KUSH MAINI TAKES SURPRISE F2 POLE IN HUNGARY
Kush Maini secured a surprise pole position for the Hungarian Formula 2 Feature Race after a very close qualifying session at the Hungaroring. The ART Grand Prix driver delivered a strong final lap to beat Rafael Câmara and claim his second pole position of the 2026 season.
The Indian driver was the only one able to break into the 1:28 range, setting a 1:28.896 on his final attempt. The final sector made the difference around the Budapest circuit, allowing Maini to take first place by just 0.117 seconds over Câmara, who once again showed strong one-lap pace with Invicta Racing.
Câmara will start alongside Maini on the front row for Sunday’s Feature Race, continuing his impressive qualifying form this season. However, he will start the Sprint Race from ninth position due to the reversed grid format.
Noel León secured third place for Campos Racing, finishing just under two tenths away from pole position, while Joshua Dürksen completed the second row with the second Invicta car. The Paraguayan driver had a difficult moment early in the session after losing control at the final corner, but managed to avoid contact with the barriers.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak continued his strong run of form by qualifying fifth, just three tenths away from pole, with Laurens van Hoepen completing the third row for Trident.
Championship leader Nikola Tsolov qualified seventh, ahead of his main title rival Gabriele Minì. The Bulgarian driver remains in a strong position for the weekend, while Minì finished ninth, only a few hundredths behind Tsolov and Dino Beganovic, who qualified eighth.
Despite finishing outside the top eight, Minì will have a good opportunity in the Sprint Race, where he will start from second place thanks to the reversed grid. Sebastian Montoya will take pole position for the shorter race, with Minì joining him on the front row.
Alex Dunne had a difficult qualifying session and was unable to reach the top ten. The Rodin Motorsport driver will start both races from 17th place, losing valuable ground in the championship fight. His teammate Martinius Stenshorne also missed the top ten by only 0.003 seconds and will start 11th.
Among the other drivers, Oliver Goethe qualified 13th, Nico Varrone 16th, while Colton Herta, who participated in FP1 with Cadillac in Formula 1 earlier in the day, could only manage 18th place.
Thanks to the reversed grid format, Sebastian Montoya will start the Sprint Race from pole position, with Gabriele Minì alongside him on the front row and Dino Beganovic starting third.
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