Formula 2 ventured over to Spielberg, Austria for Round 6 of the 2026 season. The Red Bull Ring has been a regular feature on the calendar, even before the rebranding of GP2 to the FIA Formula 2 Championship back in 2017. The Austrian Grand Prix weekend is always particularly special for drivers associated with the Red Bull Junior Team, who each set their sights on tasting glory on the team’s home turf.
Here are The Paddock Chronicle‘s key takeaways from Formula 2’s Austrian GP weekend, where crucial results in soaring track temperatures added more twists and turns to the intensifying Championship fight.
Red Bull Junior Tsolov Conquers the Ring
It was a weekend that Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov will never forget. Part of the Red Bull Junior Team, all eyes were on him to deliver the home victory Red Bull fans crave every year. The Bulgarian made it look easy, putting on a show in the Feature Race to take the chequered flag in P1. It was an impressive fourth victory of his 2026 campaign, arguably his most significant yet, coming at Red Bull’s home race and following the frustration of missing out on both a podium and the Championship lead in Barcelona.
Following lights out, Tsolov overtook Alex Dunne into Turn 1 before passing teammate and pole-sitter Noel León at Turn 3 to take the lead. A slow pit stop briefly left him vulnerable, with the Rodin driver regaining his position ahead after making a move at Turn 3. The pair made contact, however, sending the end plate from the Campos’ front wing flying off.
Tsolov kept the pressure on Dunne and was rewarded on Lap 24, reclaiming his place ahead after the Irishman ran wide at the final corner. The Bulgarian soon broke free of DRS and pulled away, while Dunne became embroiled in a battle with Championship leader Gabriele Minì. With Oliver Goethe – the only driver ahead of him – heading to the pits, Tsolov was able to establish a significant lead over the chasing pack.
Tsolov led Minì across the line, securing his third Feature Race win of the season and fourth overall. Converting a P3 start into victory, he joins a growing list of drivers to achieve this exact feat in three of the last four Feature Races at Spielberg. An almost faultless performance on a pivotal Austrian GP weekend has brought Tsolov to within just two points of Championship leader Minì.
MP Motorsport Climbs to P2 After Double Podium in Feature Race
MP Motorsport made their Championship intentions known in the Austrian GP Feature Race, collecting not one but two podium trophies. Heading into the weekend, they were trailing Rodin Motorsport by 17 points in the Teams’ Standings. Their double podium saw them leave Spielberg ahead by eight points and up to second place.
Minì led teammate Goethe in Qualifying, managing starting positions of P4 and P7 for Sunday’s race. There was work to do for Goethe to get his weekend back on track after failing to score in the Sprint from fourth on the grid. However, he had shown competitive pace in Friday’s Free Practice by topping the timings with a lap time of 1:16.978s, leading Tsolov by 0.070s. On the other side of the garage, Minì extended his Championship lead over Tsolov to 10 points after placing P5 in the Sprint.
Minì Retains Championship Lead
A solid start to Sunday’s race saw Minì immediately pass the slow-starting Rodin of Dunne for P3, before challenging pole-sitter León for P2. However, their battle was halted by a Safety Car after Sprint podium finishers Sebastián Montoya and Rafael Villagómez collided into Turn 3, ending both their races.
The Italian followed Câmara into the pits on Lap 9 to switch from supersofts to softs as soaring temperatures accelerated tyre degradation. The overcut briefly worked, putting Minì ahead of title rival Tsolov, but the Bulgarian fought back with a move up the inside at Turn 3. Dunne also capitalised, passing Minì around the outside at the next corner.
A VSC, triggered by Mari Boya stopping on track, put the brakes on an emerging battle between Minì and Dunne. Racing resumed on Lap 28, and the MP driver reclaimed P2 with a move at Turn 4. Despite closing on Tsolov and pulling clear of the rest of the field, Minì could not catch the Campos driver, finishing 3.993s behind.
Fresh off the back of a double podium in Barcelona, Minì’s P2 in the Spielberg Feature Race gives him a total of seven podiums across six rounds. He retains control of the Drivers’ Championship, but Tsolov’s Austrian GP victory means the gap at the top closes to just two points.
Goethe Claims Maiden F2 Podium
Opting to start on the soft compound rather than the supersofts used by most of the grid, Goethe climbed through the order from seventh with an extended opening stint. As those ahead pitted within the first 10 laps, the German briefly inherited the race lead.
The MP driver pitted on Lap 29 for a fresh set of supersofts, rejoining in P10 before quickly recovering positions, including a pass on León at Turn 6 for P6. Ahead, Dunne and Câmara battled, allowing Goethe and Dürksen to close in before Bennett, León and Inthraphuvasak joined what became a thrilling seven-way fight for the final podium spot.
Goethe emerged on top, pulling off a decisive double overtake around the outside of Câmara and Dunne at Turn 4 on Lap 36. The German then drove off into the distance, with a first F2 podium just four laps away.
