Joshua Durksen enjoyed the best weekend of his Formula 2 career so far at the latest round at Monza.
The Paraguayan driver is in his debut season in Formula 2 with AIX Racing where it has been a difficult year for the most part.
Durksen is sat 16th in the standings after the round at Monza, having only scored points on six occasions this season.
But the event in Italy was the 20-year-old’s strongest weekend of 2024 as he secured the second podium of his F2 career.
Joshua Durksen explains the mistake at Monza that cost him victory
Durksen’s team AIX Racing have endured a difficult season as they sit bottom of the teams’ championship with just 60 points.
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Taylor Barnard grabbed the team’s only victory thus far in the Sprint Race in Monaco and was replaced for Monza by Dutchman Niels Koolen. AIX’s signing of Koolen was met with widespread criticism from fans online.
While Koolen struggled to perform, Durksen had an impressive weekend, finishing third in the Sprint Race and fifth in the Feature Race after showing great pace all weekend.
However, speaking with the F2 website after Sunday’s race, while the Paraguayan was ‘extremely happy’ with the result, he claimed that the win could have been on the card if it was not for some mistakes on his part.
“I’m extremely happy with the result, extremely happy with the pace we had,” he said. “The car was really quick all weekend so we knew we could fight for good points, for good positions.
“In quali, we got a bit unlucky with the Red Flags but in the Sprint Race I could recover. Today we had the pace to win, I just made a few too many mistakes and we had a bit of bad luck with the Safety Car.
“I should have pitted one lap later and then it would have been perfect, then I think we could have fought for the win. The pace was very good, I could make a really good recovery, so I’m extremely happy. The car is improving, team is improving, this is the good news.
“We will keep fighting, keep pushing to make this again in Baku but just really thankful to God, to the team, my family and sponsors for supporting me all the time.”
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Gabriel Bortoleto has closed the gap to Isack Hadjar in the F2 standings
The 2024 F2 championship is set for a nail-biting end to the season as the frontrunners bunch closer in the standings.
Championship leader Isack Hadjar endured a challenging weekend at Monza as he failed to score points at either race in Italy.
Second-placed Gabriel Bortoleto has reduced Hadjar’s lead to just 10.5 points after the Brazilian impressed over the weekend with victory from last place in the Feature Race. In a bizarre situation, Bortoleto and Dennis Hauger crossed the finish line for the Sprint Race at the exact same time, with both being awarded eighth and the solitary point being shared.
With Hadjar’s advantage cut down, the next round at Baku is set to be just as intense as the last one.