Formula 2: Alex Dunne impresses with a hard-fought Feature Race win at Imola

Written by Jasmin Low

Racing at the Imola Circuit promises an exciting show, and this weekend’s FIA Formula 2 Feature Race was no exception. 

McLaren Junior Alex Dunne fought his way from fifth on the grid to take the race victory | Credit: Formula 2

The Imola Circuit is famously challenging for drivers to master, featuring a demanding mix of fast and slow corners, limited overtaking opportunities, and unforgiving run-off areas which  leave little room for mistake. 22 up-and-coming drivers took on the 35-lap FIA Formula 2 Feature race, testing their technical skills whilst juggling the highly strategic element the circuit presents. 

Dino Beganovic topped the timing sheets in a close qualifying session, with just six milliseconds covering the top three. The session ended in disappointment for much of the grid, as a red flag was brought out after Kush Maini’s DAMS went careening into the barriers at Tamburello. However, qualifying strongly at Imola doesn’t guarantee a good result, as the tricky nature of the circuit and Safety Car interventions often shake up the order. Today’s Feature Race saw Alex Dunne win from fifth on the grid, committing to daring overtakes to claim his second Feature Race victory this season.

As it Happened

As the grid set off on the Formation Lap, Sebastian Montoya, who was set to start the race from second on the road, was unable to pull away from his grid box. As a result, the PREMA Racing Driver was forced to start from the pit lane. 

As the five red lights went out, Leonardo Fornaroli immediately pulled up alongside Beganovic from fourth on the grid. The Swede managed to hold on to the lead, whilst Victor Martins stalled on the grid, becoming the second driver to be wheeled back into pit lane. Sami Meguetounif suffered a near-miss at the race start, dancing into the gravel but managing to rejoin the race. 

The field was packed together as DRS was enabled at the end of Lap 1. Consequently, Beganovic quickly found himself hot on the heels of Martins, but unable to lap the ART. A scrap between Arvid Lindblad and Fornaroli broke out in lap 5, desperate to stay at the front of the field as the top six remained locked in battle. 

The frontrunners came into pit on lap 7, with both Fornaroli and Lindblad forced to cede places to Alex Dunne, promoting the Irishman to net second place. However, all was not lost for Lindblad, as the Campos driver critically came out of the pit lane ahead of Fornaroli.

Dino Beganovic led from pole until the beginning of the pit stop cycle | Credit: Formula 2

As Beganovic tried to make his way around Luke Browning in his fellow Hitech, he found himself shuffled over into the grass, losing a place to Dunne. Dunne’s papaya-liveried Rodin swiftly overtook Browning, putting a car between him and Beganovic. 

Out the front, Pepe Martí led the field, having opted to start on the harder of the two available tyre compounds. 

Cian Shields in the AIX was dealt a 5-second time penalty on lap 12 for speeding in the pit lane. Meanwhile, his teammate Joshua Dürksen broke into the DRS detection zone behind Martí, managing to move past the Spaniard on lap 14. 

The yellow flag was brought out at the end of lap 14, as Rafael Villagómez made contact with Meguetounif, losing one of his supersoft tyres and becoming beached in the gravel. It took nearly a lap for the race director to call out the safety car, bringing the field closer together and eliminating the advantage gained by the leading cars on the alternate strategy. 

It was all eyes on the restart on lap 18, as Dunne started making an aggressive overtake on his teammate, Amaury Cordeel, to move up into fifth. Gabriele Minì found himself in the mix amongst the podium-contenders, however, his supersoft tyres were not going to hold on until the end of the race. Dunne continued to try to move further ahead of the gaggle of cars behind. 

Browning made a critical pass on Cordeel on lap 24, as Dunne responded in front, fighting his way up to third on the road and keeping 2 cars between his Rodin and the Hitech of Browning. Dunne executed yet another overtake at Tosa, this time on the Campos of Martí, before taking the lead from Dürksen on lap 27. With clean air out the front, Dunne was left free to pull away from the field, leading the race by over 2 seconds after only one lap. 

The battle for the final podium place seemed to come down to Beganovic and Lindblad, the latter looking to snatch third place from the pole-sitter. However, Beganovic crucially made his way past Roman Staněk, escaping 2 seconds up the road from Lindblad whilst allowing Fornaroli to close in on the top four. 

Alex Dunne was first to the flag, six and a half seconds ahead of second-placed Luke Browning. Dino Beganovic made it a double podium for Hitech, with Lindblad and Fornaroli close behind in fourth and fifth respectively. 

Sebastian Montoya managed to finish in the points- paying positions despite his initial heartbreak, adding four crucial championship points to his tally. 

The Championship

Today’s result marks Dunne’s second Feature Race victory of the season, catapulting the rookie up into the championship lead. Browning moves up into second, securing his fourth podium finish from four rounds. As a result of their double podium, Hitech leads the Teams’ Championship by just one point ahead of Campos Racing. 

Formula 2 is in for two more consecutive race weekends, heading to Monaco for the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix from the 22nd- 25th of May.