Round 3 of the F2 season took place this weekend in Jeddah at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP, delivering drama across all sessions. Veterans Victor Martins set and Jak Crawford had strong weekends, with Crawford clinching a last-gasp pole for DAMS in a thrilling Qualifying. However, it was young gun Arvid Lindblad who made history, becoming the youngest-ever F2 winner after inheriting victory from Richard Verschoor in the Sprint. The weekend saw intense battles, strategy gambles, and milestone moments for multiple teams and drivers. Read our report below to find out who was a winnner and who had a weekend to forget.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Jak Crawford gave DAMS their first pole position since Melbourne 2023, edging Victor Martins by 0.022s after a red flag restart in Qualifying at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP F2 weekend
- Arvid Lindblad became the youngest-ever F2 race winner, inheriting Sprint Race victory after Richard Verschoor received a penalty.
- Campos Racing celebrated a historic 1-2 finish in the Sprint with Lindblad and Martí.
- Richard Verschoor bounced back to win the Feature Race with a bold alternate tyre strategy, passing Crawford on the final lap.
- Victor Martins secured a podium in the Feature, finishing third after a close fight with Crawford.
Martins Sets the Pace in Practice
Victor Martins kicked off Round 3 in style, setting the pace for ART Grand Prix in a fiercely competitive Free Practice session. His final benchmark of 1:45.671 proved unbeatable as lap times tumbled throughout the session.
Roman Stanek impressed for Invicta Racing, finishing a close second after multiple stints at the top, while Dino Beganovic secured third for Hitech TGR with a late flyer. The session was a constant shuffle at the top end, with the fastest five — at one point — separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Kush Maini and Jak Crawford showed strong pace for DAMS Lucas Oil, while AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen briefly led mid-session before slipping to fourth. PREMA’s Gabriele Minì and Beganovic also featured strongly in the mix.
In a session where the order changed rapidly, Martins’ late effort secured P1 ahead of Stanek and Beganovic, with Duerksen, Minì, and teammate Oliver Bearman completing the top six. Fornaroli, Crawford, last weekend’s Sprint winner Martí, and Maini rounded out the top 10 in a thrilling and closely fought practice session.
A Historic Pole for DAMS in Qualifying
Jak Crawford delivered a clutch performance in Jeddah, claiming pole position for DAMS Lucas Oil with a stunning final lap effort. The American edged out ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins by just 0.022s in a nail-biting Qualifying session.
Martins initially looked set to take pole after an early 1:44.559 lap, holding off challenges through the first phase of the session. Campos rookie Arvid Lindblad briefly topped the times with a 1:44.250 before drivers pitted for fresh Supersofts.
On their new tyres, the order rapidly changed. PREMA’s Gabriele Minì briefly led, only to be dethroned by Hitech’s Luke Browning, who set a 1:43.737. Just as the final laps were approaching, a shunt into the wall by John Bennett at Turn 17 brought out the red flag, halting the session.
Once the session resumed with only five minutes to go, drivers had just one flying lap to make it to the top. Crawford made his moment count, storming to a 1:43.579 to steal pole at the death. Martins settled for second, while Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli secured third.
The session marked DAMS’ first pole since Melbourne 2023, sealing an exciting end to a dramatic qualifying session under the lights in Jeddah.
Lindblad Makes History With Sprint Glory
Arvid Lindblad etched his name into the history books in Jeddah, becoming the youngest-ever Formula 2 race winner after an incident-filled Sprint Race. The Campos Racing rookie crossed the line second but was promoted to victory following a five-second penalty for on-the-road winner Richard Verschoor. The MP Motorsport driver was penalised for forcing Josep María Martí off-track while reclaiming the lead—a move that would ultimately cost him the win.
It capped off a landmark day for Campos Racing, with Martí finishing second to secure the team’s first-ever one-two in Formula 2. Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne took advantage of a chaotic midfield battle to complete the podium in third.
The race was anything but straightforward; multiple incidents shaped the final result in a closely-fought race. Early on, AIX Racing’s Cian Shields brought out the Virtual Safety Car after crashing into the barriers at Turn 1 on the opening lap. His stricken car had to be cleared, briefly neutralising the race.
Safety Car Chaos
On Lap 15, a major turning point came when Jak Crawford, who had been charging through the field, attempted a move on Gabriele Minì into Turn 1. The pair collided, sending Crawford into a spin and ultimately a race-ending stop in the run-off area. The incident triggered a full Safety Car, bunching up the field with just a few laps to go and setting the stage for a dramatic finale.
As the race resumed, positions shuffled quickly. Fornaroli overtook Minì, but the PREMA driver fought back on the final lap to reclaim sixth. Meanwhile, Verschoor had pulled a gap out front, but it wasn’t enough to overcome his time penalty once the flag fell.
Stanek held on for fifth, Minì ended up sixth, and Fornaroli slipped to seventh. Victor Martins rounded out the points in eighth after a quiet but consistent drive.
Arvid Lindblad reflected on his record-breaking result;
“Really happy with the result today, youngest ever F2 race winner. A huge thank you to the team, a really good race coming from P6 to P1. A shame to Richard for the penalty, but super happy to win and looking forward to tomorrow now.”
Feature Race – Verschoor Drives to Redemption
Richard Verschoor stormed to a stunning Feature Race victory in Jeddah, making a bold alternative strategy work to perfection. After losing out on Sprint Race glory due to a penalty, the MP Motorsport driver fought back with a composed and clinical performance, overtaking Jak Crawford on the final lap to seal the win. ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins rounded out the podium in third after an intense late-race battle.
From pole, Jak Crawford led into Turn 1, holding off Victor Martins while further back, Arvid Lindblad slipped to seventh after early losses to Luke Browning, Alexander Dunne, and his Campos teammate Josep María Martí.
Browning soon climbed into the top three, using DRS to pass Leonardo Fornaroli on Lap 6. Dunne followed through shortly after, demoting the Italian further.
Early stoppers Fornaroli, Martí, and Gabriele Minì pitted for Medium tyres on Lap 7, promoting Verschoor—who had started on the yellow-walled compound and opted for the longer first stint—up the order. Crawford, Browning, and Dunne followed suit a lap later, emerging behind Martins and in a midfield pack.
Martins pitted a lap later and rejoined narrowly ahead of Crawford, but the battle resumed quickly.
A Virtual Safety Car Shakeup
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed for debris, briefly halting the action just as Martins and Crawford approached the DRS zone. Once racing resumed, Crawford attacked immediately, running side-by-side with Martins from Turn 1 to Turn 4 before briefly slotting back in. The next lap, he used a strong run out of Turn 27 to get the move done and reclaim track position.
While the others battled, Verschoor extended his stint at the front, carving out a 26.8-second advantage before pitting for Supersofts on Lap 24. A smooth stop saw him rejoin behind Crawford but crucially ahead of Martins in fourth.
With fresher tyres, Verschoor quickly reeled in Crawford, bringing the gap under one second heading into the final lap. Using DRS along the main straight, he made the race-winning move into Turn 1 to complete a brilliant comeback drive.
Martins held off a fast-closing Fornaroli to secure third place, while Martí finished fifth after a solid drive. Browning, Lindblad, Dunne, Minì and Maini completed the points-paying positions.
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