Round 3 of the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship took the series to its second new venue in as many rounds, with a trip to Canada.

The 22 drivers took on the famous Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, with drama by the bucketful.

There was joy, heartbreak and drama as we saw two new winners in F2, with Mexico’s Noel León and Norway’s Martinius Stenshorne standing on the top step.

Here’s what we learnt from F2’s trip to Canada.

Canadian carnage caught on camera ???

Some of the biggest talking points from Saturday's Sprint ?#F2 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/0t5yfZYmra

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 26, 2026

Rodin are the team to beat 

After failing to score in the opening two Feature Races of the season, when they could easily have won them, Rodin finally delivered on the promise of their speed as Martinius Stenshorne led home a 1-2 finish ahead of Alex Dunne. 

The Surrey-based team has seen its cars qualify in the top five at all three rounds this season, but fail to truly make the most of those positions. Yes, there’s been the Sprint Race podiums, which they’ve actually finished third in all three of – twice with Dunne, and on Saturday with Stenshorne – but collisions and mistakes from team and drivers have seen the victory chances fall away. 

But Canada was different, Stenshorne and Dunne managed to, mostly, keep themselves out of trouble, although they did get tangled up in a couple of scrapes in the Sprint Race. The Feature Race, however, was excellently executed – even down to the double stack pit stop.

Team Principal Benn Huntingford said it was a victory the team fully deserved and their haul of 49 points in Montreal has pushed them up to third in the Teams’ Standings. 

They might now be favourites for the Teams’ title, with two drivers clearly capable of qualifying at the front each week.

Dunne has admitted to needing to get rid of the errors that are costing him points, while Stenshorne looks calm and composed at the front too. Expect to see more huge points being scored by this team. 

"You all deserve it and so does Martinius!" ??

Alex Dunne charges from P6 to P2, before jumping on the radio to congratulate his crew and race-winning teammate ?#F2 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/JxYkqeAcyS

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 24, 2026

But they’re not going to have it all their own way

Rodin might well be the team to beat right now, but several others are putting up a tremendous fight. 

While they had a challenging weekend, Invicta Racing are not going to let their Teams’ Champions crown go without a stern fight, and Campos Racing will be keen to deliver on their own pace. 

Campos could have won both races this weekend, after Noel León won the Sprint Race on Saturday, and Nikola Tsolov was leading the Feature Race after Laurens Van Hoepen crashed out. 

But the Bulgarian lost out to Stenshorne at Turn 2 and was then bumped by Kush Maini, before a penalty after the race cost him and Campos fourth place. 

Invicta saw their drivers suffer from penalties too, costing them big points as well, with both drivers at fault for collisions across the weekend. 

But the championship leaders are actually MP Motorsport, who lead the Drivers’ too with Gabrielle Mini. The Dutch team will need Oliver Goethe to find his form too if they’re to challenge, but the German has shown he has the speed to do so.

It’s close in the points, and it’s even closer on the track, meaning every lap will be crucial to how the season shapes up for each team. 

Just four points cover the top three teams! ?

Your Team standings as we head out of Montreal ??#F2 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/3CmQcvHkV8

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 25, 2026

Trident are making real progress

Montreal was an up-and-down weekend for the Italian team. 

Laurens Van Hoepen scooped pole position in a dramatic Qualifying session and had shown tremendous grit and craft to regain the lead from Tsolov at the start of the Feature Race. But his weekend came crashing down on Lap 5, when he smashed into the Wall of Champions on the exit of the final corner. 

It was a gutting moment for the Dutchman and the team. 

And there was more heartbreak on the other side of the garage for Britain’s John Bennett, who was running in the top five in both races when it all fell apart. 

On Saturday, he was the innocent victim of Nikola Tsolov’s error, as the Bulgarian bumped into Stenshorne’s Rodin, which hit Bennett and spun him out of the race. 

Then, on Sunday, he crashed with his former Van Amersfoort Racing team mate, Rafael Villagomez when the majority of the field was making its mandatory pit stop. 

So much speed shown, but so little to show for it ?

John Bennett's bad luck continued in the Feature after this incident, resulting in his second DNF of the weekend ??#F2 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/BcLe5X80GV

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 26, 2026

However, for a team that scored just two points in 2025, there is real promise with this pairing, and hope of more success to come.

Van Hoepen has twice stood on the podium, and has the speed to do so again, and a big result appears to be right around the corner for Bennett, after his promising Canada display. 

Mini is maximising everything

After finishing second in Saturday’s Sprint Race, Miami Feature Race winner Gabrielle Mini took over at the top of the standings. 

Mini is showing impressive form, even when things aren’t quite as good as he would like. 

He admitted after finishing on the podium twice in Montreal that there was a small lack of pace over the weekend, but he did a stellar job in keeping out of trouble. 

O Canada ??

Double podium, first time leading the Formula 2 championship and strong drive all weekend long. Super happy with what we achieved as a team.

Still a long way to go, we keep pushing ??

?: Dutch Photo Agency #F2 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/alXv9R7ceJ

— Gabriele Minì (@MiniGabriele) May 24, 2026

He was helped by starting from reverse-grid pole position on Saturday, but it would have been very easy to get tangled up in an incident on Sunday. He kept it clean and reaped the rewards with his third podium in a row. 

He’s making the most of the package he has at each weekend, with points in every race so far, despite a technical issue in Australia meaning he started both of those races at the back. 

If this form continues, much like 2025 F2 Champion and fellow Italian Leonardo Fornaroli, Mini will be very tough to beat. 

F2 is great on any track

Formula 2 is just brilliant, isn’t it? Another new circuit for the series, and it absolutely delivered. Miami was an excellent show for the series and Montreal followed suit. 

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve provides a unique challenge to drivers with its sequence of chicanes and long straights, while walls are close at almost every turn, ready to punish errors.

It did exactly that, with two red flags in Qualifying, while Van Hoepen saw his dreams of victory shattered with his crash. 

But the overtaking opportunity at the Turn 10 hairpin saw collisions and drama across both races, which in turn led to the Safety Car being deployed, leading to even more chaos. 

It also rewards driver skill and getting things right, with the victories of León and Stenshorne testament to that. 

Montréal, you were FAN-TASTIC! ???

Thank you all for your support on our first-ever visit! ?#F2 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/fLuzwMZUlk

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) May 25, 2026

Image Credit – Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty