- Time penalty shoves Swede off Yas Marina podium by 0.2s
- Strong weekend nets pair of P4 results in season-finale
Dino Beganovic put on another encouraging display as the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship drew to a close in Abu Dhabi, battling up front in both season-ending races at Yas Marina.
After qualifying fourth on Friday, the Swedish Hitech driver found himself lining up seventh on the partially reversed 22-car grid going into Saturday’s Sprint Race in the UAE emirate.
Picking up one position off the line, Beganovic swiftly moved into the top five with a committed overtake further around the opening lap, before sealing a P4 finish with another bold move around the outside of the sweeping Turn 9 later in the race.
“I was really happy with the Sprint Race,” says Dino Beganovic. “Up three positions, very good pace, and a couple of nice moves along the way. It was an enjoyable one.”
Moving into Sunday’s season-ending Feature Race, Beganovic duly slotted into position on the second row of the grid. For the second day in succession, he again managed to make up ground on the opening lap, overtaking both newly-crowned champion Leonardo Fornaroli and championship runner-up Jak Crawford on the first tour.
Beganovic then jumped on the opportunity provided by the mandatory pit stops, overtaking the then-race leader as both rejoined on cold tyres after switching from supersoft to medium Pirellis on lap seven.
Jumped by eventual winner Joshua Dürksen who pitted a lap later, however, Beganovic settled into a net second place which he then maintained throughout the rest of the race.
Despite finishing second on the road, Beganovic was ultimately denied a podium in the final race of the campaign as both Hitech cars were each dealt a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane – shovelling Beganovic to fourth in the final results.
To add to the frustration, he missed out on the podium by just two tenths of a second once the penalty had been applied.
“It’s a shame for it to end like that after another very strong race out there today,” says Dino Beganovic. “There was an issue in pit lane and it ultimately cost us a podium by the tiniest of margins, but that’s racing sometimes. It would have been a nice way to bow out in my last race with the team, but I’m very pleased with the performance again this weekend here in Abu Dhabi.”
Beganovic’s rookie Formula 2 campaign has netted him four podium finishes – including a maiden series win – one pole position, and six bonus points for fastest lap. He is classified seventh in the final championship standings with 116 points to his tally.
“It’s been a challenging season at times, but I’ve learned a lot and for that I want to thank everyone at Hitech,” says Beganovic. “The final part of the season really showed what we could do. Now, there are some important days of testing coming up and I’m really excited for that. I already can’t wait for next year!”
Beganovic will now remain in Abu Dhabi for testing commitments in the coming week. First, he will run in the Formula 1 young driver test on Tuesday with Ferrari, before reverting to Formula 2 for the series’ official post-season test on Wednesday-Friday. The test will see Beganovic out on track for his 2026 team, DAMS Lucas Oil.
RESULTS
FIA Formula 2 Championship
Rd. 14 – Yas Marina Circuit (UAE)
Race 1 (Sprint Race)
1: A. Lindblad (GBR), Campos Racing
2: J. Dürksen (PAR), AIX Racing
3: N. Tsolov (BUL), Campos Racing
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4: D. Beganovic (SWE), Hitech
Race 2 (Feature Race)
1: J. Dürksen (PAR), AIX Racing
2: R. Stanek (CZE), Invicta Racing
3: G. Minì (ITA), PREMA Racing
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4: D. Beganovic (SWE), Hitech
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
FIA Formula 2 Championship
After 14/14 rounds
1: L. Fornaroli (ITA), Invicta Racing, 211 p.
2: J. Crawford (USA), DAMS Lucas Oil, 175 p.
3: R. Verschoor (NED), MP Motorsport, 170 p.
4: L. Browning (GBR), Hitech, 162 p.
5: A. Dunne (IRE), Rodin Motorsport, 150 p.
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7: D. Beganovic (SWE), Hitech, 116 p.
