Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov left Australia leading the FIA Formula 2 championship after clinching Feature Race victory in Melbourne at the opening round of the 2026 season, while Invicta’s Josh Durksen repeated his 2025 success at Albert Park by winning Saturday’s Sprint Race.
There was action aplenty across the weekend and here’s what we learned from it.
Early title markers laid
Tsolov’s victory on Sunday set out his early credentials as a championship contender.
Ahead of the weekend, Formula 2 commentator Chris McCarthy told InsideF2 that Tsolov is among his tips for the title.
His weekend was strong, with the Sprint Race the only blemish as he lacked pace and was falling through the order before a collision with Hitech TGR’s Colton Herta wrecked his chances of points.
But the 19-year-old bounced back on Sunday from fifth on the grid, vaulting up to third, avoiding the self-destructing Rodin’s and claiming an assured win to open his account for this year.
He admitted after the Feature Race that leading the championship so soon is unexpected, but he can now relax a little and find consistency.
THE LION ROARS!! ???
NIKOLA TSOLOV WINS THE OPENING FEATURE RACE OF THE SEASON IN MELBOURNE!! ?#F2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/mSp2clOc3Y
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 8, 2026
However, he’s not the only diver who’s Feature Race highlighted his potential to fight at the front, as another driver tipped by Chris also shone on Sunday.
Reigning F3 champion followed Tsolov home, rising to second having started alongside Tsolov on the third row of the grid.
The Brazilian was smooth and clean as he secured his first podium of the season with the Invicta team.
Over the last two years, that team has built momentum as the season has progressed, so Camara will fancy his chances of building on a promising start.
Rookies are F2 ready
Australia’s temporary circuit is a challenge, and to be heading there for the season opener has caught out many drivers making their debut in the past.
But, with the Albert Park layout on both the F2 and F3 calendar, there was little acclimatisation for many of the rookies in the field.
Indeed, five F3 graduates stood on the podium this weekend, while Martinius Stenshorne put himself on the front row.
Campos driver Noel León finished second in Saturday’s Sprint Race, ahead of ART’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who’d started on reverse-grid pole position.
A debut #F2 Podium for Mexican rookie, Noel León ???#AusGP pic.twitter.com/nqpSRZ9Jjn
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 7, 2026
And on Sunday, all three drivers on the rostrum were competing in their first full season in F2, with Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen joining Tsolov and Camara in the top three, having picked up two points in Saturday’s Sprint Race.
The Dutchman made tremendous progress to finish third having started 11th, picking up the Italian teams first podium finish since Baku in 2024, with Dutch driver Richard Verschoor.
Fellow F2 rookies Colton Herta and Roman Bilinski were also among the points scorers in Australia as they made their F2 debuts.
A first Podium in #F2 for both Laurens van Hoepen and Rafael Camara ?#AusGP pic.twitter.com/yryTXuyaG9
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 8, 2026
F2 learning curve is steep – even if you are experienced
Many eyes were keeping close attention on the progress of Hitech TGR’s Colton Herta, after his switch from IndyCar to F2.
The 25-year-old will have been under no illusions of the task in front of him, saying ahead of the weekend that “everything is new”.
After the weekend, he “learned a lot”.
Things did not get off to a good start with a crash in practice, which cost him valuable track time ahead of Qualifying, where he would be 14th fastest, just over a tenth behind team mate Ritomo Miyata.
Heartbreak for Colton Herta… ?
The American hits the barriers on the exit of Turn 10 in the only Practice of the weekend ?#F2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/wxHxqirS3S
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 6, 2026
The Sprint Race saw the nine-time IndyCar winner get stuck into the action and show his skill in wheel-to-wheel combat, but he did have the aforementioned clash with Tsolov when trying to pass the Red Bull Junior at Turn 4.
On Sunday, Herta capitalised on the chaos in front to scoop seventh place, after Josh Durksen was demoted to 10th thanks to a time penalty.
The positive progress showed that fortunes in F2 can change very quickly, but Herta’s learning curve at each weekend will be steep, considering he’s not visited any of them for a long time or, in some cases, ever.
Things could get tasty at Rodin
On another day, perhaps Rodin Motorsport depart Australia with a 1-2 finish and a healthy lead in the Teams’ Championship.
But on Sunday, the team imploded on Lap 3 after Stenshorne and Irishman Alex Dunne had jumped pole sitter Dino Beganovic off the line.
Dunne was ruled at fault for the collision that eliminated both of them from the race, after he moved across on the Norwegian, which led to Stenshorne ploughing into the back of the Alpine Academy Driver.
CONTACT BETWEEN TEAMMATES ??
The incident that took the Rodin Motorsport duo out of the Melbourne Feature Race ?
Alex Dunne received a 5-place grid penalty for the next Feature Race.#F2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/ILs2dTkgeC
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 8, 2026
The Irish driver, who lost significant points in 2025 due to collisions, was furious, vowing over the team radio that he wouldn’t allow Stenshorne to ever finish ahead of him.
While it is likely that Team Manager Benn Huntingford will have had tough conversations with the pair in an attempt to smooth things over. It also helps that there is a few weeks before the series is due to be on track again in Bahrain in April.
However, Dunne has his eyes set on winning the F2 title this year, and his words will need to be true if he’s to deliver on that. Stenshorne has shown he’s not afraid of getting his elbows out either.
Things could get very interesting at Rodin.
A PREMA revival on the cards?
The former F2 champions might not have been hitting the headlines at the front of the grid, but PREMA duo Sebastian Montoya and Mari Boya both spoke highly the teams pace across the weekend.
While Boya’s crashes on Friday and Saturday, and Montoya’s costly mistake in Qualifying, meant opportunities for points were limited, despite the usual chaos of an F2 race in Melbourne, the pair did make progress in both races.
Montoya, who started both races from 15th, was classified ninth in both events, scoring two points in Sunday’s Feature Race.
Boya started last on Sunday and rose to 13th.
PREMA have not consistently made the most of the current F2 car and will be hoping that Australia is showing the green shoots of a recovery back to the front of the grid, with execution across the weekend potentially the area in need of addressing most.
Image: Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images
