Noel León secures first win at formula 2 after claiming victory in the Sprint Race at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. In a race defined by multiple Safety Cars, incidents and penalties, the Campos Racing driver took advantage of the chaos to beat Gabriele Minì and cross the line in first place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The Sprint Race featured constant interruptions from start to finish, with track position shifting repeatedly due to incidents and neutralisations, making it one of the most unpredictable races of the weekend.
Intense battles in the opening laps
Starting from third on the reverse grid, Noel León secures first win at formula 2 after initially losing a position at the start, while Gabriele Minì maintained the lead with a strong launch into Turn 1.
Joshua Dürksen also made a strong start to the Sprint Race, climbing from fifth to second in the opening corners, while Rafael Villagómez dropped down the order in the early phase.
Minì quickly established a strong rhythm at the front and built an early gap. Behind him, León and Dürksen engaged in a close and continuous battle for second place, exchanging positions multiple times in the opening laps.
Dürksen briefly regained position after running wide at the final chicane, but León continued to apply pressure and eventually retook second place with a clean and decisive move.
The first major incident of the race came when Nikola Tsolov attempted an overtake on Martinius Stenshorne, locked up under braking and made contact. Stenshorne was then sent into John Bennett, who spun and came to a stop at the hairpin, triggering the first Safety Car.
On the restart, Noel León secures first win at formula 2 momentum began to build as he immediately attacked Minì around the outside of Turn 1, coming close to taking the lead before continuing to pressure the MP Motorsport driver.
Late race chaos
Following the restart, the race was neutralised once again after contact between Alexander Dunne and Dürksen, which caused the Paraguayan driver to spin. Dunne received a 10-second penalty for causing the collision, while Dürksen had already been handed a five-second penalty earlier in the race. Tsolov was also penalised with 10 seconds for his earlier incident involving Stenshorne.
The constant interruptions continued to shape the Sprint Race, preventing any driver from building stable long-run rhythm and keeping the field tightly packed through successive restarts.
In the closing stages, Rafael Villagómez became involved in another major incident after forcing Stenshorne wide in Turn 1 and later crashing into the barriers a few corners afterwards, which triggered a Virtual Safety Car.
Almost simultaneously, Cian Shields collided heavily with the rear of Nico Varrone at the exit of the hairpin, ending his race immediately and adding another retirement to a chaotic session.
Despite the repeated interruptions, Noel León secures first win at formula 2 by maintaining full control in the final restart phase. He pulled clear of Minì, managed tyre performance and pace effectively, and controlled the closing laps without pressure from behind.
León eventually crossed the line to secure his maiden Formula 2 victory, in a race defined as much by survival and consistency as by outright pace.
Championship standings
With his second-place finish in the Sprint Race at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, Gabriele Minì officially took the lead of the Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship.
The MP Motorsport driver scored important points by finishing just behind Noel León and now leads the provisional 2026 standings heading into the Feature Race weekend finale at the top of the table.