Taking the chequered flag in P3, he secured his maiden F2 podium and highest result of the 2026 season so far. He joined his teammate for the podium celebrations, with Campos Racing’s rise to P2 in the Teams’ Standings adding to the occasion.
Goethe now sits P12 in the Drivers’ Championship after gaining a huge 16 points in Spielberg – an extra point for producing the fastest lap of the Feature Race (1:18.384s).
León Makes History with Mexico’s First-Ever F2 Pole Position
Noel León has enjoyed a milestone month in F2. After becoming the first Mexican driver to win an F2 race in Canada and following it up with another Sprint victory in Monaco, he made more history in Austria by dominating Qualifying to secure his maiden F2 pole position – the first ever by a Mexican driver.
León consistently outperformed his teammate throughout Qualifying, setting an early benchmark on the supersoft tyres with a 1:16.283s. Just 0.015s separated the Campos pair before a second push lap increased his advantage over Tsolov to 0.179s.
Pole-sitter in Barcelona, Câmara, briefly spoiled the Campos party by going quickest with a 1:16.062s. León responded with his own strategy call, heading out alone on a fresh set of supersofts while the rest of the field remained in the pits. He produced a blistering time of 1:15.544s, securing provisional pole by over half a second.
León watched from the pits as the remaining 21 drivers completed their final runs. There was no need to worry, however, as nobody could match his pace. Dunne came closest, but still finished over a tenth adrift in P2, closely followed by Tsolov. Minì and Câmara completed the top five.
Victory on Sunday wasn’t meant to be, as León was immediately passed by his teammate on the opening lap. León was the first of the frontrunners to make his mandatory pit stop, leaving him vulnerable to the overcut as Dunne jumped ahead. Unable to match the pace of his rivals in the closing stages, the Campos driver gradually slipped down the order.
Eighth place was not the result León had in mind after starting from pole, but another landmark achievement for Mexican motorsport means he remains a hero of his nation nonetheless. He sits comfortably in P5 in the Drivers’ Championship.
Bennett Makes Final-Lap Overtake to Claim Maiden F2 Victory in Sprint Race
The Austrian GP weekend really was a weekend of celebrations for driver firsts. The Sprint belonged to Trident’s John Bennett, with a final-lap overtake on reverse pole-sitter Montoya earning the Briton his first F2 victory. A perfect pre-home race result, with confidence at an all-time high heading into Silverstone this weekend.
Bennett started alongside Montoya on the front row after qualifying ninth. The Briton succeeded with a first-lap overtake into Turn 1 to take an early lead.
It was an eventful Sprint Race, with an incident involving Câmara and Inthraphuvasak taking the spotlight away from the frontrunners on the opening lap. The ART Grand Prix car spun into the path of Goethe, while Fittipaldi and Beganovic were also left with nowhere to go. A separate incident involving Dürksen and Tsolov at Turn 3 also unfolded, but both continued.
Racing resumed on Lap 4, and Bennett immediately had to defend from the car he had overtaken on the opening lap. By Lap 7, he was clinging onto the lead as Montoya searched for a way past through Turns 4, 5 and 6. The longer the battle continued, the closer Villagómez in P3 became. On the following lap, the PREMA driver finally managed to snatch back his lead.
By Lap 10, a DRS train had formed within the top six, with Montoya leading Bennett, Villagómez, Câmara, Dunne and Minì. The top two managed to pull away, with Bennett consistently gaining on Montoya, setting up a final-lap switchback.
Despite Montoya’s defensive efforts, Bennett proved to be the better driver and swept past after Turn 4 to seal a hard-fought maiden F2 victory. Villagómez completed the podium, ahead of Dunne, Minì, Câmara, Bilinski and Maini.
Championship Approaches Halfway Point as Title Fight Tightens
The Red Bull Ring delivered another dramatic chapter in what is proving to be one of F2’s closest title fights in recent years. Tsolov’s commanding home victory for Red Bull cut Minì’s Championship advantage from 10 points after the Sprint to just two, ensuring the battle at the top remains incredibly tight heading into the second half of the season.
MP Motorsport’s double podium lifted the team to second in the Teams’ Standings, while maiden milestones for Bennett, Goethe and León highlighted the depth of talent across the 2026 grid. With first-time winners, a first-time pole-sitter and an ever-changing order behind the Championship leaders, Austria proved that any driver is capable of a breakthrough result.
Silverstone now awaits, with another crucial weekend in one of F2’s most unpredictable seasons. Eight different drivers have already claimed victory in 2026, and with momentum shifting almost every round, another new winner cannot be ruled out.
Following his breakthrough Sprint victory in Austria, home favourite John Bennett will hope to continue his winning form in front of a British crowd, while fellow Briton Cian Shields will also be aiming to make the most of home support.
The second part to F2’s second European double-header of 2026 is set to unfold this weekend at Silverstone (3-5 July). You don’t want to miss it.
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Feature Image Credit: Dutch Photo Agency / Red Bull Content Pool