Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara wins chaotic F2 Belgian Feature Race after Van Hoepen crash

Rafael Camara, Ferrari Driver Academy member, 2026

Rafael Câmara won a chaotic F2 Belgian Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps after an incident-packed contest featuring multiple Safety Car periods and a red flag following Laurens van Hoepen’s frightening accident. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak finished second, while Formula 2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov completed the podium in third.

Van Hoepen fortunately climbed out of his damaged car unaided after it struck the barriers, bounced back onto the circuit and briefly caught fire. His escape was the most important outcome of a dramatic race in which tyre degradation, pit-stop timing, collisions and track-limit penalties repeatedly transformed the running order.

Rafael Câmara starts the F2 Belgian Feature Race from pole

After the Formula 3 action, it was Formula 2’s turn to take centre stage around the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit as part of the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix weekend.

Although the championship remained wide open, the leading contenders were beginning to establish themselves more clearly. Nikola Tsolov started fourth, behind Alexander Dunne, having extended his advantage in the standings over Gabriele Minì. The Italian had been forced to retire from the previous race because of technical problems and lined up only 12th for the Feature Race.

At the front of the grid was Ferrari Driver Academy prospect Rafael Câmara. The Invicta driver shared the front row with Thailand’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, setting up an intriguing battle into La Source.

A stalled car and early contact trigger the first Safety Car

When the lights went out, Dino Beganovic released the clutch too quickly and committed a false start. After immediately realising his mistake, he attempted to bring the car to a halt, but the DAMS stalled dangerously while the rest of the field approached at high speed.

Only a few metres further around the lap, Gabriele Minì, who had started from the midfield, missed his braking point and struck Roman Bilinski’s DAMS. Both drivers managed to continue despite the contact, although Gabriele Minì was subsequently handed a five-second penalty.

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak took full advantage of the confusion and moved into the lead. The frantic opening phase also resulted in front-wing damage for Sebastian Montoya, while Oliver Goethe came to a stop at Eau Rouge.

Race control responded by deploying the Safety Car. When the race resumed on lap three, third-placed Nikola Tsolov attempted to challenge Rafael Câmara at the first corner. The Bulgarian was forced wide into the gravel during the battle and rejoined the circuit in fifth position.

Supersoft tyre degradation transforms the running order

By the following lap, the Campos driver was already beginning to suffer from degradation on his Supersoft tyres. Nico Varrone overtook Nikola Tsolov first, before John Bennett also found a way past.

Meanwhile, the two Invicta drivers executed their attacks perfectly. Joshua Dürksen moved ahead of Alexander Dunne, while Rafael Câmara passed Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to reclaim the lead of the race.

Tyre wear continued to influence the contest. Nikola Tsolov gradually slipped towards the edge of the points-paying positions before returning to the pits alongside several other drivers, including Rafael Câmara, Alexander Dunne and Gabriele Minì. The Italian also served his five-second penalty during his stop.

There was another tense moment in the pit lane when Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak narrowly avoided an unsafe release involving Alexander Dunne. The Irish driver then overtook him shortly afterwards while the Thai driver was still struggling to bring his cold tyres up to temperature.

Laurens van Hoepen crash brings out the red flag

There was a major scare on lap eight when Laurens van Hoepen suffered a heavy accident. After aggressively striking a kerb, his Trident was sent into the barriers before rebounding onto the circuit. The car came to rest with extensive damage and the beginning of a fire.

Fortunately, Laurens van Hoepen was able to climb out unaided and appeared to be unharmed. The incident provided another stark reminder of the importance of continued improvements to safety at Spa-Francorchamps, particularly during high-speed junior-category races.

Race control displayed the red flag so that Van Hoepen’s car could be removed and the damaged barriers repaired. After a stoppage lasting more than 15 minutes, the race resumed behind the Safety Car and was converted into a timed event, with 23 minutes remaining.

The interruption added another chapter to a recent history of Formula 2 and Formula 3 races being disrupted at Spa, although on this occasion the stoppage was required because of accident damage rather than poor weather.

Rafael Câmara fights back after the restart

The action resumed immediately after the new restart. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak gained several positions as he worked his way back up to 12th, while Rafael Câmara completed an aggressive move on Cian Shields that also helped Alexander Dunne.

The Brazilian continued his recovery by overtaking Noel León, who subsequently lost several more positions as the race developed.

Emerson Fittipaldi’s race then came to a premature end when he was sent into the gravel following contact with Alexander Dunne. That incident caused another Safety Car period and another general round of pit stops as the drivers fitted fresh tyres.

With 11 minutes remaining, the leading trio consisted of Rafael Câmara, Alexander Dunne and Noel León. Nikola Tsolov refused to give up and recovered to fourth, while several penalties for exceeding track limits further reshuffled the classification. Alexander Dunne and Noel León were among the drivers affected.

Penalties decide the final Spa F2 podium

During the closing stages, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak regained the position from Nikola Tsolov. Behind them, Gabriele Minì attempted to attack on the final lap but briefly locked his tyres, losing momentum at a crucial moment.

Gabriele Minì crossed the finish line behind Alexander Dunne despite the penalty imposed on the Irishman. Once all penalties had been applied, Rafael Câmara was confirmed as the winner ahead of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Nikola Tsolov.

The victory completed an impressive performance from the Ferrari Driver Academy driver, who had overcome losing the lead at the start, the red-flag interruption, changing tyre performance and several late-race challenges to emerge on top at one of motorsport’s most demanding circuits.