the Rodin Motorsport driver after a frustrating practice and marked a high point in his title campaign.
The session was not without incident. Rafael Villagómez brought out a Red Flag after contact with Dunne at the final corner ended with his Van Amersfoort Racing car in the barriers. Though uninjured, Villagómez failed to set a time and would start the Sprint from the back. The incident was referred to the stewards. There would be no further action; stewards determined both drivers were partly to blame.
Further down the field, Cian Shields again struggled, managing just a 1:24.442 for AIX Racing, while John Bennett and Max Esterson failed to break into the top 20. Sebastián Montoya, in a tumultuous start to his weekend, spun in the final sector, bringing out yellow flags and costing himself – and others – a final push lap.
Maini Triumphs in a Penalty-Ridden Sprint
Kush Maini delivered a career-defining performance on Saturday, leading from lights to flag to claim a commanding Sprint Race victory for DAMS Lucas Oil – and with it, his second win in Formula 2. The Indian driver maintained composure under relentless pressure from Gabriele Minì, who chased him home in second.
Maini’s clean start contrasted with the chaos behind. Luke Browning plummeted down the pack off the line, falling to fifth, while Arvid Lindblad tangled with Jak Crawford at Mirabeau, shuffling the order and triggering a chain of incidents. Lindblad continued but was later handed a ten-second penalty for causing the collision.
A Safety Car was deployed on Lap 12 following contact between MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe and AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen, which ended with Duerksen in the barriers at Portier. The Paraguayan driver became the first retirement of the race. Shortly after, Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Martí also retired, failing to finish a bruising outing in Monte Carlo.
Back to Racing
Back under green flag conditions, Goethe was aggressive, making contact with Victor Martins at La Rascasse. Though he made the pass for P9, the move earned him a ten-second time penalty – one of several handed out post-race.
Another penalty was issued to Rafael Villagómez, whose contact with Cian Shields earlier in the race resulted in a separate ten-second penalty for the Mexican driver. The stewards cited him for avoidable contact that left Shields nursing damage for the remainder of the race.
By the closing laps, Lindblad was charging hard, trying to stretch a gap to mitigate his penalty, and briefly caught Minì in the fight for second. He crossed the line third but dropped to eighth once his time was added. That handed the final podium position to a resurgent Luke Browning.
Jak Crawford recovered to finish fourth ahead of Richard Verschoor and Sebastián Montoya. Fornaroli and Lindblad completed the points-paying positions.
Feature Race – Crawford Victorious in Safety Car Shakeup
Jak Crawford claimed his second win of the season in dramatic fashion during a shortened and twice-interrupted Feature Race in Monte Carlo. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver timed his mandatory pit stop to perfection, diving into the lane just as a late Safety Car neutralised the race—catapulting him into the lead before a Red Flag brought the curtain down early.
Pole-sitter Dunne got a slow start and was collected by Victor Martins at Turn 1 in a huge first-lap crash that immediately brought out the Red Flags. The collision also eliminated Richard Verschoor, Gabriele Minì, Ritomo Miyata, Josep María Martí, and Max Esterson—six cars out before the race had truly begun in a huge pileup.
Following the restart with 14 cars, Fornaroli led ahead of Montoya and Lindblad. Duerksen’s attempt to overtake Kush Maini for sixth ended in the barriers at Rascasse and brought out a Virtual Safety Car. The Paraguayan was looking to make up some places with some aggressive racing, but instead found himself out of the race. Once the Safety Car was withdrawn, the top three began pulling away.
A Stroke of Luck for Crawford
Crawford sat in fourth as the pit window approached. When Beganovic crashed at Casino Square, another Virtual Safety Car was triggered and quickly upgraded to a full Safety Car. Crucially, the leaders had already passed pit entry, allowing Crawford to make his mandatory stop and inherit the net lead.
Lindblad, Montoya, and Fornaroli pitted once they caught the Safety Car, but the damage was done—Crawford had leapfrogged them for the lead. A final Red Flag for barrier repairs ended the race early, confirming his victory.
Fornaroli had to settle for second after leading the race from the first restart, while Lindblad crossed the line in third. However, a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane promoted Sebastián Montoya to the podium, crushing Lindblad’s hopes of a Monaco podium. Browning finished fourth, while Lindblad was demoted to fifth.
Roman Stanek, Amaury Cordeel, Rafael Villagómez, Oliver Goethe, and John Bennett rounded out the points. With the race time-limited and not run to full distance, a reduced number of points were awarded.
A New Leader Emerges
Luke Browning’s fourth-place finish in the Feature Race launches him into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with 70 points. Alex Dunne drops to second on 67, while Leonardo Fornaroli climbs to third with 64. Richard Verschoor (59) and Feature Race winner Jak Crawford (56) round out the top five.
In the Teams’ standings, Hitech TGR remain out front on 99 points. Campos Racing hold second on 92, followed by Invicta Racing (76). DAMS Lucas Oil and MP Motorsport are now tied for fourth with 71 points apiece.
Barcelona Awaits
The final leg of the triple-header comes quickly with Round 6 heading to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The paddock rolls into Spain with just 14 points covering the top five in the standings. On a more conventional circuit, expect the title contenders to come out swinging.
Action gets underway from the 30th May to 1st June.
FEATURED IMAGE: PREMA Racing