Joshua Dürksen Dominates Monza with Feature Race Victory
Joshua Dürksen left Monza with a clean sweep and a clear message. After owning the Sprint Race on Saturday, the Invicta Racing driver backed it up with a composed, hard-edged victory in the Formula 2 Feature Race at the Italian Grand Prix, fending off teammate Rafael Camara in a tense late duel.
Noel Leon joined them on the podium, rewarded for a sharp, opportunistic drive as chaos and pressure unfolded around him.
Dürksen seizes control after Camara’s nightmare launch
All eyes were on Ferrari junior Rafael Camara on pole. The Brazilian had the perfect platform. He squandered it within seconds.
Camara bogged down off the line, then compounded the error with a lock-up into Turn 1. Forced to cut the chicane, he had no choice but to yield the lead to his teammate Dürksen, who had launched cleanly and read the mess in front of him with icy clarity.
From there, the opening phase became an in-house dogfight. By Lap 4, the Invicta pair were trading blows into Turn 1, swapping positions over several laps as they tested each other’s nerve and braking points. It was bold. It was tight. And it was clear neither intended to play a pure support role.
The first move in the strategic battle came on Lap 6, when Dürksen dived into the pits. Camara stayed out, but only briefly. Two laps later, on Lap 8, he stopped as well and rejoined just behind his teammate, the undercut having done its work.
Now the pressure shifted. Camara had track position to chase, but he also had Dunne looming in his mirrors.
Safety Car shakes the pack
The race’s rhythm flipped on Lap 12. Colton Herta slid off into the gravel at Parabolica, and the Safety Car bunched the field back together.
On the restart, Dürksen kept his nerve. He nailed the launch, controlled the run into Turn 1, and refused to give Camara even a sniff of the inside line. Behind them, Camara’s focus quickly split between attack and defence as Dunne turned up the heat.
That pressure finally cracked the Irishman. Pushing hard, Dunne overshot and had to cut the Roggia chicane, a mistake that opened the door for Noel Leon. The Mexican didn’t hesitate. He pounced, grabbed the place, and locked himself into podium contention.
Up front, Dürksen’s calm stood in contrast to the scrapping behind. Every restart, every braking zone, every exit from the Lesmos, he looked in control.
Camara’s late charge falls short
The final laps belonged to Camara’s desperation and Dürksen’s resolve.
Once Leon had secured third, the fight for the win narrowed to a straight duel between the Invicta teammates. Lap after lap, Camara inched closer, probing under braking into Turn 1, shadowing through Ascari, trying to force even the slightest mistake.
It never came.
Heading onto the final lap, the gap had shrunk. The Brazilian sat close enough to threaten, close enough to make Dürksen think. But that was all he could do. The Paraguayan hit every apex he needed, covered the key lines, and powered out of Parabolica to take the chequered flag and complete a flawless Monza double.
Camara crossed the line second, his frustration tempered by the bigger picture: crucial points in the title fight. With championship rival Nikola Tsolov only seventh after a muted run, Camara sliced into the gap in the standings and kept his campaign very much alive.
Noel Leon’s third place capped a strong, disciplined drive, built on taking advantage when others faltered.
Winners, losers, and a shifting title picture
Not everyone left satisfied. At his home race, Gabriele Mini endured a miserable afternoon. The MP Motorsport driver never found the speed or circumstances to mount a challenge and walked away from Monza empty-handed, a harsh blow in front of the Italian fans.
Tsolov’s seventh place also carried weight. The Red Bull junior banked points, but allowed Camara to close in, a subtle yet significant twist in the title narrative.
At the sharp end, though, this weekend belonged to Joshua Dürksen. Sprint win. Feature win. Maximum pressure, maximum reward.
If Monza is a test of nerve as much as speed, he passed it twice.
