Imola Formula 2 Report: Dunne's title challenge gets serious

Dunne may have started in fifth, but an early pit stop promoted him to an effective third. When Rafael Villagomez’s scuffle with Sami Meguetounif brought out the safety car, Dunne was then presented with a chance to take advantage of his fresher rubber, and he did so emphatically.

After the restart, the Irishman wasted no time in overtaking the likes of Pepe Marti, Ritomo Miyata, and Roman Stanek to take first from sixth in just eight laps. With multiple overtakes into Tosa as well as Tamburello, Dunne will be more than satisfied with his afternoon’s work.

Though fellow title challenger Luke Browning followed him through on a similar strategy, Dunne was ultimately able to hold on for an outstanding win that sent him to the top of the overall standings.

Dunne said: “To do [win] two out of three this year is a pretty good start. It’s important to try and do more and more throughout the year. Both times I’ve won, Luke has been right there next to me. He seems quite close to me at the minute, so it’s about continuing to perform and being consistent. But I’m really, really happy.”

Imola may have earned itself a reputation with its fast, flowing corners and ruthless lack of runoff areas as a difficult place to overtake. But just like in Max Verstappen's dominant Formula 1 victory, there was plenty of action on-track to keep the watching Tifosi entertained.

The race started with disasters for Sebastian Montoya and Victor Martins, both of whom stalled on the grid. Formula 3 champion Leonardo Fornaroli tried taking the lead off Dino Beganovic into the opening corners, but he was unable to get past and lost places in the pit stops. Dunne and Browning were also fended off as the young Swede got his elbows out.

Marti showed flashes of the pace that has made him one of this season’s contenders, gaining two places at the start. However, the safety car triggered by Villagomez’s stranded Van Amersfoort race car shook up the order before he could get going, and really shaped the rest of the race.

The likes of Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad and Fornaroli managed to take advantage, claiming fourth and fifth, while Beganovic held on for a podium finish. But it was Dunne and Browning who really managed to capitalize, snatching first and second—both in the race and this season's standings.

Browning said: “Actually, it was a very interesting race, I think, like Alex, the pit stop got us to that position, and that overcut lap was maximum push. That was, I think, one of the best laps I have ever done. It put me in the position to lead the guys in front.

“I picked up a bit of luck with other drivers having unfortunate starts, but you have to make the most of this. That’s Formula 2,” he added.

Miyata may have inherited Sprint pole after Kush Maini lost his best qualifying lap for causing the session’s red flag, but it was Jak Crawford who led down into Tamburello. The American pulled a bit of a Verstappen, seeming to steal first place without facing much of a fight.

Megatounif’s stall summed up a terrible weekend for the Frenchman, while Marti was forced off by Dunne, losing some of his front wing in the process. Miyata’s struggles continued as he fell down the pecking order, allowing Lindblad, Browning, Martins, and Dunne to sail past.

As the Sprint race wore on, Stanek tried to lunge past Invicta teammate Fornaroli, but the Italian left enough space to avoid crashing and held on for an eventual seventh. Amaury Cordeel also nearly became the latest driver to clout Imola’s barriers, just avoiding this with a late spin on lap 22.

Further up the field, Browning grabbed another podium, but it was all about the chase between Crawford and Lindblad. Though the Red Bull junior closed with another impressive drive, he just ran out of laps, handing Crawford his first win of the 2025 season.

As things heat up in this year’s F2 title challenge, the races are coming thick and fast. The drivers will be on track competing again at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix from May 22-25, 2025.