Arvid Lindblad delivered a poised and measured performance to win the final Formula 2 Sprint Race of the season at Yas Marina, holding off sustained pressure from Joshua Dürksen to take a well-earned victory.
Strong Start From Lindblad as Dürksen and Tsolov Give Chase
Starting from the reverse-grid pole, Lindblad kept his nerve into Turn 1, covering off Duerksen on the inside. Nikola Tsolov, recovering from a post-Qualifying penalty, wasted no time moving into third ahead of Oliver Goethe.
The opening lap was lively throughout the field. Dino Beganovic made swift progress, sweeping past Victor Martins to push the ART driver down to sixth by the time the pack reached Turn 9.
Early Pressure, Fast Laps and the First VSC
DRS was activated on Lap 2, enabling Dürksen to follow the leader closely. For several laps he remained within half a second. Lindblad resisted each approach and set a fast lap on Lap 5 with a 1:40.428.
The race took its first twist on Lap 8 when John Bennett pulled off the circuit, prompting a Virtual Safety Car. Lindblad managed the restart well, while Dürksen made a costly error at Turn 12 on Lap 9, briefly dropping out of DRS range.
Lindblad Pulls Clear as Midfield Battle Intensifies
By Lap 12, Lindblad began edging away, extending his lead to over two seconds. Behind him, Martins found himself under heavy pressure from Alex Dunne, Gabriele Minì and Jak Crawford in the fight for sixth.
Crawford, one of the day’s standout movers, passed Minì on Lap 14 and Dunne three laps later before launching an attack on Martins. Slight contact at Turn 6 gave the DAMS driver a damaged front wing, but he still completed the move into Turn 9. Debris on the track triggered a second VSC on Lap 20.
Final-Lap Tension as Duerksen Closes In
Once racing resumed on Lap 21, Lindblad again judged the restart well, though Dürksen responded immediately. The AIX driver closed the gap to 0.916 seconds entering the final lap, with DRS bringing him to within 0.716 seconds. While Luke Browning was the last driver on track, he set the fastest lap in the ending phases of the race, with a 1:39.563.
Lindblad remained composed at the front, defending decisively into Turn 9 and controlling the run to the flag to seal victory after 23 laps. Dürksen took second, while Tsolov claimed a breakthrough maiden Formula 2 podium in third. Further back, Beganovic completed a late but decisive overtake on Goethe for fourth. Behind them, Crawford, Martins and Dunne rounded out the points.
Championship Fight Goes Down to the Final Day
The Teams’ Championship remains finely poised. Invicta Racing stay marginally ahead, but Hitech GP and Campos Racing, boosted by Lindblad’s sprint win, remain firmly in contention. One final Feature Race tomorrow will decide the destiny of the 2025 Formula 2 season.