As the F2 calendar continued straight into Jeddah, the third round of F2 in 2025 took place at the Saudi Arabian GP this past weekend. With new names added to the 2025 race winners list, it was a memorable weekend for Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad and MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor, who emerged as winners in Jeddah.
As F2 heads into a short break before the upcoming triple-header and the start of the European leg, we take a look at the winners and losers of the Saudi Arabian GP.
Winners of the weekend
Campos Racing’s Josep Maria ‘Pepe’ Martí & Arvid Lindblad
Building on a strong weekend in Bahrain, where Pepe Martí stormed through the field from P11 to the Sprint Race win, the Campos Racing duo continued to impress with their pace on the streets of Jeddah. With Martí and Arvid Lindblad starting P3 and P6, respectively, the duo brought the team to their first one-two of the season during the Sprint Race on Saturday. Despite a great launch off the line, the Spaniard made a few mistakes that had potentially cost him the race win — mistakes a charging Lindblad was quick to capitalise on. After trailing behind Verschoor for the majority of the race, Lindblad inherited the win following a penalty handed to the Dutchman for a racing incident. In doing so, the young Briton etched his name into the history books as the youngest race winner in F2—mirroring the same record he holds in F3.
Although missing out on a podium on Sunday, Martí and Lindblad wrapped up their weekend with solid P5 and P7 finishes in the Feature Race. After strong points finishes in both races, Martí now sits in P2 in the standings, with Lindblad in P7. As F2 heads into a triple-header in a few weeks, both drivers would hope to replicate similar results.
Jak Crawford
After a slow start to his 2025 season, the weekend in Jeddah marked a turnaround for the American. Having entered the weekend without any points, DAMS and Crawford were on a mission to turn that around. On Friday, the American delivered a flawless lap to snatch pole position from ART GP’s Victor Martins by less than a tenth. This pole position was DAMS’ first since 2023. Heading into the Sprint Race, Crawford was ready to claim his first points of the season.
After colliding with PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì in the final laps of the Sprint Race, Crawford’s hope of points disappeared as he was forced to retire the car. Having narrowly missed out on the win on Sunday, there were plenty of positives to take away for Crawford. A great start off the line saw the American driver leading the pack down into T1. Despite failing to convert his pole position into a win, Crawford showed decent pace throughout the race. Now with points on the board, the American driver hopes to carry this momentum into Imola.
Victor Martins
After strong consecutive qualifying performances this year, Martins finally managed to put a complete weekend together in Jeddah. The Frenchman has qualified in P2 every qualifying session so far. However, when it comes to Sundays, Martins has not been able to convert his pace into a solid race result. 2025 marks Martins’ third year in the series, and so, he is under serious pressure to win the title. Claiming the last point-scoring position during the Sprint Race, the Frenchman flew under the radar, lacking the pace to challenge the front-runners further up the grid.
However, Sunday showcased Martins’ true skill and reminded everyone of the calibre of the driver he is. Needing a strong weekend to kickstart his 2025 campaign, the Frenchman delivered a cleaner and more composed performance across the board. The Williams junior was not afraid to get his elbows out and showcased some brilliant defensive moves on Crawford. Although Verschoor was simply unstoppable on Sunday, Martins’ P3 finished capped off a better weekend for him. Heading into Imola, Martins sits in P6 in the standings.
Richard Verschoor
After losing Saturday’s win to a penalty, Verschoor’s race pace throughout the entirety of the weekend was simply unbeatable. With four seasons under his belt, the Dutchman delivered the kind of performance you would expect from the most experienced driver the series has had. Having started on pole for the Sprint Race, Verschoor was in control of the race from the get-go. The Dutchman managed to break DRS range from Arvid Lindblad and drove a clean race throughout. However, it would be a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage that ultimately cost him the race win. Headed into Sunday, Verschoor was a man on a mission.
Starting P9 for the Feature Race, MP Motorsport and Verschoor knew a strategic gamble was essential to keep their victory hopes alive. Opting for the prime-option strategy, Verschoor’s first stint was longer than others around him. Managing his pace out in front until a suitable gap was found to box for new tyres, the Dutchman’s pace was impressive. Even after switching to fresh tyres, it didn’t take Verschoor long to chase down and overtake Crawford for the lead shortly after exiting the pits. Now leading the drivers standings, consistency will be key to maintaining his spot at the top.
Losers of the weekend
John Bennett
After losing the rear of his car at T17 in Qualifying, Jeddah was a damage-filled weekend for Bennett as he continues to chase his first points of the season. As the British driver caused the red flag during the session, Bennett lost his fastest time and ended up qualifying at the back of the grid. Following his Qualifying crash, the VAR team faced a major repair job to get the car ready for Saturday. A lonely race at the back of the grid on Sunday saw Bennett finish last in P20 amongst the finishers. Still yet to score points, Bennett will be hoping that time will come soon. Moving forward, the British driver will hope to have a better weekend in Imola.
PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì & Sebastian Montoya
PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì and Sebastian Montoya are yet to have a well-executed weekend from all aspects. Having impressed many following a strong debut in Melbourne, the PREMAs have seen a dip in performance, often struggling to keep their competitors behind during races. Minì had a relatively better weekend than Montoya, as the Italian finished in point-scoring positions in both races. Montoya has now failed to qualify inside the top ten for two consecutive weekends, making the task of scoring points ever more challenging. The Colombian driver has not scored points since Melbourne. As drivers head into the European leg of the calendar, both rookies will be hoping to have a better weekend finishing higher up the grid.
Dino Beganovic
The Swedish driver’s weekend flew under the radar following a poor qualifying on Friday. Beganovic has had a decent start to his 2025 campaign, scoring points in Bahrain. With a strong teammate like Luke Browning, who has already scored two podium finishes, the Swedish driver still has room to improve and deliver a complete weekend. Despite inheriting P3 from the Sprint Race in Bahrain following AIX Racing’s Joshua Dürksen’s disqualification, Beganovic is yet to deliver the standout weekend he is capable of, reminiscent of his past performances in F3. Heading into Imola, the Swedish driver is P9 in the standings.
Up next, F2 returns for the next round of racing at Imola from May 16th to 18th.
