F2 Hungary Wrap; Minì back in the winner’s circle, Tsolov collides with Montoya & Câmara in contention

• Gabriele Minì returned to winning ways in the Hungary Sprint, while Noel León rebounded from his Spa disappointment to claim his first F2 Feature Race victory of the season.
• Kush Maini secured his second pole position of 2026 but was denied a Feature Race win after a well-timed Virtual Safety Car helped León seize the advantage on strategy.
• Despite a difficult weekend, Nikola Tsolov retained the championship lead, although Rafael Câmara closed to within 22 points to emerge as a genuine title contender heading into the summer break.

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Maini takes pole, but falls short in the Feature

Kush Maini laid down the marker in Budapest, claiming his second pole position of the season with a 1:28.896, ahead of Invicta’s Rafael Câmara and Noel León.

However, the Indian was unable to convert pole into a second win of the season, as León ultimately overhauled him by the chequered flag.

Maini nailed the start to cover off Câmara and executed the Virtual Safety Car restart perfectly on Lap 18, building a six-second lead.

However, with León pitting just as the VSC was deployed, the polesitter needed a miracle to maintain track position ahead of the Mexican.

Minì back in the winner’s circle

After losing the championship lead at Silverstone and not having won a race since Miami earlier in the season, reigning Formula 3 champion Gabriele Minì struck back to claim victory in the Hungary Sprint.

Starting second on the reverse grid after qualifying ninth, Minì’s win required patience, as he waited until Lap 17 to make the decisive move on race leader Sebastián Montoya.

Pressure from championship rival Nikola Tsolov also forced the Italian into making his move. The Bulgarian eventually made race-ending contact with Montoya, triggering the Virtual Safety Car.

Minì was untouchable from there, taking his second win of the season ahead of Dino Beganovic and Laurens van Hoepen, who claimed his first podium since Melbourne.

León rebounds from Spa with Feature win

The Spa Feature race proved a frustrating one for Mexican driver León, who was disqualified after breaching a sporting regulation concerning the use of team radio by one of his guests.

However, León bounced back in Budapest, qualifying third before claiming his third win of the season.

While Maini held the lead into Turn 1, Câmara conceded second to the Campos driver, who then pitted on Lap 16 just as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed following Rafael Villagómez stopping on track at Turn 12.

Pitting on Lap 21 meant Maini rejoined the race behind León, and the gap proved too much for the Indian to overcome. Despite it being León’s third victory of the season, it was his first Feature race win.

Tsolov unstuck after Montoya collision

The championship leader endured a messy weekend in Budapest, failing to reach the podium for the first time since his pointless weekend in Montreal.

Pushing for victory in the Sprint, Tsolov braked late into Turn 1 on Lap 21 and made contact with Montoya. The PREMA driver was eliminated immediately, while Tsolov retired his own car later in the race.

Although Tsolov recovered to finish seventh in the Feature after making a key overtake on title rival Minì, there was further contact involving the Red Bull junior, John Bennett and Martinius Stenshorne at Turn 4 on the opening lap.

An alternative strategy on the medium tyres helped Tsolov recover, with the Bulgarian battling once again with Montoya and Nico Varrone.

A new contender?

Despite failing to challenge for the podium in Budapest, Tsolov maintained the championship lead, with Minì only reducing the deficit by seven points over the weekend.

However, Câmara entered the title equation after finishing fourth in the Sprint and third in the Feature at the Hungaroring, leaving him just 22 points behind Tsolov.

Speaking after the Feature race, Câmara acknowledged the importance of consistently scoring points in the championship.

“I think we had a few rounds that we always in the points. I think this is quite important for the Championship.

“It was a good way to finish this first part of the Championship, let’s say. Now it would be good to have the break, have a look at what we can improve, what we can do better for the next one. But now, we’ll just go for holidays and recharge the batteries.”

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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