Driver Joshua Dürksen delivered a tenacious performance during FIA Formula 2’s race weekend in Montréal. Dürksen battled other drivers in two competitions, the Sprint Race and Feature Race 23 and 24 of May 2026. In the Sprint Race, Dürksen battled near the front in a chaotic clash before late contact forced him out of the competition. Regrettably, the race terminated with a disappointing end for Dürksen after a collision and post-race penalty.
The next day, Montréal held the more consequential Feature Race. Despite the difficulties the previous day, Dürksen marched on. He finished in an impressive 4th place before his time penalty, which demoted him to 12th. Despite the outcome, the Invicta Racing driver demonstrated his talent. Talent, that has made him one of Formula 2’s most closely watched young talents.
What is the Montréal Sprint Race?
The Montréal Sprint Race formed part of a Formula 2 Sprint weekend. The championship raced on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, located on Île Notre-Dame along the Saint Lawrence River. Before the race, The Prime Minister of Québec Christine Fréchette nominated the late Gilles Villeneuve as an historical sporting figure.
The weekend format includes a shorter secondary race in addition to the main Feature Race. Sprint Races are designed to encourage close competition and overtaking. Furthermore, they award fewer championship points and often use a reversed-grid format that places drivers in unexpected positions on the starting grid. As a result, more wheel-to-wheel action is created.
The 4.361-kilometre circuit is famous for its stop and go layout. The drivers accelerate hard on long straights before braking heavily into tight corners. Therefore, major importance is placed upon braking ability. The track also features the famous Wall of Champions near the final chicane (curves designed to reduce speed). The designation was given after several world champions who crashed there during the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix.
Dürksen battles near the front of the Sprint
Driver Joshua Dürksen immediately established himself in the fight for the leading positions after an aggressive opening lap. The Paraguayan driver challenged Rafael Villagómez into the opening corners. Afterwards, he became involved in a fierce battle with Noel León for second place.
Despite early rough contact between the cars, Dürksen continued pushing forward. He briefly moved into second near Turn Three. León later reclaimed the position. Continuously, the pair exchanged places in one of the race’s most intense battles.
Strategic chicane overtaking
In motorsport, overtaking battles are often decided under braking zones and through chicanes. Dürksen used the final chicane effectively to launch several attacks during the race. The Invicta driver later received a five second penalty after stewards ruled, he had caused the opening-lap collision with León. A time penalty adds seconds to a driver’s race result or must be served during a pit stop.
Even after the penalty, the Paraguayan driver remained competitive and continued fighting inside the top positions. He recovered places after several off-track moments and defended strongly against challenges from rivals including Martinius Stenshorne and Nikola Tsolov. His race eventually ended after contact from Alex Dunne at the hairpin corner forced him to retire from the event. In Formula 2, retiring means a driver is unable to continue the race because of damage or technical problems.
Dunne later received a ten second penalty for the incident, while the Safety Car was deployed to slow the field while marshals cleared the circuit. Because Dürksen retired before serving his original penalty, race stewards converted the sanction into a three-place grid drop for the subsequent Feature Formula 2 race.
The Montreal Feature Race
The F2 Montreal Feature Race is the primary race of the weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Feature Race awards the highest number of championship points. Moreover, it includes a mandatory pit stop where drivers are required to change tyre compounds. The race is contested over 39 laps. Racers drive the equivalent of 170 kilometres, or compete against the maximum time limit of 60 minutes plus one lap.
The starting grid for the Feature Race is determined directly by Friday’s official qualifying session results. This differs from the Sprint Race format, which reverses the top ten positions from qualifying to encourage overtaking and closer competition.
Driver Joshua Dürksen’s penalties activated during the Feature Race
Dürksen originally qualified sixth on the grid with a lap time of 1:21.780, finishing just 0.358 seconds behind pole position. However, after receiving a three-place grid penalty following his collision with Noel León in the Sprint Race, the Paraguayan driver started further down the order for Sunday’s Feature Race.
Despite the setback, Joshua Dürksen crossed the finish line in fourth place. Unfortunately, stewards later applied the additional 5 second time penalty related to the earlier incident. Thus, he was demoted 4th to 12th in the final classification.
One of Formula 2’s rising talents
In 2024, Dürksen made history by becoming the first Paraguayan driver to compete in Formula 2. Now, he is competing in his third season after two impressive performances. Across his first two years in the championship, he amassed four victories and twelve podium finishes.
Driver Joshua Dürksen entered the 2026 season with growing momentum after joining Mercedes as a Development Driver earlier this year. Despite the setbacks in the Montreal racing weekend, Dürksen still serves as a pioneering figure in motorsports across Paraguay.
