News Summary
- Dino Beganovic converted pole into his first Formula 2 victory of 2026, beating Alexander Dunne by more than 7s in Madrid.
- Rafael Câmara made contact with Oliver Goethe at Turn 1 and received a 10-second penalty, dropping from ninth on the road to tenth.
- Câmara still scored despite the incident as championship leader Nikola Tsolov finished behind him, keeping the title fight tight heading to Baku.
Dino Beganovic finally converted his 2026 speed into victory on Sunday, controlling Formula 2’s Feature Race at Madring to take his first win of the season.
The DAMS driver started from pole and successfully resisted Alexander Dunne at the start before controlling both Safety Car restarts. Dunne was never able to apply sustained pressure, and Beganovic eventually stretched his advantage to more than 7s before taking the chequered flag.
Ritomo Miyata completed the podium after Saturday’s Sprint winner benefited from the timing of the second Safety Car, while Rafael Câmara endured a much more complicated race.
The Invicta driver crossed the line ninth but was handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Oliver Goethe. That dropped Câmara to tenth in the final classification, although he still managed to score a point on a difficult day in his championship fight with Nikola Tsolov.
tegy became increasingly important as the first drivers began making their mandatory stops.
Noel León was among the early visitors on lap 12, although a problem with his front-right tyre cost the Campos driver time. Câmara stopped one lap later, together with Roman Bilinski and Shields, while championship leader Tsolov and Stenshorne came in on the following tour.
Invicta urged Câmara to push immediately to protect his position, but Mari Boya — running on tyres in a better operating window — managed to get ahead. Tsolov and Stenshorne also emerged in front of Câmara after their stops.
Beganovic had secured pole position on Friday and made the most of it immediately.
The Swede launched cleanly and moved left to protect the inside line from Dunne. The Rodin driver locked a tyre into Turn 1 but remained second, while Câmara retained third despite pressure from Martinius Stenshorne.
The race was neutralised almost immediately.
Kush Maini hit the wall while fighting Cian Shields on lap 2 and was left stranded, initially prompting yellow flags before the Safety Car was deployed.
Beganovic again controlled proceedings when racing resumed on lap 7, quickly establishing a margin of around 1s over Dunne. Câmara was less effective at the restart and began losing touch with the leading pair.
With overtaking difficult around Madring, strategy became increasingly important as the first drivers began making their mandatory stops.
Noel León was among the early visitors on lap 12, although a problem with his front-right tyre cost the Campos driver time. Câmara stopped one lap later, together with Roman Bilinski and Shields, while championship leader Tsolov and Stenshorne came in on the following tour.
Invicta urged Câmara to push immediately to protect his position, but Mari Boya — running on tyres in a better operating window — managed to get ahead. Tsolov and Stenshorne also emerged in front of Câmara after their stops.
Kush Maini’s accident caused the first Safety Car period of the F2 Feature Race (Photo: Reproduction/F2)
The title rivals then found themselves fighting directly on track.
On lap 17, Tsolov attacked both Goethe and Boya at Turn 5. The Bulgarian went off the circuit while completing the move and was required to return both positions.
Câmara seized the opportunity and went around the outside of Tsolov, gaining a position on the championship leader.
One lap later, however, his aggression proved costly.
Câmara penalised after Goethe collision
Câmara attacked Goethe around the outside at Turn 1, but the two cars made contact and the MP Motorsport driver was sent into the wall.
Goethe’s retirement triggered another Safety Car and the stewards subsequently held Câmara responsible for the collision, handing him a 10-second time penalty.
The intervention also transformed the strategic picture at the front.
Beganovic, Dunne, Miyata, Emerson Fittipaldi, Joshua Dürksen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak were able to make their tyre changes under the Safety Car and emerged occupying the first six positions.
When racing resumed on lap 22, Beganovic once again judged the restart perfectly and immediately rebuilt his advantage.
Câmara continued fighting through the midfield. He attacked Boya at Turn 1 two laps after the restart, initially lost the position again, then completed the move approaching Turn 5. Tsolov followed him through, keeping the championship protagonists together.
With the interruptions eating into the scheduled distance, race control switched the Feature Race to a timed finish.
None of that disturbed Beganovic.
The DAMS driver steadily increased his advantage over Dunne and eventually finished more than 7s clear to secure his first victory of the 2026 campaign. It completed a strong weekend after Beganovic had also taken his second pole position of the season on Friday.
Dunne took second, while Miyata followed his maiden F2 victory in Saturday’s Madrid Sprint with another podium in third.
Dürksen finished fourth ahead of Fittipaldi and Inthraphuvasak. Gabriele Minì was seventh, followed by Stenshorne and Roman Bilinski.
Câmara originally crossed the line ninth but his 10-second penalty dropped him to tenth.
The result nevertheless limited the damage to his championship challenge. Tsolov, who entered Sunday leading Câmara after crashing out of Saturday’s Sprint, finished behind the Brazilian.
Before the Feature Race, Tsolov held 177 points to Câmara’s 169, an eight-point advantage after Saturday’s Sprint at Madring.
Formula 2 now moves to Azerbaijan for the next round on September 24-26.
FAQ
Who won the 2026 F2 Feature Race in Madrid?
Dino Beganovic won from pole for DAMS. It was the Swedish driver’s first Formula 2 victory of the 2026 season after he controlled both Safety Car restarts and finished more than 7s ahead of Alexander Dunne.
Why was Rafael Câmara penalised in Madrid?
Câmara received a 10-second penalty after making contact with Oliver Goethe while attempting to overtake around the outside at Turn 1. Goethe was sent into the wall and retired from the race.
Did Câmara score points in the Madrid F2 Feature Race?
Yes. Câmara crossed the line ninth but fell to tenth after his 10-second penalty, leaving him with the final point. Championship leader Nikola Tsolov finished behind him, meaning Câmara still reduced the deficit despite his penalty.
