Melbourne – Sprint: Dürksen wins a race full of twists and turns

One could legitimately expect Rafael Câmara to dominate almost completely at the start of this season. Formula 2But the first Formula 2 winner of the year is indeed Joshua Dürksen. The Invicta driver, already a Sprint winner in Melbourne in 2025, repeated his success this year by taking the first race of the season, his fifth victory in the category. Behind the Paraguayan, Noel Leon and Alexander Dunne completed the podium, while it seemed difficult to make any predictions about some drivers as they approached the final lap.

Indeed, while the pole sitter for this Sprint was none other than ART driver Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at the start, the Thai driver lost significant ground as the race progressed. Finishing fourth, he saw Ritomo Miyata close to within a tenth of a second, highlighting the close nature of this race. Slightly further back, but undeniably the most prominent driver in this Sprint, Italian Gabriele Mini garnered all the accolades. Starting 21st, the driver from the development program... Alpine He proved his worth by making only one mistake at the end of the race, having previously enjoyed an exemplary pace. A sweet revenge for him, after a series of mechanical problems in qualifying.

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Stenshorne and Câmara put on the show

Having been at the forefront of the race for much of the competition, Rodin and Invicta drivers Martinius Stenshorne and Rafael Câmara were not rewarded. The Norwegian, forced wide by Nikola Tsolov at the first corner, received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off the track, when a podium finish seemed within his grasp. Meanwhile, Rafael Câmara drove a focused race, punctuated by some exciting battles with his rival, but lost everything due to a mistake in the closing laps. The Brazilian finished 11th and is learning the ropes of Formula 2 with less ease than in the first race. Formula 3 last year, based on its initial results.

Finally, it's worth noting the successive spins of German driver Oliver Goethe and Argentinian Nicolas Varrone early in the race. At the back of the field, the two men didn't make as many mistakes as Nikola Tsolov, whose potential is immense, but whose first Sprint of the season was marred by numerous incidents. Mari Boya retired, ending his race in the wall, while Colton Herta, in 16th place, could well be penalized after making contact with Tsolov at the exit of turn 3 mid-race. Still struggling, the American will have to regroup for the main race, scheduled for 1:30 a.m. (French time) this Sunday, March 8.

F2 – Melbourne (Australia)
The sprint race classification