Dino Beganovic finally broke through. The Swedish driver sealed his first Formula 2 Feature Race victory in Madrid after a dominant performance throughout the weekend. From a chaotic qualifying session disrupted by three red flags, Beganovic emerged with pole position, setting the tone for what was to come.
The Feature Race itself was not without drama. Before the start, Hitech announced that Colton Herta would not participate due to illness. The ex-IndyCar driver had already missed the Sprint Race following a heavy crash in qualifying. Consequently, the starting grid shifted, and drivers behind him moved up one position.
As the lights went out, Beganovic launched cleanly and held the lead into Turn 1. Behind him, Dunne suffered a small lock-up but still managed a solid start. The Swede gradually built a gap before DRS was enabled. The race ran smoothly until Lap 2, when Kush Maini hit the wall at Turn 18 after contact with Cian Shields. The Safety Car was deployed.
After the Safety Car withdrew at the end of Lap 6, Beganovic resumed control and quickly built a 1.2-second gap to Dunne. He even reported that he was happy to stay on the soft tyres for longer. Meanwhile, Mari Boya, Rafael Villagomez, and Laurens Van Hoepen opted to pit for fresh rubber. Shields received a 10-second penalty for the collision that eliminated Maini.
In the middle stint, overtaking action heated up. Gabriele Mini executed a superb move down the inside of his teammate Ollie Goethe to take ninth place. Mini also tried to pressure Ritomo Miyata, but Miyata immediately reclaimed his position. Stenshorne shadowed Camara, while Boya looked rapid and continued to carve his way forward.
Until the chequered flag, Beganovic was untouchable. He completed the race with a comfortable margin to claim his first F2 Feature Race win. This victory capped a perfect weekend for him, following strong performances in qualifying and the Sprint Race. Attention now turns to the championship standings, where Beganovic is poised to close in on the leader.
For Prema Racing, this result reaffirms their strength in the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Hitech had to swallow a bitter pill with Herta's absence, as he was expected to challenge at the front. Madrid delivered a race full of surprises, and Beganovic capitalised on every opportunity.
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