Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula 2's first sprint event of 2025 did not disappoint, as Joshua Dürksen picked up from where he left off in 2024. But behind him in the order were two maiden podium finishers, Invicta Racing's Leonardo Fornaroli and Hitech TGR's Luke Browning.
How Dürksen has emerged as a major figure in F2 circles
For most part of the 2024 F2 season, the spotlight was largely trained on Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes junior's stock rose as the season progressed, his career demarcated by two long jumps eventually culminating in an F1 seat for Mercedes.
The Italian made headlines when he jumped from a Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) winning season up into F2, skipping Formula 3 along the Road to F1. It was rare to see drivers skip a series on the ladder.
Yet, while most of the spotlight remained trained on Antonelli's remarkable rise, another racer made a similar leap ahead of the 2024 F2 season: AIX Racing's Joshua Dürksen. The Paraguayan was coming off a difficult FRECA campaign, accumulating only 26 points on his way to 19th in the standings. Many remained skeptical if he would be able to turn around his performances in F2.
Fast forward to a year later, and Dürksen has emerged as one of the drivers to watch out for in an utterly competitive F2 grid. The AIX racer swept up a sprint and feature victory apiece in 2024, apart from his maiden rostrum appearance at Imola, on his way to tenth in the standings.
It was almost as if Dürksen started off the new season in the same rich vein of form he ended 2024 in. A clinical showing at Albert Park in the season opener saw him hold fort in a race of interruptions, to net F2's opening victory in 2025. Dürksen also became the first driver in F2 to win consecutive races across seasons, having won the feature race at Abu Dhabi back in December last year.
"I'm really happy to start the season off strongly," the Paraguayan racer expressed. "It didn't come to mind I would win the first race (in Australia). Starting P2 today, I thought it was possible. So I am happy to start the season like this." he continued.
Perhaps what was visible on the day was Dürksen's ability to control the field across the two safety car restarts. While it didn't affect his confidence, it was just about getting back to business whenever his lead was eroded.
"When you create a gap, you're relieved. But when the safety car comes out, you're like, ah, all the work you've done was for nothing," the AIX racer spoke of the two times his buffer of two seconds to the pack was eroded during the race.
"But the confidence is there. It's about reality, you know, the safety car is there. Now I have to work my way to make sure I can keep the lead, keep pushing, defend my position and open up a gap.
"Normally, no racer leading would be happy when the safety car comes out, but it's about maximising the opportunity, and I'm glad it worked out for me." Dürksen continued.
The Paraguayan's ability to judge safety car restarts and pull away early ensured he retained the lead despite immense pressure from the chasing Invicta of Fornaroli, his race finally ending in victory to the tune of 2.1 seconds to the next best.
Fornaroli and Browning grab maiden podiums
It was an ecstatic first day in the office as full-time F2 rookies, as Invicta Racing's Leonardo Fornaroli and Hitech TGR's Luke Browning took their maiden podium appearances in the series.
Fornaroli's match with Invicta Racing could be described as the match made for champions. The reigning F3 champion paired with the reigning F2 constructors' champions, and the number 1 on the yellow car always made for a sight to watch.
The Italian had pulled off a stunning title win in F3 back in 2024, doing the unthinkable as he didn't win a single race on his run to the championship. Podium finishes were the key to his success, much like the one he pulled off on Saturday.
Fornaroli remained satisfied with his podium and the package underneath him, but hinted that the season was long, and he couldn't afford to bask in the moment for too long.
"It is like a boost of confidence," the Italian replied. "Everything went well, the pace was quite good. The package is quite good, but the season is super long, and I'm just focusing on what is in front of me," the Invicta racer concluded.
Browning, however, chose to look at the bigger picture of winning the overall spoils, believing he would get there by "doing this a lot":
"Not particularly," the Briton replied, when asked if a maiden podium was like getting a monkey off his shoulders. "A podium in a sprint, it's nice, but not my end goal. My goal is to win the championship, and it will happen by doing this (taking podiums) a lot," Browning concluded.
The Williams junior comes into 2025 after filling in for Zak O'Sullivan at the final weekends of the year in 2024, looking to utilise his learnings from the handful of appearances made to bolster his 2025 showings.
Browning had also delved into the opportunities at hand on sprints, noting how the 140 points on offer during the shorter races could eventually make or break a championship, and why it was important to maximise the opportunities available to him.
While the current crop of rookies are slated to experience a strong learning curve in 2025, moving from the older spec F3 car to the new F2 car, there's no doubt they would be able to match up to the pace as the season moves on.
F2 returns on Sunday, with an earlier start time for the feature race at 11:30 local time (00:30 GMT), and it is set to be a race not to miss, given it will be F2's first feature race of 2025.
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