Formula 2 report: Rafael Camara wins at Spa, Nikola Tsolov widens gap at the top

F2 served up another classic over the weekend, as drivers locked up, tumbled into each other, and got involved in some serious antics at the historic Spa circuit. Amid all this drama, it was two of this season’s standout stars that rose above the noise and delivered. 

While Tsolov played it cool, outlasting Alex Dunne and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to take P3, Camara absolutely went for it after a lengthy red flag. The Brazilian ruthlessly picked off his competitors one by one to take a well-earned win—and keep his championship hopes alive. 

On his title ambitions, Camara said: "You just focus and maximize what you can control, and I think we did that very well. So happy with the job we did today.

“Of course, it's always nice to be there fighting,” he added. “But in the end, the approach is always very similar; you're just really focusing on yourself. There's a very long way to go. So I want to make sure we maximize what we can control, and for sure I hope that in the end we can be there in fighting for this championship.”

It was drama from the off in the main event, as Dino Beganovic stalled in P6 and Camara struggled to get off the line, handing Inthraphuvasak P1. Tsolov tried his luck on the outside of Eau Rouge, but Camara held on. Durksen also had a look at Dunne for P5 before backing out at Les Combes. 

Critically for the title race, Gabriele Mini suffered a big lockup at the start, running into and spinning Roman Bilinski at turn one. This didn’t stop either driver from continuing, but it was a rare mistake from F2’s Mr. Consistent. Tsolov then had his own calamity, clashing with Camara and dropping a couple of places. 

Durksen passed Dunne and Inthraphuvasak for the lead and pitted for mediums, only for a huge crash from Laurens van Hoepen to bring out a red flag. This changed the race, wiping out his tyre advantage. On the restart, Camara was a man on a mission, taking Noel Leon, then two more places under DRS. 

Dunne tried following him through, only to block Emerson Fittipaldi Jr., sending him into the gravel. Colton Herta fought to P7 for six points (his joint-best result in F2), and Inthraphuvasak pinched second. Dunne was later demoted to P5 for track limits, with Leon disqualified. But it was still an impressive podium! 

For Mini, an eventual P5 was damage limitation. Tsolov also recovered to P3 after a messy overtaking attempt. But it was Camara’s day, as he took the checkered flag and clinched an important win for his title ambitions. With Haas reportedly eyeing him up, it won’t have done his Formula 1 chances any harm either! 

Bilinksi had another disaster in the sprint, making a slow start and immediately losing third to Durksen. By contrast, Tsolov gained two places off the line, jumping to P5. Martinius Stenshorne then hassled pole-sitter Sebastian Montoya all the way up the hill before making the overtake for the lead at Les Combes. 

Durksen followed him through as the young Columbian dropped like a stone, eventually falling out of the points. F1’s other stars of tomorrow also started to struggle with the old-school track layout, with Miyata just about saving it at Radillion. This caused him to defend hard vs. Cian Shields, who spun into the barrier. 

On the safety car restart, Durksen closed on Stenshorne and steamed past for the lead. Just like in the Belgian Grand Prix, the Kemmel Straight turned into a popular overtaking spot, and in the end, it was a pretty easy pass.

With a few laps to go, John Bennett one-upped Shields’ spin with a bigger one, causing another safety car. Durksen got away with some weaving on the restart but successfully broke Stenshorne’s tow. Tsolov, meanwhile, launched a massive overtake on a compliant Montoya for P4, while Dunne got ballsy and grabbed P5 up Eau Rouge. 

Out front, Durksen held on to secure an Invicta double (with better luck, he could’ve won both). But in truth, it was Tsolov's weekend. Heading to Hungary, he holds a 27-point lead. With 12 races to go, including a debut in Madrid, it’s all to play for in F2. Tsolov vs. Mini, Camara, and possibly even Dunne. An exciting prospect!