osep María Martí kept his cool in a chaotic Austrian Sprint to score his second Formula 2 win of the season. The Campos driver made a fast start, took control in the second half of the race, and pulled away while carnage unfolded behind him.
It wasn’t just a win. It was survival.
The race was red-flagged on Lap 2 after a shocking crash at Turn 3, and ended with a four-car pile-up on the final lap. But through it all, Martí held firm, passed Joshua Duerksen for the lead, and brought it home nearly three seconds clear.
Flip at Turn 3: Halo Does Its Job Again
The opening laps took a frightening turn when Trident’s Sami Meguetounif was launched into the air at Turn 3. His car slid over the top of Luke Browning and flipped upside down, landing hard on the tarmac exit of the corner. Arvid Lindblad was also involved.
It was a jarring image, but all three drivers walked away unharmed. The Halo played its part again. Meguetounif’s car may have landed the wrong way up, but the titanium device prevented contact with the cockpit as it hit the ground.
With the Trident car stranded on the track and debris scattered at the exit, race control brought out the red flag. The race wouldn’t resume until the corner was fully cleared.
Martí Strikes After the Restart
Once racing got back underway with a rolling restart, Duerksen led the field for AIX Racing. Martí sat second, ahead of Roman Staněk and Amaury Cordeel. Pole-sitter John Bennett had already dropped out of the fight after being jumped by several cars in the opening moments.
Martí had started fourth after serving a three-place grid penalty for impeding during Qualifying.
The safety car was called out again just a few laps later when Dino Beganovic ended up stopped at Turn 3 following contact with Oliver Goethe. This kept the field compressed and delayed any immediate attacks.
Alexander Dunne, meanwhile, was hit with a five-second penalty for jumping the original start. That turned his race into damage limitation, especially with key rivals like Verschoor and Fornaroli in close range.
Fight for the Lead: Martí vs. Duerksen
By Lap 11, Martí had set the fastest lap and closed to within DRS range of Duerksen. The two began to trade moves, and the lead changed hands multiple times.
Martí made his first big move on Lap 17, forcing Duerksen to defend at Turn 3 before swinging around the outside at Turn 4. Duerksen came back at Turn 6, diving down the inside to retake first place.
But Martí wasn’t done. On Lap 18, he tried again at Turn 3, and this time the pass stuck. With a clean run out of the corner, he edged ahead and never looked back. Duerksen stayed close, but the gap began to grow.
Four-Car Pile-Up Ends the Race in Chaos
On the final lap, Amaury Cordeel spun at Turn 3 while under pressure. As he rotated across the track, Gabriele Minì, Leonardo Fornaroli, and John Bennett all ploughed into the aftermath. The crash eliminated all four from the points and left carbon fibre scattered everywhere.
At the front, Martí was already gone. He crossed the line with a 2.9-second margin. Duerksen came home second, and Staněk fended off late pressure to secure third for Invicta Racing.
Verschoor picked up a strong fourth, while Sebastián Montoya climbed to fifth. Despite the penalty, Dunne salvaged sixth, with ART teammates Victor Martins and Ritomo Miyata rounding out the points.
Martí: “One step better than last year”
Speaking after the win, Martí said the team’s pace and preparation made the difference.
“One step better than last year, so very, very happy about it. We had really good pace and even with the three-place grid drop we managed to get the win. Hoping for a good result tomorrow to keep building this momentum and head into Silverstone in a good manner.”
Title Fight Tightens
Dunne’s championship lead has been cut to just one point. He now sits on 90, with Richard Verschoor close behind on 89. Lindblad remains third with 79, while Crawford and Browning are tied on 73.
In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing moves clear at the top with 138 points. Hitech TGR sits second on 102. MP Motorsport is close behind with 101. DAMS Lucas Oil and Rodin Motorsport round out the top five with 94 and 92 respectively.
What’s Next
Sunday morning brings the Feature Race, with Leonardo Fornaroli set to start from pole. After Saturday’s chaos, clean execution could be the difference between victory and heartbreak as the championship battle rolls on.
2025 F2 Spielberg Sprint Race – Top 10
- Josep María Martí (ESP) – Campos Racing
- Joshua Duerksen (PAR) – AIX Racing
- Roman Staněk (CZE) – Invicta Racing
- Richard Verschoor (NED) – MP Motorsport
- Sebastián Montoya (COL) – PREMA Racing
- Alexander Dunne (IRL) – Rodin Motorsport
- Victor Martins (FRA) – ART Grand Prix
- Ritomo Miyata (JPN) – ART Grand Prix
- Rafael Villagómez (MEX) – Van Amersfoort Racing
- Max Esterson (USA) – Trident
Fastest Lap (Points): Roman Staněk – 1:18.849
Overall Fastest Lap: Kush Maini – 1:18.589
DNFs: Bennett, Minì, Fornaroli, Cordeel, Lindblad, Meguetounif, Crawford, Browning, Beganovic