Chasing The Dream | 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix | F2 Behind The Scenes

From Spa, just a week later, we come to the Hangar Ring. Completely different challenge for the drivers. One of the most technical circuits on the calendar. What I can say on this season so far is that the racing we've had has been absolutely second to none. The testimony of what F2 is doing is this capacity to prepare drivers properly for Formula 1. For sure, we have drivers that are going to be Formula 1 material. There's no doubt about that. There will be some changes in 2027. Number 1, the calendar, will be very, very exciting. Then the car is going to change. This new car has to produce fantastic racing and be as close as possible to what the drivers will need to go to Formula 1. I'm excited, I'm hungry for more this weekend. We've learned a lot. It's kind of getting there. It's difficult to see, but it's getting there, little by little. Probably one of my favourite tracks. Also, I really like the people, the city. It's a really nice place. The track is also very fun to drive, especially on qualifying. Last race before the summer break, so hopefully we end it on a good note and go into the summer break happy. Everyone, please give a very warm welcome to Nikola Solov, Roman Belinsky, This is one of the most special places we come to. The support is amazing. I want to say, first of all, thank you very much to everyone that's come here. How is that bad? Wow, this is amazing. To have the fans like this as well is a special one for me. It's a home Grand Prix. I'm very, very fortunate for it. What was the question? Answers I've given so far have been trying to find a girlfriend, a bit of relaxing, a bit of partying, but mainly locking in for the race. Spend some time at home. Go for one week in Spain, just relax, and then I go back to Sweden. I want to do my PPL, my flying licence. I want to start my first lessons while I'm there. One day I will fly you to the races. When I have my own plane, first we need to make money and have the plane, but when I have the licence then we can come to the races. During the week it's a lot more split time than you would normally have. A lot more time spent in the simulator with the F1 team and on event prep with the F1 team than would be normal. On the day it's hectic, it's crazy. You're just kind of jumping back and forth. Try to do the best you can with the limited amount of time that you have. The business side of things, how it works and the timetables and whatnot, that's kind of like the biggest things that I've kind of taken. I like the track. It's an enjoyable track. It has a little bit of everything. It's quite committing and very narrow. So any kind of small mistake that you have kind of has a bigger implication on the lap time. So really being tidy is the most important bit, but I think from a driver's perspective it's a lot of fun. Qualifying is going to be very important. I think the temperature is going to be super high this weekend as well, so I think it will be tricky to kind of manage everything at the same time, but I think we're going to do a good job. It's a well-balanced track. It exposes a lot of what you focus on in a car. Just need a net next time. First sector being quite short, you know, only two corners. Middle sector very demanding on the tyres, and then the last one as well. It's nice to have a challenge in front of you. It's always very tricky here. Qualifying we saw last year was quite intense. You just need to concentrate on yourself, getting a clean track for your lap. You don't really gain anything with the toes, so you want to be out of traffic. Obviously I had my first win here in F2, and some really good memories here, some great races, and always a pleasure to drive around here, so I'm excited to see how it goes. We've got 30 minutes to decide who's going to start on pole position. There's plenty of straight-line tyre marks on the circuit, where drivers in F2, F1 and F3 have been locking up as soon as they hit the brakes. Nundakson pushing on through the end of the first sector on the absolute ragged edge grip, and once again, clearly that Invicta has a lot of front-end grip into that last corner. We head through 6th-7th chicane, a big amount of kerb from Dinovoganovic. Unfortunately the camera gets it. It's going to be the bank of lap first, and then the full-foot push lap. Yeah, it's important to get a bank of lap in, as much as most of the drivers will improve on that final lap. Nikola Solov then. Can he now go ahead of his championship rival Rafa Kamara? Yes, he does by one hundredth of a second. Next, it will be Joshua Dirksen who heads into the final corner. It's looking good from Dirksen. A bit of a wobble coming through to the line he goes, and provisional pole position. But keep an eye. Khushmaini was fast in practice, powerful in the middle, but that's going to cost him time. Out of the final corner he comes now, and he'll pick up a