Joshua Durksen has delivered some impressive results in his debut Formula 2 season, including becoming the first Paraguayan driver to win a race at that level.
The AIX Racing driver sits 13th in the standings after taking the unusual route through the ladder, jumping from FRECA to FIA F2, skipping Formula 3 like Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Durksen began the season slowly, gaining confidence in a much quicker car than he had raced previously and learning new circuits, such as the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
He finally scored his first podium in the fourth round of the season at Imola, finishing third in the Feature Race.
The 20-year-old took his first race win of the year in Azerbaijan but when speaking on the Chasing The Dream series, Durksen admitted that he only expected to be in or around the top 10 at the end of the year.
Joshua Durksen didn’t expect to have three podium finishes at this stage of his rookie Formula 2 season
Durksen has driven admirably throughout his rookie year in Formula 2, especially after taking an unorthodox route up through the ladder.
Skipping FIA F3 meant he had arrived in Formula 2 without consistently experiencing the pressure of racing on a Formula 1 weekend.
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Driving for AIX Racing, a team who haven’t usually competed with the established frontrunners such as PREMA and ART, he has driven well to compete at the front.
Durksen is pleasantly surprised by his success so far this season and admitted he wasn’t anticipating to have three podiums so far this year.
He said: “It’s crazy. I still didn’t process it. It’s just crazy. I mean, first season in F2. To be honest, I was expecting at the end of the season to be top 10, not scoring three podiums at the moment. I’m just extremely happy to be grateful to God for this opportunity.”
Joshua Durksen is close to the top 10 in the championship standings with two rounds to go
With two rounds remaining in Formula 2, Durksen is 13th in the standings, just 20 points behind Richard Verschoor, who is 10th. The Dutchman also believes some of the F2 grid are lying if they say they aren’t jealous of others moving to F1.
The Paraguayan driver is heading to a couple of circuits he has never raced on in his career with Qatar’s Lusail International Circuit and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.
These two venues may take some adjusting, which may require extra learning during the opening stages of practice. Despite this challenge, he could still finish in the top 10 as one good result could push him further up the standings.