Dominance at Spa: Alex Dunne Secures Pole Position in Formula 2

Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne showcased an impressive performance during the 2025 Formula 2 season’s qualifying session at the renowned Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. On this notable Friday, Dunne clinched his second pole position of the season, finishing over four-tenths ahead of his nearest competitors, Ritomo Miyata and Roman Staněk, who secured second and third places respectively.

Dunne’s Commanding Performance

From the outset, Dunne demonstrated his skill and confidence. Having already topped the practice session by a remarkable 0.399 seconds, he entered the qualifying round with a clear advantage. The qualifying session proceeded without the morning fog that had previously delayed the Formula 3 qualifying, allowing drivers to showcase their true potential. Dunne’s final pole margin of 0.419 seconds reflected his undeniable speed, positioning him strongly for the race.

In a post-qualifying press conference, Dunne expressed his confidence throughout the session. "I felt pretty confident the whole day, to be honest," he remarked. His strong performance in the practice session set the tone for the qualifying rounds. He added, “After my first lap in qualifying, I thought to myself, ‘If I’m not on pole, I’d be more surprised than if I was.’ I knew the pace was really strong.”

Dunne emphasized the importance of having a well-prepared car. "When you come to a weekend and the car is straight away in the window and where you want it to be, it means you can invest more time to focus on the driving side," he said. This focus allowed him to enhance his performance without the distraction of troubleshooting car issues.

Qualifying Session Highlights

As the session began, drivers took two laps to warm up their tires before attempting their initial flying laps. Initially, Dunne’s lead was marginal, being only three thousandths of a second ahead of Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli after their first attempts. Dunne set a benchmark time of 1:58.340 with 21:24 remaining on the clock.

After taking a cooldown lap, Dunne unleashed his true potential, posting a stunning lap time of 1:57.863 with just 16:43 left in the session. This lap time put him four-tenths ahead of his closest competitors. At this point, Fornaroli had also improved but found himself 0.421 seconds behind Dunne, while his fellow Italian, Gabriele Minì, trailed in third.

As the session progressed, Dunne’s competitors faced a daunting challenge. With only a few minutes left, the remaining drivers were not only tasked with catching up to Dunne’s impressive time but also had to contend with the possibility of Dunne improving even further.

With just 2:22 remaining in the session, Dunne delivered another exceptional lap, clocking in at 1:57.151, which momentarily placed him more than 0.7 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. While many drivers managed to improve their times, none could come close to matching Dunne’s remarkable pace.

“The team has done a very, very good job,” Dunne stated after the session. “We were purple in all three sectors, which means we got the good combination of being quick in sector 1 and sector 2. I’ve been confident all day. I feel like I’m driving at a very good level at the minute, so I’m very, very happy.”

Ritomo Miyata: A Strong Challenge

Ritomo Miyata emerged as Dunne’s closest competitor, achieving his best qualifying result in Formula 2 by securing second place. The Japanese driver finally found his qualifying rhythm in his ART car, a feat that has been evident in his teammate Victor Martins’ consistent performance throughout the season.

Miyata addressed the challenges he faced due to limited track time before qualifying. “It’s very difficult because FP is 45 minutes. We can’t do many laps because the tires are only able to do one or two laps of push. Qualifying is only one push,” he explained. This season, Miyata encountered difficulties in qualifying, particularly at Silverstone. Despite these setbacks, he reflected on the importance of building confidence within the team.

“It’s always like this, but if there is not some reason, we can do full push and full performance, that’s why today we finished P2. For sure, we’re missing something from pole, but it was better than before,” he said, acknowledging the continuous effort to improve performance in the competitive F2 environment.

Roman Staněk: Continuing Strong Form

Roman Staněk secured third place in the qualifying session, finishing just six thousandths of a second behind Miyata. This result positioned the Czech driver to continue his strong performance streak, which included podium finishes in recent sprint races at Spielberg and Silverstone.

Victor Martins followed closely behind Staněk, finishing fourth and only 12 thousandths off the pace. This performance showcased the competitive nature of the field, as the drivers vied for advantageous starting positions ahead of the race.

The Competitive Field

Despite Dunne’s commanding performance, the competition remained fierce among the other drivers. Arvid Lindblad and Pepe Martí from Campos finished in fifth and sixth places, respectively. Meanwhile, Fornaroli, who had briefly held the second position earlier in the session, dropped to seventh and concluded the qualifying session 0.561 seconds behind Dunne. However, he could take comfort in having outqualified fellow championship contenders Richard Verschoor and Luke Browning, who finished in 11th and 12th places, respectively.

Jak Crawford, currently second in the championship standings, faced a challenging session, qualifying in 14th place. Meanwhile, Gabriele Minì rounded out the top eight, ahead of Dunne’s teammate Amaury Cordeel, who secured ninth place in front of his home crowd. Red Bull junior Oliver Goethe qualified 10th, marking only his second time in the top 10 this season, which allowed him to start on pole for the upcoming sprint race.

Conclusion

The qualifying session at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps highlighted Alex Dunne’s dominance in the 2025 Formula 2 season, setting him up for success in the races ahead. His confidence, combined with a well-prepared car and the support of his team, positioned him as a formidable competitor on the track. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how Dunne and his rivals continue to evolve and compete in this highly competitive environment.