Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara claimed his fifth FIA Formula 2 pole position of the 2026 season, leading a dominant one-two for the team in qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix. Câmara topped the session ahead of teammate Joshua Durksen, while Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne secured third on the grid. The result puts Invicta in a strong position heading into the weekend’s racing at Monza.
The post-break session was cut short when Hitech’s Colton Herta hit the barriers, sustaining significant damage and forcing race control to red-flag Free Practice. Before the stoppage, Dunne had set the pace with a 1:31.957, putting Rodin Motorsport at the top of the timesheets. Oliver Goethe and Nicolás Varrone completed the top three in the curtailed session.
Green Flags and Stellar Times
Qualifying got underway with a subdued opening as drivers stayed tucked inside the garages, waiting for the track to come to life. Six minutes into the session, Dunne became the first to break the silence, leading a queue of cars onto the 5.793 km circuit with Cian Shields tucked in behind.
The field completed their installation laps before returning to the pits. Dunne first to emerge for a serious push. But his opening attempt unravelled at Ascari. A Costly lock-up forced the Irishman to run across the chicane and abandon the lap.
At the sharp end, Rafael Câmara laid down the early benchmark with a 1:31.900. Campos’ Noel León immediately edged ahead with a 1:31.878. Joshua Dürksen then turned up the pace, lowering the benchmark to a 1:31.701 as the order began to shuffle.
After ending Free Practice in P2, Oliver Goethe opened qualifying with a lap good enough for fourth. German was soon demoted as championship leader Nikola Tsolov moved ahead with a 1:31.797.
Dunne was quick to respond.Having compromised his opening attempt, Dunne bounced back with a 1:31.779 to move into fourth. As the opening runs settled, Dürksen held the provisional pole ahead of León and Câmara. Dunne and Tsolov completing the top five.
An Easy Sweep by Invicta Racing
The circuit fell silent as drivers returned to the pits to prepare for their final attempts. Laurens van Hoepen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak among several drivers to lose their lap times to track limits.
With five minutes remaining, the field streamed back onto the circuit. the group set up a frantic final run as drivers jostled for track position.
Most of the grid filtered through the pit lane, while a handful opted to stay out. Mari Boya emerged at the head of the queue, but Bilinski wasted no time in jumping ahead. The Pole weaved through the traffic before beginning his final push.
As the final laps unfolded, Martinius Stenshorne surged to third with a 1:31.675. Before Dunne crossed the line with a 1:31.471 to move into second.
But Câmara had the final say. The Brazilian delivered when it mattered most to secure his fifth pole position of the season. While Dürksen found further time on his final attempt to reclaim second and seal an Invicta front-row lockout for Sunday’s Feature Race.
Results
Rafael Câmara secured pole along with teammate Joshua Dürksen beside him for an Invicta 1-2. Alex Dunne came in third with León and Stenshorne in the top 5. Tsoslov, Inthraphuvasak followed, leaving Miyata, Goethe and Bennett as the top three for the Sprint Race
Formula 2 will return tomorrow for the Sprint Race at 14:15 local time.
Featured Image Credit: Formula 2 on X