Joshua Dürksen Dominates Monza with Feature Race Win
Joshua Dürksen turned a statement sprint win into outright Monza domination, backing it up with victory in the Formula 2 Feature Race to complete a flawless Italian weekend for Invicta Racing.
The Paraguayan, who had already stamped his authority on Saturday, outmuscled teammate Rafael Camara in a tense, tactical battle that ebbed and flowed across 30 laps at the Temple of Speed. Noel Leon kept his head while others faltered to secure the final spot on the podium.
Camara fumbles the launch, Dürksen pounces
From pole, this was supposed to be Camara’s race. A Ferrari junior on home turf for the Scuderia, front of the grid at Monza – the script wrote itself.
Then the lights went out.
Camara bogged down, then made it worse with a lock-up into Turn 1. He skipped across the chicane and, with no room to argue the point, had to hand the lead to Dürksen. Invicta still ran first and second, but the balance of power had shifted.
The early laps became a private duel. By Lap 4, the two teammates were trading blows into Turn 1, swapping positions across several tours as they diced on the brakes at the Rettifilo. It was bold, on the edge, and very nearly costly for both. Dürksen blinked first on strategy, diving into the pits at the end of Lap 6.
Camara stayed out a little longer, trying to make the overcut work. He boxed on Lap 8, rejoining just behind Dürksen, his mirrors already full of Alex Dunne as the Irishman latched onto the back of the Invicta pair.
Safety Car shakes it up, Dürksen stands firm
The race settled into a rhythm until Lap 12, when it was broken by gravel and yellow flags. Colton Herta slid off at the Parabolica, beaching his car and summoning the Safety Car. The field bunched up. Any margin Dürksen had carefully built evaporated.
On the restart, he didn’t flinch. The Invicta driver timed it well, bolting early and holding track position into Turn 1. Behind him, Camara had more to worry about. Dunne attacked hard, forcing the Brazilian to defend while still trying to keep some pressure on the leader.
Dunne pushed too far. Under the strain, he ran out of room at the Roggia chicane, cut across, and paid the price as Noel Leon swept through to seize the opportunity and move up.
Leon’s clean, controlled drive would ultimately be rewarded with third place, while Dunne’s challenge faded after that mistake.
Camara’s late charge falls short
The final phase turned into a straight fight for the win. Clear of Leon, Camara reset and went after Dürksen again. Lap after lap, the Ferrari prospect hunted his teammate, closing the gap, looking for a weakness that never quite appeared.
Into the closing laps, the tension spiked. Camara edged closer, shadowing Dürksen through the Lesmos and down to Ascari, trying to force an error under braking or on traction. The Invicta pit wall watched as their two cars ran in formation, one defending a perfect weekend, the other desperate to salvage the pole that had slipped away at the start.
They crossed the line to begin the final lap nose to tail. Camara was close – close enough to threaten, not close enough to strike. Dürksen hit every apex he needed, managed the exits, and refused to open the door.
He powered out of the Parabolica for the last time, the Brazilian still looming in his mirrors, and took the flag first to complete a sprint–feature double that will resonate far beyond Monza.
Camara followed him home in second, frustrated but firmly back in the title picture after cutting his deficit to championship leader Nikola Tsolov, who could manage only seventh on the day. Leon’s measured run earned him third and a valuable haul of points.
For others, the Italian Grand Prix weekend bit hard. MP Motorsport’s Gabriele Mini left his home race empty-handed, failing to score in front of his own crowd.
Dürksen, though, leaves Monza with maximum momentum and a paddock that now knows he can control a race from the front, absorb pressure, and finish the job. On a circuit built for speed and nerve, he showed he has both.
