At the Sakhir Circuit, it’s time to focus on the F2 Sprint Race in Bahrain. Starting from the front row: Dürksen and Beganovic. Here’s the full race report from the junior category!
The task of kicking off the day’s action ahead of the top-tier qualifying session — scheduled for 6:00 PM local time — went to Formula 2, which took to the Sakhir Circuit for the Sprint Race of the second round of the season. The race followed the third and final Free Practice session of Formula 1, where McLaren dominated with a 1-2 led by Oscar Piastri.
After the disappointment at Albert Park, where the Feature Race was called off due to weather conditions, the second win of the 2025 season goes to Pepe Martí, followed by Verschoor and Dürksen. The Spanish driver from Campos Racing clinched victory with a decisive last-lap overtake, snatching the lead from the AIX Racing driver. Also impressive were the comebacks from the two Italian drivers, Gabriele Minì and Leonardo Fornaroli, who finished eighth and ninth respectively, both securing points after a strong recovery drive.
LIVE Race Commentary – F2 Sprint Race in Bahrain
17:05 – It’s a win for Martí! The Campos Racing driver claims victory with a brilliant move on the final lap.
17:04 – Gabriele Minì moves into the points, overtaking Luke Browning.
17:02 – As the lead battle intensifies between the AIX Racing and Hitech Grand Prix drivers, the two Italians climb into 10th and 11th positions with one lap to go. Beganovic loses second place and drops behind Verschoor, Dürksen, and Martí, who takes the lead.
16:59 – Lap 21: After a pit stop, Gabriele Minì fights back from P14 to P12, just ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli.
16:55 – The Safety Car comes in on lap 18. With the field bunched up, Dürksen immediately goes on the attack, challenging Beganovic for the race lead.
16:49 – Lap 16: Yellow flag due to Esterson going off track. The second Safety Car of the race is deployed. Minì pits, followed by Crawford, Fornaroli, Maini, Miyata, and Goethe.
16:40 – Lap 11: Dino Beganovic decisively takes the lead from Dürksen with an overtake at Turn 4. At the halfway mark, the order is Beganovic, Dürksen, Verschoor, Dunne, Martins, Browning, Meguetounif, Lindblad, and Minì.
16:38 – Lap 10: Verschoor and Villagomez are engaged in a fierce battle. Further back, the Invicta Italian driver loses two more positions.
16:36 – Gabriele Minì moves into P10 after passing Stanek and sets his sights on Lindblad. Up front, the duel between Dunne and Martí intensifies, with Luke Browning also joining the fight.
16:31 – Martí briefly takes fifth from Dunne, but the Rodin driver strikes back. Fornaroli appears to be struggling, clocking a 1:51.221 lap. Meanwhile, Cordeel is handed a 10-second penalty.
16:28 – The Safety Car comes in on lap 5. Dürksen leads the field, followed by Beganovic, Villagomez, Verschoor, and Dunne rounding out the top five.
16:21 – The Safety Car is deployed after Sebastian Montoya spins out at Turn 8 and ends up facing the wrong direction on track.
16:19 – The Sprint Race gets underway! Dürksen gets a great launch and defends his lead. Meanwhile, Victor Martins runs wide and hits the polystyrene barrier after a light collision with Alexander Dunne in Turn 1, damaging his front wing.
15:58 – Lining up on pole is AIX Racing’s Paraguayan driver, Joshua Dürksen, followed by Dino Beganovic, who made his F1 debut with Scuderia Ferrari in yesterday’s FP1 session, stepping in for Charles Leclerc. On the Italian front, Gabriele Minì will need to fight back from P12, while Leonardo Fornaroli — pole-sitter for tomorrow’s Feature Race — starts slightly ahead of the Palermo native.
With ten minutes to go until lights out, all eyes are on Dürksen. Can he clinch his second win of the season after triumphing in Melbourne?
Photo: Formula 2.
