Joshua Durksen has driven well in his rookie season in Formula 2 after a mixed career so far on his way up the junior motorsport ladder.
The Paraguayan driver was on the fringes of the points on his Formula 2 debut at the Bahrain International Circuit, finishing in 11th place in the Feature Race.
Durksen slowly developed in the opening stages of the championship, scoring his first points with an impressive third-place finish in the Feature Race at Imola.
He has been a contender at the front of the field throughout the past two rounds, as well. The 20-year-old took third place in the Sprint Race at Monza and Durksen scored his first Formula 2 victory by winning the Sprint Race in Azerbaijan.
Durksen explained when speaking to the Formula Latina YouTube channel that his good results have been unexpected and he learnt a lot from the difficult races earlier in his career.
Joshua Durksen believes his ‘difficult years’ in FRECA and Formula 4 were ‘key’ to develop in F2
Durksen arrived in Formula 2 after enduring multiple difficult seasons further down the ladder in FRECA and multiple F4 series.
A brief highlight came in 2019 when he finished second in the Formula 4 UAE Championship, but good results were much more difficult to achieve in Europe.
The Paraguayan also skipped FIA F3 and moved straight from FRECA to Formula 2, similar to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, although Durksen struggled to 19th in the standings.
He explained that his struggles before joining the F2 grid helped him to develop as a driver, and he could use this knowledge throughout 2024.
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Durksen said: “I didn’t expect these results in my first year. I am really happy that things are already going well because I know how hard the entire racing team is working, and I am, too.
“Still, I believe that these difficult years in FRECA and Formula 4 were key for me to learn all these things in that time, and I could progress in Formula 2.
“I mean, applying what I learned, and I think on that side, especially the cool ones, were very difficult for me, but I think those were precisely the years in which I grew the most, and I could apply it to Formula 2.”
Joshua Durksen has a slim chance of finishing in the top 10 this season in Formula 2
Durksen sits 13th in the championship standings with two rounds to go, 20 points behind Richard Verschoor in 10th place.
The final two rounds of the season may be challenging for the AIX Racing driver looking to break into the top 10.
He will be competing on two circuit layouts, which are new to him. He has never raced at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. Durksen raced at the Yas Marina Circuit in 2019, but the track has since been extensively reprofiled since he drove an F4 car there.
The 20-point deficit to Verschoor could be reduced as Durksen has proven in recent events he can race at the front, and the 20-year-old will need to make minimal errors.