Joshua Dürksen starred in the Formula 2 feature race at Imola, securing a surprise third place behind Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto. After the session, he spoke to Feeder Series and other selected media at a press conference.

By Martin Lloyd

Friday’s result represented Dürksen’s best qualifying since he qualified third in Italian F4 at Monza in 2021. In that time, he completed two seasons in FRECA without a top-five start. The 20-year-old told Feeder Series that he was ecstatic with the result.  

“Yeah I’m really pleased, I guess the team as well because last year they couldn’t score any points and now suddenly a podium so I think I would be extremely happy as well.”

Dürksen’s rise to the feature race podium was unexpected. While he has shown flashes of promise throughout his career, the 19^th-place finisher in the 2023 FRECA season was not anticipated to taste success in F2. This is particularly notable considering that the podium represented AIX Racing’s first points in the series in any guise since Enzo Fittipaldi finished on the podium at Monza in 2022.

Since then, the team failed to score in the 2023 season, enduring a barren year with Roy Nissany, Brad Benavides, and later Joshua Mason at the wheel. In 2024, both Dürksen and teammate Taylor Barnard have come close to points but couldn’t quite take the final step. On Saturday, Barnard thought he had scored two points in the sprint race. However, after the race, it was found that the British driver had failed to engage in the race start-up procedure and was disqualified, denying Barnard and the team the points. AIX certainly did not have to wait much longer, and Dürksen told Feeder Series that he felt that the team would continue to improve.

“It’s a great result for the team. This shows all the hard work that has gone on over the winter, and I think we will keep improving like this. Of course, we’re taking it race by race and we’ll see what’s coming next.”

Dürksen has brought the first trophy of the season to his team, also bringing the first-ever F2 trophy to Paraguay. He unfurled the national flag on the podium, savouring the moment as he looked down at his AIX teammates from the rostrum.

Sunday’s podium for Dürksen has something of a cyclical feeling. He began his car racing career with a predecessor to PHM, driving for Mücke Motorsport in their final three seasons of junior single-seater racing. He participated in F4 UAE, ADAC F4, and Italian F4 between 2019-2021, before moving on to FRECA with Arden. Mücke’s assets were taken over by PHM upon their withdrawal from F4, later expanding into F2 and F3. For the 2024 season, Dürksen joined PHM, whose teams were purchased by AIX just this week. This podium, with all its significance, is certainly a moment Dürksen will remember for years to come.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency