Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov claimed a clinical Formula 2 feature race victory at the iconic Red Bull Ring.
The Bulgarian driver held off his rivals for the duration of the race to claim a pivotal victory in his championship hopes. Behind Tsolov were Gabriele Mini and Ollie Goethe, who claimed a 2-3 finish for the MP Motorsport team.
As drivers prepared for the race start, it was Noel Leon and Alex Dunne who lined up on the front row. Both drivers were chasing a first feature race victory in 2026, after securing several podiums throughout the season. Behind them, it was Campos’ team-mate Nikola Tsolov in third, who needed to outscore his championship rival Gabriele Mini to reclaim the championship lead ahead of the British Grand Prix.
Further back in the field, reigning Formula 3 Champions Rafael Camara sat in fifth. Following a post-race penalty after Saturday’s sprint race, the Brazilian will be looking to secure a significant points haul.
As the lights went out for the final time this weekend, Leon had a brilliant start off the line, as Dunne struggled. The Irishman found himself in third place, making it a Campos 1-2. But in the second turn it was Tsolov, who used his experience to get past his rival. Mini found himself in third place, as Goethe made big moves into fifth place.
As the lap unfolded, the Safety Car was released due to early lap contact between yesterday’s podium sitters, Sebastian Montoya and Rafael Villagomez. Joshua Durksen squeezed the Van Amersfoort driver, who ultimately made contact with Montoya from behind. Taking Montoya and Villagomez out on Lap 1.
The battle for the virtual race lead
At the end of Lap 4, the Safety Car peeled into the pit lane. Red Bull junior Tsolov led the field away, as his team-mate attempted to reclaim his race lead. Heading into Turn 1, all cars remained in their places, for a tame restart.
Durksen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak were locked in an intense battle for eighth place. After much defending from the Thai driver, Durksen was able to get past and chase after yesterday’s race winner John Bennett.
On Lap 7, the first pit stops began. Leon and Roman Bilinski changed their super soft tyres for the harder soft compound tyre for the remaining 33 laps. Following this, the front of the field began to follow suit, with Tsolov pitting on Lap 9. But a slow stop from the Campos team, saw the Bulgarian meters ahead of his rival Dunne.
After Mini’s pit stop, he found himself ahead of Tsolov and Dunne. But with warmer tyres, Tsolov and Dunne easily made their way past the championship leader. Leaving the Red Bull junior in the effective lead of the race.
Meanwhile, out front, it was Ollie Goethe who led the race on the alternative strategy. The MP Motorsport driver has struggled throughout the season with consistency, and a solid result here could restart the Germans campaign.
The battle for the effective lead continued to intensify on Lap 12. Tsolov continued defending against the Alpine junior driver. However, the Irishman was not giving up. Dunne looked to the outside of turn 5, forcing the pair wheel to wheel.
Importantly, with soaring track temperatures and a close Mini behind, the pair could not afford to collide or wear out their tyres prematurely.
The following lap saw Dunne gets past into ninth place, or the virtual lead of the race. The move left Tsolov compromised, and under pressure from his championship rival Mini.
Closely behind them, Camara got past Leon for 12th place. The Brazilian found himself five tenths behind the battle between Mini and Tsolov.
Halfway point of the Feature Race
Despite an intensifying battle within the midfield, Goethe appeared to be cruising in the lead of the race. The German maintained a 26-second gap to those on the soft tyre, or the virtual race leaders.
As seen yesterday, DRS is extremely powerful for these drivers. As the race began to enter a stalemate, drivers could be preparing for a last-ditch dash for victory.
Lap 24 saw Dunne make an error in the final turn, allowing Tsolov to gain pace against his rival. A compromised run to Turn 1, allowed the Red Bull driver to sail back into the race lead. However, the nightmare wasn’t over for Dunne, who was immediately put under pressure by his fellow Alpine Academy member, Mini.
Tsolov broke the DRS to the rest of the field within a lap of getting into the lead.
Mari Boya brings out the Virtual Safety Car, following a fire in the back of his PREMA car. Makrking yet another double DNF for the Italian team.
The VSC ended on Lap 28, resuming the intense battle between Dunne and Mini. The Championship leader continued pressuring his RODIN rival, managing to sail past on Lap 29.
Further behind them, though, a battle unfolded between Durksen and Leon. This battle continued throughout Lap 29, as the Invicta driver attempted to clear his Campos rival.
Goethe finally pitted with 10 laps remaining. The MP Motorsport driver came back out in tenth place, ahead of the DAMS duo, chasing down a gap to Bennett ahead.
Dunne and Camara continue the battle for the final podium place. The Brazilian driver managed to get side by side with his rival, before Dunne forced him wide, keeping him in fourth. However, as the pair continued their battle, Durksen and Goethe found themselves edging closer to the podium battle.
On Lap 36, the battle for third was intense, with four cars fighting for one place. After several near misses, Camara gets past into turn 1 of Lap 37, but it isn’t for long, as Dunne makes his way back into third.
But Goethe, with the supersoft tyre, had an immense pace advantage and managed to get past three cars into Turn 4, securing third place. Inthraphuvasak, who was also on the alternative strategy, made his way into podium contention with three laps remaining.
Final three laps
With only a few laps remaining, the fight for the last positions intensified. Martinius Stenshorne and Leon fought over seventh place, with the RODIN driver making his way into the higher points place.
Camara was still under pressure from Inthraphuvasak behind. The Thai driver with superior grip and younger tyres challenged the F3 champion throughout the final lap. However, the Brazilian used his racecraft to keep the Thai driver behind. Ultimately finishingh the race in fourth place.
Out front Tsolov claimed a commanding victory ahead of his direct championship rival Mini. Ollie Goethe completed the podium, achieving his first F2 podium of 2026.
As the championship looks towards the next round in Silverstone, there is a two-point gap between Tsolov and Mini. Setting up for an exciting next round of racing.
READ MORE: Formula 2 2026 Austrian GP – Feature Race Results
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