- DAMS driver claims lights-to-flag victory in Madrid feature race
- Wins by over seven seconds in commanding performance
Dino Beganovic powered to his first Formula 2 win of the season with a blistering performance in Madrid, scoring a lights-to-flag victory to clinch Sunday’s feature race by over seven seconds.
Following a difficult weekend in Monza, Beganovic bounced back in emphatic style as the F2 field reconvened in Spain just a few days later, converting pole position into a commanding victory at the all-new Madring street track.
The outcome marks Beganovic’s first F2 feature race win, adding to his sprint race victory last year in Baku. It is also his first triumph with the DAMS Lucas Oil outfit.
“An absolutely incredible weekend here in Madrid,” says Dino Beganovic. “We came here looking to bounce back after Monza, and I think it’s fair to say that we did! All the way from practice, the car felt very good. I really want to thank the team for putting in all the hard work. Big credit to them.
“There have been some ups and downs this season, but here we really showed what we can do. I’m super proud of our performance this weekend. It means a lot.”
Beganovic laid down the early marker by storming to pole position in Friday’s qualifying session, topping the times by over two tenths of a second. In doing so, he bagged his second pole of the season and his third in total in Formula 2, while also booking himself a place in history as the first-ever pole-setter at the all-new Madring street track.
While his qualifying heroics left him at the sharp end of the field for Sunday’s feature race, it also put him tenth on the partially reversed grid for Saturday’s sprint race. That proved a relatively static affair, and Beganovic duly finished tenth.
It all came together for a resounding conclusion on Sunday, however, as the Swede covered off his lead from pole position, led the entirety of the way, and scored an imposing lights-to-flag feature race victory.
Toppling the opposition with a 7.3-second margin, Beganovic becomes the first F2 feature race winner at the Madring, taking the spoils just hours before the circuit’s inaugural Formula 1 race.
“I love the kind of challenge a track like this throws up,” Dino Beganovic concludes. “It resets the playing field and you just have to drive on your instincts. It is tough, and this is a very physical track, but I love it. We had good pace in Miami and Canada as well, two other new tracks in F2, and I can’t explain how happy I am to finally get this victory.”
The Madrid outcome lifts Beganovic up to sixth in the Formula 2 standings. The championship will resume in Baku, Azerbaijan – the site of Beganovic’s first F2 win last year – on September 24-26.
RESULTS
FIA Formula 2 Championship
Rd. 11 – Madrid (ESP)
Race 1 (Sprint Race)
1: R. Miyata (JPN), Hitech
2: E. Fittipaldi (BRA), AIX Racing
3: L. van Hoepen (NED), Trident
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10: D. Beganovic (SWE), DAMS Lucas Oil
Race 2 (Feature Race)
1: D. Beganovic (SWE), DAMS Lucas Oil
2: A. Dunne (IRE), Rodin Motorsport
3: R. Miyata (JPN), Hitech
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
FIA Formula 2 Championship
After 11/14 rounds
1: N. Tsolov (BUL), Campos Racing, 177 p.
2: R. Câmara (BRA), Invicta Racing, 170 p.
3: G. Minì (ITA), MP Motorsport, 153 p.
4: A. Dunne (IRE), Rodin Motorsport, 139 p.
5: N. Léon (MEX), Campos Racing, 119 p.
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6: D. Beganovic (SWE), DAMS Lucas Oil, 106 p.
