F2 Austrian Feature Race 2026: Tsolov Wins to Close Championship Gap to Two Points

Nikola Tsolov took his fourth win of the season and third Feature Race victory of 2026 at the F2 Austrian Feature Race at Spielberg, recovering from a brief mid-race dip out of the lead to pull clear and win by nearly four seconds from Gabriele Minì. It was a double podium for MP Motorsport with Oliver Goethe completing the top three on his maiden F2 podium. Tsolov started third on the grid but was into the lead before Turn 3 on the opening lap, jumping polesitter Noel León and championship rival Alexander Dunne. Martinius Stenshorne, who crossed the line sixth, was handed a 30-second post-race time penalty for completing his mandatory pit stop under the VSC period, dropping him from sixth to nineteenth in the final classification. The result leaves Minì and Tsolov separated by just two points at the top of the Drivers’ Championship heading to Silverstone.

Key Points: F2 Austrian Feature Race 2026

• Tsolov wins from third on the grid, moving to within two points of championship leader Minì after Spielberg
• Goethe takes his maiden F2 podium in third for MP Motorsport, giving the team a double podium
• Stenshorne handed a 30-second post-race penalty for completing the mandatory pit stop under the VSC period, dropping from P6 to P19
• Montoya and Villagómez eliminated at Turn 3 on the opening lap, both classified DNF
• Goethe takes fastest lap, 1:18.384 on Lap 31, and the bonus point
• Championship standings: Minì 108 points, Tsolov 106, Câmara 82, Dunne 80 heading to Silverstone

Race Recap: F2 Austrian Feature Race 2026

The Start: Tsolov Moves, Chaos at Turn 3

Tsolov made the move immediately. Starting third, he was past Dunne on the run to Turn 1 and dived inside polesitter León at Turn 3 to take the lead before the field had completed the opening lap. It was decisive and it set the tone for the afternoon. Dunne’s slow getaway dropped him to fourth, losing out to Minì who then set about challenging León for second before the Safety Car intervened. The race did not reach the end of the opening lap cleanly. Montoya and Villagómez made contact on the run to Turn 3, both drivers out on the spot and classified DNF.

Mid-Race: The Pit Stop Phase

Racing resumed on Lap 4 with Tsolov leading. The pit stop phase began with León coming in first to swap his Supersofts for Softs. Dunne followed on Lap 8, executing the overcut on León. Tsolov and Bennett pitted on Lap 9, the stop slow for Tsolov but he emerged ahead of Dunne, with his Campos teammate León just behind. Minì and Câmara pitted on the same lap onto Softs, leaving Goethe, who had started on the Softs, as the on-track leader.

Goethe’s strategy gave him track position, and briefly the alternate approach worked as he came out ahead of Tsolov. But Tsolov went inside at Turn 3 to reclaim the position. Dunne then went around the outside of Minì at Turn 4 to move through. He cleared Tsolov a lap later with a neat move inside at Turn 3, the two cars making slight contact that clipped the front wing endplate of the Campos. Câmara was also moving through the order, diving inside León at Turn 3 on Lap 15 before setting his sights on Minì ahead.

Tsolov Retakes, the VSC Arrives

By Lap 19 Tsolov was 0.3 seconds behind Dunne. The pressure built steadily across the next five laps. On Lap 24 Dunne locked up at Turn 4 and ran wide at the final corner, handing Tsolov the position at Turn 1. Once through, Tsolov broke DRS range from the Irishman and began to pull clear.

The Virtual Safety Car came out when Boya stopped on track, briefly compressing the gaps. Stenshorne used that window to complete his mandatory stop, a decision that would later cost him dearly. When racing resumed on Lap 28, Minì attacked Dunne at Turn 4 to take net second place. Their battle allowed Tsolov to extend to 2.5 seconds as Goethe came in for his stop on fresh Supersofts, filtering out in tenth.

Closing Laps: Goethe’s Charge, Tsolov Home

Câmara attempted to go around the outside of Dunne at Turn 3 on Lap 33 but the door closed. Behind them, Goethe was moving quickly on fresh rubber, passing León at Turn 6 before getting around both Câmara and Dunne at Turn 4 on Lap 36 to take third. Inthraphuvasak followed him through on Lap 37, passing León and Dunne with DRS to move to fifth before Stenshorne made a last-lap move on his Rodin teammate for sixth on the road.

Tsolov crossed the line 3.993 seconds clear of Minì to claim his fourth win of the season. Goethe was third, Câmara fourth and Inthraphuvasak fifth. The post-race stewards’ decision on Stenshorne then reshaped the order behind them. His 30-second penalty for completing the mandatory stop under the VSC dropped him from sixth to nineteenth, with Dunne, León, Van Hoepen and Dürksen all moving up a position. It completed a strong weekend for Tsolov at Spielberg, following on from his performance in the F2 Austrian Sprint Race earlier in the weekend.

Classification: F2 Austrian Feature Race 2026

Final classification. Stenshorne’s position reflects the 30-second post-race time penalty applied by the stewards (Document 47). León receives 2 bonus points for pole position. Goethe’s points total includes 1 bonus point for fastest lap.

* Stenshorne received a 30-second post-race time penalty for completing the mandatory pit stop under the VSC period, in breach of Article 38.9b of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations (Stewards’ Document 47). León receives 2 bonus points for pole position. Goethe’s points total includes 1 bonus point for fastest lap.

Standings Snapshot: F2 Austrian Feature Race 2026

Drivers’ Championship After Round 6 (Spielberg)

Full F2 2026 Championship Standings are updated after every round.

Teams’ Championship After Round 6 (Spielberg)

Standings confirmed per FIA Document 53, 28 June 2026.

Coffee Corner Take

Two points. That’s the championship. Six rounds in, Tsolov has closed a six-point gap from Barcelona to two in a single afternoon. Minì didn’t have a bad race. He was second, he stayed out of trouble, he took 18 points from a weekend where the car looked quick enough to fight for more. The problem is Tsolov was just better today and everyone in the paddock knows it.

The move at Turn 3 on the opening lap was the race in one moment. Third to first before the field had settled. León on pole, Dunne alongside him, and Tsolov past both of them before Turn 3. Patient after that, controlled, never rattled when Dunne got ahead of him in the mid-race pit stop phase. Just waited, found the gap on Lap 24 when Dunne locked up, and drove away. That’s four wins from six rounds and a title fight that has no clear favourite.

Goethe’s podium is the other result that matters coming out of Spielberg. His first F2 podium, and he earned it on fresh Supersofts in the closing phase rather than inheriting it. MP Motorsport with two cars on the podium and the teams’ championship moving with them. They’re second in the standings now, just two points behind Rodin, with Campos still leading the lot.

Stenshorne’s penalty is brutal in its timing. He was in the VSC window, committed to the pit lane, and the call looked costly as soon as the regulation came into play. Thirty seconds drops him from sixth to nineteenth and he leaves Spielberg with nothing from a race where he was in the points on the road. Rodin lose a result at exactly the moment the championship is tightening around them.

Silverstone is next. Minì leads by two. Tsolov won’t be content to trail by two for long.