Rafael Camara delivered a masterclass in timing and raw pace to secure F2 pole position at the Italian GP, edging out Alex Dunne and Joshua Duerksen in a frantic qualifying session.
Rapidly improving track conditions triggered a late flurry of flying laps, turning early garage standoffs into an intense battle for the front row.
The F2 Italian GP weekend so far
Alexander Dunne led practice for Rodin Motorsport, topping the session with a 1:31.957.
Emerson Fittipaldi set the early pace for AIX Racing, but Noel León soon went fastest for Campos Racing.
Dunne quickly answered, setting a 1:32.297 to take P1 before MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe briefly displaced him.
Dunne then fired back with his session-topping lap to reclaim the top spot.
A Red Flag halted the session with 17 minutes remaining when Colton Herta spun off at Turn 7 into the inside wall.
Herta walked away unhurt, but the only practice session at the Italian GP could not restart before time expired.
Dunne finished fastest ahead of Goethe and Nico Varrone, with Nikola Tsolov and Roman Bilinski completing the top five.
Green flag for Qualifying
Drivers initially waited in their garages for optimal track conditions before filtering out of the pitlane together.
Every driver hit the circuit for their runs, with Alex Dunne leading the pack onto the first flying lap.
Drama quickly followed when Dunne ran wide at the Ascari chicane.
Joshua Duerksen then jumped to P1 with a 1:31.701, keeping Noel Leon 0.177 seconds behind in second.
Rafael Camara then surged to the top with a 1:31.326, putting him over two and a half tenths clear of Leon, with Duerksen dropping to third.
Alex Dunne initially found himself down in P22 before pitting for setup adjustments.
Returning to the track for a critical banker lap on older tyres and without the benefit of a tow, the Irishman delivered a strong effort to jump up to P4, finishing just 0.453 seconds off the pace.
The final shootout
With five minutes remaining on the clock, the pitlane exploded into life as drivers jostled for track position.
While most filed down the lane, a few stayed out on circuit to hold their gap, placing Mari Boya at the head of the running queue.
Roman Bilinski aggressively weaved through the pack to jump the queue before launching into his final effort.
The timing screens lit up purple as the final checkered flag approached.
Martinius Stenshorne catapulted himself up to P3 with a 1:31.675, while Alex Dunne briefly slotted into P2 with a 1:31.471.
However, Duerksen delivered a clutch late improvement to secure second, leaving no answer for Camara as the Brazilian sealed pole position to lock out the front row for Sunday’s Feature Race.
Behind the top five, Nikola Tsolov slotted into sixth ahead of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, Ritomo Miyata, and Oliver Goethe, with John Bennett rounding out the top 10.
READ MORE – Formula 2 2026 Italian Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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