F2 Spanish GP qualifying results: Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic takes pole after red-flag chaos

Ferrari Driver Academy member Dino Beganovic claimed pole position in Formula 2 qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix after a chaotic session in Madrid dominated by crashes and repeated red flags. Low grip on the Madring surface caused problems throughout the field, but the DAMS driver ultimately produced a 1:44.331 lap to beat Alexander Dunne and Rafael Câmara to first place.

The afternoon was anything but straightforward on the Spanish Grand Prix weekend in Madrid. Incidents followed one another throughout qualifying as drivers struggled for grip on the new circuit. Fortunately, nobody suffered any physical consequences, although several teams now face considerable repair work to prepare damaged cars for tomorrow’s Sprint race.

F2 Spanish GP qualifying disrupted by repeated crashes

The session was delayed by six minutes at the start after Kush Maini lost control of his car. The Indian driver suffered a double spin before hitting the barriers, immediately adding to the difficult conditions already seen around Madring.

Sebastian Montoya also made contact with the barriers, striking them with the right-rear of his car. Unlike Kush Maini, however, Sebastian Montoya was able to return to the pits under his own power without compromising the remainder of his session.

The incidents continued once Kush Maini’s car had been recovered and the track reopened. Almost the entire field had completed its first attempt when another crash brought the action to a halt. Nico Varrone hit the barriers at Turn 19, the same corner where Dino Beganovic had also struggled to keep his car on the intended line.

Turn 19 had already emerged as one of the most punishing areas of the new Madrid venue during Formula 2 practice, when Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak suffered a major crash at Madring. The combination of limited grip and barriers close to the racing line continued to punish mistakes during qualifying.

Before the stoppage, Nikola Tsolov held the fastest time with a 1:46.328. The Bulgarian driver was just two thousandths of a second faster than Alexander Dunne, leaving very little between the leading contenders before the next sequence of flying laps began.

Dino Beganovic finds the decisive pace in Madrid

When qualifying resumed, Alexander Dunne was the first driver to make a significant improvement, lowering the benchmark to 1:45.416. Dino Beganovic immediately responded with a 1:45.182, while Nikola Tsolov dropped to sixth place after being unable to complete a faster lap.

Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic then found another substantial improvement. The Swedish driver produced a 1:44.578, temporarily opening a gap of around eight tenths over Alexander Dunne. Gabriele Minì also moved into contention with a 1:45.706, which at that stage was enough for provisional third place and kept the Italian firmly inside the leading group.

The final minutes brought yet more disruption. While Nikola Tsolov and Rafael Câmara were improving their positions, John Bennett hit the barriers at Turn 11 and triggered another interruption. It was particularly frustrating for the Trident driver because John Bennett had set the fastest opening sector of the entire qualifying session on the lap that ended in the accident.

The difficult conditions reflected the concerns surrounding a circuit where the walls leave little margin for error. Formula 1 drivers had also warned about the potential for crashes and red flags at the new Madrid track before competitive running began.

Dino Beganovic beats Alexander Dunne to F2 pole

Alexander Dunne briefly returned to the top of the timing screens in the closing stages, but Dino Beganovic had one final response. The Swedish driver delivered a 1:44.331, securing pole position with the fastest lap of the session.

Alexander Dunne finished second with a 1:44.561, while Rafael Câmara climbed to third despite narrowly avoiding an error at the final corner. Colton Herta was less fortunate, crashing at Turn 19 while completing his own lap and becoming another driver caught out by one of Madring’s most difficult sections.

Dino Beganovic therefore ended F2 Spanish Grand Prix qualifying on pole ahead of Alexander Dunne and Rafael Câmara. The Brazilian also gained two positions over championship rival Nikola Tsolov, who could manage only fifth place. That represents a valuable advantage in the title fight heading into a weekend that has already shown the potential to produce further surprises.

Martinius Stenshorne finished fourth, with Nikola Tsolov fifth. Roman Bilinski, Laurens van Hoepen, Noel Leon, Ritomo Miyata and Emerson Fittipaldi completed the top ten.