tow from that trident just up to the line, and two tenths of a second clear from the rest of the field. Pole position. The Spa was such a disappointment. It felt bad for the boys, you know. But, you know, my third pole in F2, second pole this year. Yeah, speechless right now. I think we've worked so hard, and we all deserve it. It was good. It was good to put it back where she deserves. The second push made it a little bit faster, but it's good enough to be there in F2. You're waiting, and then I saw when Rafa finished his lap, he was behind me. Yeah, it all came out. Last weekend, so I was really happy about that. We have a lot more speed than we've had previously, so just do the best we can to get a good start, and then try to put it the best pace we can to keep our nose clean. We're still in the top ten, so the weekend is still on. We have to try and make the most out of the start, and then manage our tires better than the others. It's going to be very high. Sebastian Montoya, for the third time this season, takes Sprint Race Club. Yeah, he really needs to convert this one, doesn't he? We are go here at the Hungaroring. Who gets the better launch up the line? It looks like a better start for Gabriele Mini there. Montoya just about holding on. No locks up into the first corner. Door wide open, and Gabriele Mini steps through it to take the lead. That's late! Late move there from Solov, and too late. Contact into Montoya there, and Montoya looks to be out of the race. Bad luck just continues. Solov cannot finish this race. The car is undriveable, so a gift to both of his championship rivals. Gabriele Mini comes across the line to take the win. Do not forget about the Italian. He gets closer to the championship leader. Good job, mate. Honestly, it was amazing. I mean, our pace was really, really good. We just had a normally tired deck, managed super well at the beginning, and we could push at the end, so it was just amazing. Figenovic absolutely soaks one of our cameras. Yeah, I was just standing there. Five seconds. It was so bad. The game poured over. I apologize. That was a bit... Yeah, not very nice. Guys, but it's not linear. It smells weird in here. All right, the meanest driver of the race. Tell it to the press conference to make a question. No. It's full sand. I will try to go for it. I think so. As you say, it's very difficult to overtake, but the strategy is going to make a big impact. Coming off a tough weekend in Spa to then bounce back with the podium is nice. Of course, I was a bit lucky, but yeah, we'll take it. And I think the pace was good and ready to fight for the feature race also. Good to be there at the front row. Try to have a clean start. Go ahead and have a good Sunday that we can go quite relaxed for the holidays. In the end, of course, having clean air in a track like this is going to help. So yeah, keeping that track position will be important. Kushminey puts himself on pole position for the third time in Formula 2 and he'll have Rafa Kammerer third in the championship alongside. And we are go here at the Hungar Ring and a good launch there off the front row from Kammerer, but an even better launch from Kushminey. In fact, it looks like Noel Leon has come through into second place there as they charge down towards the first corner. He was still fighting side by side further back. That is Solov. Oh, outside line. Oh, sideways on the kerb on the exit of four as he went. And there's contact further back. Miney doing exactly what he did in Barcelona, pulling out an early race gap. Noel Leon now into pit lane from second place. That helps Noel Leon because all the cars are going to slow down now as he's making his way through pit lane. And this is why. It's because Rafael Villagomez has pulled over. Kushminey has done all that hard work, but is it about to be undone in terms of keeping the lead? There's Kushminey to the left in the white Campos. There is Noel Leon and through past Kushminey he goes. Nikola Solov making a move on Gabriele Mini. Noel Leon out of the final corner and it will be a first feature race win for Noel Leon this season. Noel, huge congratulations. Your first feature race win. Just how special does that one feel? Just super thankful with the team for that amazing job. Sorry. OK, don't apologize. Yeah, it's been a tough season where just things not going on my way and today I felt like since the morning I knew it was going to be the day and the car was perfect. We did everything right. I would start, manage well the tyres and just follow the procedure of the team and yeah, here we are. Fastest lap, six second lead. I'm here for everyone. Thank you. Everything right. Yeah, you too. I think the most important point is the championship. Now go back home, be refreshed, stay together with the family and come back for more. It was the day today and it's just a lot of emotion going through. But it's a lot of weight off my shoulders now and it's the best way to go to summer.