Dürksen wins F2 Monza Sprint as Camara spins out

Joshua Dürksen roared to victory in the F2 Sprint Race at Monza, beating John Bennett, who started from reverse-grid pole position. Oliver Goethe completed the podium in the Italian Grand Prix support race, with Noel Leon and Nikola Tsolov rounding out the top five.

Why it matters:

The result reshuffles the narrative around the F2 title fight. Championship contender Rafael Camara spun after the first chicane and retired, leaving him empty-handed in the Sprint. Dürksen, meanwhile, collected the win and the fastest-lap bonus, a valuable 11-point return at a circuit where track position is everything.

The details:

• Dürksen took the lead and held off Bennett to secure his second F2 win of the season.
• Goethe finished third, ahead of Leon and Tsolov.
• Martinius Stenshorne, Alex Dunne and Laurens van Hoepen completed the points-paying positions.
• The 21-lap race was interrupted twice by safety cars.
• Camara's spin at the first chicane ended his race early, despite starting from a strong position.
• Roman Bilinski also retired after spinning his DAMS machine into the wall.

The big picture:

With the season nearing its end, Monza often acts as a separator in the standings. Dürksen's win keeps him firmly in the mix, while Camara's DNF opens the door for his rivals to close the gap in the championship fight.

What's next:

Camara will start the Feature Race from pole, giving him an immediate chance to recover lost ground. Dürksen and the rest of the top finishers will aim to carry their Sprint momentum into Sunday's longer race, where championship points are even more valuable.