Victor Martins set the pace for the F2 Saudi Arabian GP, after topping the timesheets of Free Practice, with a 1:45.671s.
After the cancelled opener in Melbourne, the first Feature Race of the 2025 Formula 2 season took place in Bahrain—and it delivered. Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne stormed to his maiden victory and first career points in F2, with Luke Browning and Leonardo Fornaroli rounding out the podium after an intense and strategic battle under the desert sun.
The paddock then shifted to Saudi Arabia, where drivers returned to the streets of Jeddah for Free Practice ahead of Round 2. With limited track time and the high-speed nature of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the session offered teams and rookies alike a critical chance to get up to speed before the all-important qualifying.
Free Practice is underway in Jeddah for the F2 Saudi Arabian GP
The Formula 2 drivers had 45 minutes to get up to speed around the high-speed street circuit, where wall-to-wall action was widely anticipated. As the field continued their warm-up laps, attention turned to the current state of play in the Drivers’ Championship.
Fornaroli led the standings with 26 points, holding a narrow advantage over Dunne and Browning, who trailed the Italian by just a single point. As the session progressed, lap times began to flood in, with Kush Maini initially setting the pace with a 1:47.723—only 0.012s quicker than Victor Martins.
Roman Stanek soon eclipsed that benchmark, going fastest with a 1:47.689.
Gabriele Minì emerged as the leading rookie in sixth place, while Jak Crawford climbed to fourth. The order continued to shuffle as Maini reclaimed the top spot with a 1:46.436, placing himself over three-tenths clear of Stanek. Dunne, fresh from his Feature Race triumph in Bahrain, completed his first flying lap and vaulted into third.
Martins then improved to move up to second, just 0.100s short of Maini.
As the drivers continued to build up their pace, a few lock-ups and spins emerged on track, though crucially, none resulted in contact with the barriers. At one stage, it was a DAMS Lucas Oil one-two, with Crawford slotting into second—just 0.013s behind his teammate Maini. However, that order quickly shifted as Martins moved to the top with a 1:46.432.
Joshua Duerksen then went quickest, setting a 1:46.387. The margin between the top five tightened significantly, with just 0.064s separating them.
Shift in the lead
The lead changed hands once again as Stanek posted a 1:46.217, narrowly ahead of Crawford in second by only 0.031s. Minì soon responded with a 1:46.193 to take provisional pole, but Stanek lit up the timing screens in the first two sectors. He delivered an impressive lap of 1:45.820, putting him over three and a half tenths clear of Minì.
Dunne briefly took second for Rodin before Montoya edged him out, but the order remained in constant flux. Martins reclaimed the top spot with a 1:45.671, while Minì returned to the top three, though he remained 0.404s off Martins’ benchmark.
More push laps were still underway, and Beganovic set the fastest time in the first sector. The Hitech TGR driver ultimately secured third place. At the end of the session, Martins led the way ahead of Stanek, with Beganovic in third, Duerksen fourth, and Minì rounding out the top five.
The F2 Saudi Arabian GP will continue at 17:00 CET for the Qualifying round.
F2 Saudi Arabian GP Practice Results
- Martins
- Staněk
- Beganovic
- Dürksen
- Minì
- Montoya
- Fornaroli
- Crawford
- Martí
- Maini
- Verschoor
- Lindblad
- Goethe
- Villagómez
- Dunne
- Cordeel
- Esterson
- Browning
- Bennet
- Meguetounif
- Miyata
- Shields
