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Invicta Racing registered the biggest points haul in the team's history at Monza, as Joshua Dürksen won the Sprint and Feature Races to complete a maiden FIA Formula 2 double, backed up by pole position and a Feature Race podium for Rafael Câmara
With its high-speed layout offering little margin for error, Friday's Qualifying session was always going to be a fast and frenetic affair as the FIA Formula 2 field searched for outright pace around the revered Italian circuit.
Rafael Câmara wasted no time making his mark, vaulting to the top of the timesheets with his very first flying lap, only to be immediately usurped by team-mate Joshua Dürksen as both Invicta Racing cars set the early pace.
At the end of the opening runs, Joshua held provisional pole from Rafael in third, though the Brazilian responded on his second lap to reclaim the top spot, demoting his team-mate to third.
Rafael and Joshua held station in first and third as the session ticked into its closing stages, with the field readying itself for one final flurry of qualifying laps.
Nobody could get near Rafael's benchmark in the dying minutes, and Joshua improved to second to seal an Invicta Racing 1-2 and lock out the front row for Sunday's Feature Race.
The result also saw Rafael equal Invicta Racing's record for the most pole positions in a single season.
RESULTS
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Rafael Câmara: P1 (1:31.326)
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Joshua Dürksen: P2 (1:31.383)
For the Sprint, Rafael lined up ninth and Joshua started from seventh on the grid.
Joshua produced the sharper of the two getaways, moving up to fifth by the exit of Turn 2, while Rafael slipped a place to 10th in the opening corners. By the end of Lap 2, Joshua had progressed further still, up to fourth.
With Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Oliver Goethe scrapping over second place into the first chicane on Lap 3, Joshua spotted his opportunity to relieve Goethe of third. He then had a look at Inthraphuvasak for second but ran wide at the second chicane, handing the position straight back.
Joshua made no mistake next time around, completing the move on Inthraphuvasak into Turn 1 on Lap 5 to move up to second.
Unfortunately, Rafael's race unravelled in the same moment, the Brazilian caught out as the pack concertinaed together and spinning on the exit of Turn 2 following contact from behind – an incident that brought his afternoon to a premature end.
With his team-mate out of contention, Joshua turned his attention to race leader John Bennett, reducing the gap before completing a move into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 9.
Joshua set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 13 as he looked to build a cushion over the chasing pack, though Bennett kept him honest, never allowing the gap to grow beyond a second.
A Safety Car intervention bunched the field back together in the closing stages but, with two laps remaining, Joshua made no mistake at the restart, controlling the run to the flag to bring home Sprint Race victory for Invicta Racing.
RESULTS
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Joshua Dürksen: P1 (11 points)
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Rafael Câmara: DNF (0 points)
Locking out the front row for Sunday's Feature Race, Invicta Racing were perfectly placed to build on their strong start to the weekend.
Once again, Joshua made the better start to lead his team-mate into Turn 1, with Rafael running wide and bouncing over the gravel at Turn 2. The pair emerged from the opening chicane with Joshua leading and Rafael in close pursuit.
The Brazilian hit back on Lap 4, lunging down the inside at Turn 1 to snatch the lead from his team-mate, only for Joshua to respond on Lap 5. Rafael was not finished either, retaking the position on Lap 6 as the sister cars continued to trade places at the front.
Joshua came in for his mandatory pit stop at the end of Lap 6 and rejoined in 14th, while Rafael stayed out before making his own stop at the end of Lap 8, rejoining in sixth behind his team-mate, who already had heat in his tyres.
As the rest of the field cycled through their stops, Joshua climbed to second and Rafael to third by Lap 12, at which point a Safety Car was deployed. Fittipaldi, who had been leading the race, pitted from the front at the end of the lap, promoting Joshua to the lead with Rafael in second as the field bunched up behind the Safety Car.
Joshua restarted the race perfectly on Lap 17 to hold the lead, leaving Rafael to see off a challenge from Alex Dunne into the second chicane. By the end of that lap, Joshua had already opened up a gap of over a second to his team-mate.
Rafael chipped away at that deficit and, by Lap 25, he was back on the rear wing of Joshua's car. The Brazilian remained glued to his team-mate all the way to the final lap but was unable to find a way past, with Joshua taking the chequered flag to clinch an Invicta Racing 1-2.
The result made Joshua only the fifth driver to complete a Sprint and Feature Race double in the modern era of Formula 2, while the victory also lifted his personal win tally to eight – matching the record for the most race wins in the series' history, a mark he now shares with five other drivers.
Invicta Racing's combined haul of 57 points across the weekend is also the biggest the team has ever scored at a single event.
RESULTS
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Joshua Dürksen: P1 (25 points)
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Rafael Câmara: P2 (19 points)
JOSHUA DÜRKSEN
“This is a really special weekend for me and the whole team. Qualifying set the tone – both cars were quick from the first runs, and locking out the front row gave us a great platform. The Sprint was hectic, and I'm pleased with how I handled the restart at the end, even though it obviously wasn't the outcome we wanted for Rafa. The Feature was a great fight with him in the opening laps, and once I got out front after the stops and the Safety Car, I knew I had to be perfect at the restart. Rafa never gave up, and to come away with the double, help the team to its biggest ever points haul, and match the all-time wins record is something really special. We go to Madrid full of confidence."
RAFAEL CÂMARA
“There's a lot to take from this weekend, even if it's a mixed one personally. Pole was a great way to start, and equalling the team record for poles in a season is a nice milestone, but the most important thing was that it gave us the front row for Sunday. Retiring from the Sprint was tough to take – there wasn't much I could do once the pack bunched up like that, and it's a shame to lose the points. The Feature Race was much better, though. The battle with Josh in the opening laps was great fun – hard racing, but always fair. I spent the rest of the race trying to close the gap to Josh, and I just couldn't find a way past on the last lap. Second is still a great result in the championship fight, and we head to Madrid with real momentum."
JAMES ROBINSON, TEAM PRINCIPAL
“That is one of the best weekends in Invicta Racing's history. A 1-2 in Qualifying, a win in the Sprint, and another 1-2 in the Feature Race gave us 57 points across the weekend, which is the most we have ever scored at a single event. For Josh to take his maiden Formula 2 double, and to match the record for the most wins in the championship's history along the way, says everything about the progress he has made this season. Rafa's pole was another outstanding lap, and equalling the team record for the most poles in a season is a brilliant achievement. The way he fought back after a difficult Sprint, and the spirit both drivers showed racing each other so hard but so fairly, summed up a brilliant team performance. We remain second in the Teams' Championship, but with Rafa up to second and Josh now eighth in the Drivers' standings, we’re aiming to continue this trajectory in Madrid."
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Invicta Racing: P2 (244 points)
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Rafael Câmara: P2 (166 points)
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Joshua Dürksen: P8 (78 points)
