Ahead of the Austrian feature race, and fresh off becoming the first Mexican pole-sitter in Formula 2 history, Noel Leon is ready to capitalize on his historic starting position. “We will try to maximize,” Leon told the media. “Our pace is quite good, it seems the car is working very well.”
The race start is not without its tribulations as ahead of turn 3, Villagomez and Montoya find themselves into the gravel in a three-way incident, causing a yellow flag that evolved into a safety car. At this point in the race, Nikola Tsolov manages to snatch the race lead, and a provisional championship lead from Gabriele Minì.
The Fight for the lead
Around lap 7 of the feature race, Roman Bilinski and Noel Leon were the first to blink, heading into the pit lane for their mandatory stops. However, a sluggish service for Leon cost him vital seconds, causing the Mexican driver to drop valuable track position.
With Nikola Tsolov and Alex Dunne joining the pit stop action, Gabriele Minì stays on track, seeking to execute an overcut that seems successful right until Nikola Tsolov, with warmer tires and DRS, overtakes for the virtual lead of the race. It appears Minì is avoiding excessive on-track battling to preserve his tires for later on in the race.
Alex Dunne executes a set of overtakes to find himself in virtual first place, not without a slight incident as he clips the front wing end-plate of Tsolov as he goes down the inside line in turn 3.
Meanwhile, pole-sitter Leon’s struggles deepened further back. The Mexican driver continued to bleed positions, ultimately falling prey to both Invicta drivers.
In a move that commentators noted as “lacking a bit of decorum,” Martinius Stenshorne forced his way past Villagómez, getting his elbows out and making slight contact to push his rival off the track.
Meanwhile, race leader Oliver Goethe had yet to make his mandatory stop. Sensing the urgency, his team radioed in, urging him to “push a little bit more” to extend his advantage at the front before diving into the pit lane.
On lap 25, Alex Dunne ran wide, opening the door for Tsolov to execute a clinical overtake and seize the virtual lead of the race.
Virtual Safety car deployed
Mari Boya’s afternoon came to a fiery end following a severe technical issue, forcing him to retire the car from the feature race and triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Recognizing the opportunity, Stenshorne’s pit wall reacted instantly, calling him in just seconds before the VSC was deployed to execute a clean, perfectly legal stop.
By lap 28, the battle at the front intensified as Gabriele Minì swept past his fellow Alpine junior, Alex Dunne, to claim second place. With Dunne and Rafael Câmara both tucked into DRS range, it quickly became a fierce three-way scrap for the remaining podium steps.
The action boiled over on lap 33 when Câmara launched an attack on Dunne. The Irishman held his ground aggressively, forcing Câmara off the circuit in a move that was immediately noted by the stewards. The squabble allowed the chasing pack to bridge the gap, exploding into a frantic four-way brawl for third between Dunne, Câmara, Joshua Dürksen, and Oliver Goethe. Utilizing his tire grip advantage, Goethe carved his way through the chaos, launching from fifth to third to snatch the final spot on the podium.
As the race drew to a close, a flurry of battles broke out further down the field, but the top three remained unfazed, safely managing their gaps to bring it home in position.
Our podium finishers
The day ultimately belonged to Nikola Tsolov, who claimed his third Feature Race victory of the 2026 season. Speaking in his pre-podium interview, a jubilant Tsolov reflected on the dominant performance: “Everything felt much better. I was comfortable […] the pace was mega.” For a Red Bull junior, standing on the top step of the podium at the Red Bull Ring in front of an adoring home crowd is a feeling that simply cannot be matched.
Behind him, in second place, was Gabriele Minì, our championship leader, who continues to rack up the points in his pursuit of the coveted title. In third came Oliver Goethe, the first German on the podium in five years; a surely welcomed result after a struggle-ridden run that saw him missing out on points in the past 4 race weekends.
