Joshua Dürksen made history in his rookie Formula 2 season with AIX racing. He adjusted quickly to F2 despite skipping F3 and led an incredibly successful campaign.
Early accolades
Despite taking part in a Formula 3 test, Dürksen never participated in the season taking the opportunity to move straight up to F2 from FRECA. This decision in itself is rare to see among the junior drivers with another notable name to do this being Kimi Antonelli.
Luckily for the Paraguayan driver, the new F2 regulations and brand-new cars meant that even the drivers who had experience in the series were starting on the same level.
It was clear that Dürksen was finding his feet in the early rounds, trying to carve his space among what was an incredibly competitive grid.
The season that started without points got worse when he suffered an unfortunate retirement in the Melbourne feature race after a collision with Oliver Bearman. Then when F2 went to Imola, Dürksen was in for a rollercoaster weekend.
The Paraguayan qualified fifth, meaning he was starting the sprint race 9th after a penalty from Melbourne and the feature race fifth. Even with the penalty, there was a hopeful chance at points.
The sprint race ended off the line for Dürksen getting caught in a lap one collision but the feature race still had all to play for. Starting fifth he managed to fight his way into third place. Crossing the finish line Dürksen achieved not only his team’s first F2 podium but also the first points and podium for a Paraguayan driver.
To commemorate the historic moment he called the Paraguayan president who congratulated his efforts. However, Dürksen wasn’t satisfied yet.
A fight to the front
Dürksen made it clear after his podium in Imola that what he really wanted was to be in championship contention. Though he had shown his innate talent, the AIX car had found itself further back on the grid than the Praguayan would have like.
In the next five rounds he only scored points twice. With a retirement in Barcelona and Silverstone, Joshua Dürksen was not where he wanted to be heading into the Belgium Grand Prix weekend.
With just four rounds left in the Formula 2 season and 8 races, Dürksen was desperate to show his talent again like he did in Imola. He left the Belgium Grand Prix with points in the feature race and it seemed to change the tides for Dürksen, heading into the final stint of the season.
Monza was a clear sign to teams and fans of what Dürksen was capable of. With his teammate Niels Koolen finishing down in 19th, Dürksen fought impressively at the front and finished the sprint to take another podium.
Koolen again found himself struggling at the back of the grid in the feature race and Dürksen showed the difference between car and driver. Finishing in fifth place taking a substantial points haul from the weekend.
A strong finish
The next F2 weekend Dürksen managed to etch himself further into F2 and AIX’s history, taking his maiden F2 victory in Baku.
A victory which he described at the time as ‘unbelivable’ made him the first drvier from Paraguay to win a Formula 2 race as well as the first win for AIX. An incredible achievement that was a testament to his skill across the Baku weekend.
After a taste of victory he spent the final rounds chasing that feeling which payed off when he won in the Abu Dhabi feature race. He finished the season in 10th.
Dürksen spent his rookie season outperforming an at times, difficult car. He is staying with AIX for the 2025 Formula 2 season and no doubt will be hoping to find himself as a title contender continuing with his impressive performances.
