Pepe Marti took the win after qualifying in P11 for the F2 Sprint Race at the 2025 Bahrain GP. He was followed by Richard Verschoor and pole-sitter Joshua Durksen.
Joshua Durksen lined up on pole after also taking victory in Australia’s Sprint Race. Dino Beganovic completed the front row, with Rafael Villagomez in third.
Lights Out
A strong start for Durksen saw him lead the field from pole, with Beganovic and Villagomez also holding position.
Victor Martins saw early front wing damage, dramatically bursting through the polystyrene boards at the start after contact with Alexander Dunne.
Safety Car
Lap two saw the release of the safety car due to a spin for Sebastian Montoya at Turn 7.
This came after contact with Amaury Cordeel.
Martins made his way into the pits after his lap one contact, with the team fitting a new front wing.
Max Esterson also came into the pits with front wing damage.
Durksen led Beganovic, Villagomez, Richard Verschoor and Dunne.
Safety Car Ending
Durksen put his foot down on the penultimate corner as the safety car ended into lap five.
Browning gained two positions to P7, whilst Dunne attempted a move on Verschoor for P4 but was unable to take advantage.
Pepe Marti was quickly on the back of Dunne and was able to make the move on lap six, although the overtake happened off track.
Under Attack
By lap seven, Beganovic was in DRS range of leader Durksen, with Villagomez also ready to attack for P2.
Dunne retook P5 from Marti, with the Campos driver still under investigation for overtaking off of track.
Luke Browning was trying to recover from a difficult start, pressuring Marti for P6.
Verschoor took the final podium position from Villagomez on Turn 4 of lap ten, with the consequences of tyre degradation starting to prevail.
A Change Of Lead
A change of lead saw Beganovic take first position from Durksen down the inside into Turn 4 of lap 11.
Breaking the DRS was now the priority for the Swedish driver.
Durksen didn’t defend the lead to his full potential, letting AIX know over the radio that he thought Beganovic was pushing his tyres too much and that he would be able to retake the lead again later in the race.
From Lap 14…
A late move for Dunne saw him move down the inside of Villagomez at Turn 1 for P4.
Browning was told through the radio that drivers were likely to “start struggling soon.”
Beganovic had comfortably broken DRS from Durksen, controlling the race.
Another Safety Car
Esterson came to a stop, seeing the second safety car of the race.
Kush Maini took a gamble and pitted for a new set of soft tyres, with Gabriele Mini following suit.
This triggered a flurry of pit stops from several of the drivers who were not in the points, in hope that they would be able to make their way through the field on fresher tyres on the restart.
Green Flag
Durksen retook the lead from Beganovic into the first corner of lap 19, with Verschoor holding the final podium position.
Contact between Dunne and Browning saw the Irish driver momentarily leave the track, with the British driver stating that Dunne “demolished” him.
Villagomez was able to take advantage, moving back up to fifth after their contact at the exit of Turn 5.
Close Call
Mini, Jak Crawford and Oliver Goethe went three-wide at Turn 12, almost resulting in the end of their race as they made contact.
However, they were all able to continue, with the MP driver taking 11th position on his new tyres.
On the penultimate lap, Durksen and Beganovic were once again fighting for the lead, almost making contact.
Verschoor and Marti were also in the fight.
The Final Lap
Remarkably, Marti took the lead from Durksen going into Turn 1 of the final lap, holding the lead until the chequered flag of the F2 Sprint Bahrain GP 2025.
From P11 to P1, the Campos driver set the standard.
Verschoor managed to improve to P2, with pole-sitter Durksen falling into the final podium position.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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