The FIA Formula 2 round in Montreal was nothing short of dramatic and action-packed. Following the drama, Noel León rose to the top, claiming the title of the first Mexican to win an F2 race.
Gabriele Mini clinched his second podium of the season, with Martinius Stenshorne taking Rodin to the final step of the podium.
The Calm Before the Storm
Sprint Pole-sitter Mini looked set to take his second win, comfortably leading as the lights went out.
Joshua Durksen made a jump through the field to second place, albeit making contact with the Mexican. The Invicta Racing driver was handed a five second penalty for the incident.
The first few laps saw a solid battle between the Paraguayan and the Mexican, with the two going head-to-head for a spot on the podium.
On Lap 6, Nikola Tsolov launched a late move into Turn 10, overtaking Nico Varrone for seventh position.
After several laps of pressure, Noel León executed a switchback exiting the final corner, reclaiming second position from Durksen decisively.
Tsolov attempted another ambitious Turn 10 overtake, but contact with Stenshorne triggered chaos across the field immediately.
The collision sent John Bennett spinning down the order, forcing officials to deploy the Safety Car.
With the Trident driver stranded trackside, the stewards later issued the Bulgarian driver with a 10-second penalty for causing a collision.
Drama on the Restart
As the safety car ended, León made an incredible jump, catching race leader Minì. The Campos driver was able to overtake the Alpine Junior comfortably on Lap 28.
Chaos erupted at Turn 10 when contact between Alex Dunne and Durksen caused the Paraguayan to spin, shuffling the order once again.
Meanwhile, León seized this opportunity brilliantly, overtaking Minì through the final corners to claim the race lead. R
ace control deployed the Safety Car once again after Duerksen remained stranded at Turn 10, with the Irish driver receiving a decisive 10-second penalty.
The Final Laps
The yellow flag was waved after Rafael Villagomez made contact with the barriers at Turn 4.
In addition, chaos remained a prominent theme as Cian Shields, Varonne and Mari Boya collided at the hairpin.
The Virtual Safety Car ended on Lap 27, with León nearing a four-second advantage over Minì on the restart.
Behind the leaders, Dunne rapidly closed the gap, piling pressure onto Minì heading into the final lap.
With nobody to challenge the Mexican driver, Leon secured his maiden F2 victory with a composed and commanding drive.
A late DRS move initially promoted Dunne into second position on track, but his penalty handed Minì the position back. Stenshorne secured the final podium position, delivering another strong result for Rodin Motorsport in Montréal.
Formula 2 will return at 13:05 local time for the Feature Race on Sunday 14 May, 2026.
Feature Image Credits: Everything Trackside