RAFAEL CAMARA CLAIMS FORMULA 2 POLE AT SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
Rafael Camara continued his impressive one-lap form by securing pole position for the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Invicta Racing driver produced the fastest lap in a dramatic qualifying session that was interrupted twice by red flags, earning his fourth pole position of the 2026 season.
The Brazilian set a best time of 1:56.306 during the final minutes of the session, beating ART Grand Prix’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who delivered one of the biggest surprises of qualifying by securing second place. Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne qualified third, while championship leader Nikola Tsolov completed the second row in fourth.
The session was heavily disrupted by two red flags. The first came after Campos Racing’s Noel León spun at Raidillon early in qualifying. Although the Mexican managed to return to the pits, the incident briefly stopped the session. The second interruption proved even more decisive after Trident driver Laurens van Hoepen stopped on track with a technical issue near the Bus Stop chicane.
With just over three minutes remaining once the session resumed, every driver had only one final flying lap to decide the grid. Câmara made the most of the opportunity, delivering a flawless lap to secure pole position and collect two valuable championship points, moving level on points with Alex Dunne in the standings.
Behind the top four, John Bennett impressed by qualifying fifth for Trident, ahead of DAMS driver Dino Beganovic in sixth. Joshua Dürksen and Roman Bilinski locked out the fourth row, while Martinius Stenshorne and Noel León completed the top ten.
By finishing tenth, León secured reverse-grid pole position for Saturday’s Sprint Race. However, the Campos Racing driver remains under investigation for the incident that caused the first red flag.
One of the biggest disappointments of the session was Gabriele Minì. The MP Motorsport driver had looked comfortably on course for a place inside the top ten before the red flags disrupted qualifying. Unable to improve on his final attempt, the Italian dropped to 17th on the grid and will now face difficult recovery drives in both the Sprint and Feature races.
It was also a challenging session for Prema Racing. Sebastian Montoya qualified 11th, narrowly missing reverse-grid pole, while Mari Boya could only manage 21st. Ritomo Miyata completed the field in 22nd after another difficult qualifying performance.
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