dino beganovic delivered under pressure in Melbourne, firing a final-lap 1: 28. 695 to claim the first Formula 2 pole position of 2026 and start his campaign on a high note.
Dino Beganovic found the margin on the final lap
Beganovic, driving for DAMS Lucas Oil, slipped back during the middle phase of qualifying but rebounded in the closing seconds to post a 1: 28. 695 on his last attempt. That time displaced Nikola Tsolov’s earlier 1: 29. 381 and overturned Beganovic’s own opening benchmark of 1: 29. 953, moving him clear of the field for pole.
Red flags cut the session down to one final lap
The session was disrupted twice by red flags, first after Mari Boya ended up in the barriers and later when Gabriele Minì stopped on track with an issue on his MP Motorsport car. The stoppages pushed the session to its time limit and left just three minutes on the clock when activity resumed, allowing only a single flying lap for drivers to improve.
Podium spots and the top ten
Rodin Motorsport’s Martinius Stenshorne and Alexander Dunne ultimately filled the front row behind Beganovic in P2 and P3 respectively, both having held provisional pole at points during the frantic finale. Campos Racing placed Noel León and Nikola Tsolov fourth and fifth, while Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara took sixth. Kush Maini, Oliver Goethe, Joshua Duerksen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak completed the top ten.
What comes next: the Sprint Race at 14: 10 local time
With the grid set, attention turns to the opening on-track action of the weekend: the first race of the 2026 season, the Sprint Race, is scheduled for Saturday with a 14: 10 local-time start. Beganovic’s pole earns him the top starting slot into the weekend’s races and sets DAMS Lucas Oil up to begin the year from the front.
dino beganovic’s second F2 pole underscores a strong start to his season and leaves the field little time to respond before the Sprint Race on Saturday at 14: 10 local time.
