{"id":32819,"date":"2025-04-13T11:51:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T15:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=32819"},"modified":"2025-04-13T11:51:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T15:51:29","slug":"marti-and-dunne-both-triumph-in-thrilling-f2-weekend-in-bahrain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/04\/13\/marti-and-dunne-both-triumph-in-thrilling-f2-weekend-in-bahrain\/","title":{"rendered":"Mart\u00ed and Dunne Both Triumph in Thrilling F2 Weekend in Bahrain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Round 2 of the 2025 F2 season took the grid to Bahrain. The weekend was full of impressive performances and ended with an unexpected outcome.<\/p>\n<h2>What Happened When F2 Stopped in Bahrain<\/h2>\n<p>F2 visited Bahrain for Round 2 of its 2025 championship. The series experienced a weekend of impressive performances, each highlighting the drivers&#8217; skills.<\/p>\n<p>The high temperatures of Sakhir were accompanied by moments of high tension on the track that rewarded the drivers who made the most of the car even in conditions of degradation or pressure from the opponents. Among them are winners Pepe Mart\u00ec and Alexander Dunne, who highlighted this season&#8217;s competition.<\/p>\n<h3>Payback for Pepe Mart\u00ec<\/h3>\n<p>After the difficulties of the first F2 round in Australia, Pepe Mart\u00ec and Campos Racing wanted to show their real strength in Bahrain.<\/p>\n<p>Despite a disappointing qualifying, the Spaniard wanted to turn things around. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/25\/top-5-title-contenders-for-the-2025-f2-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Pepe Mart\u00ec<\/a> made an impressive comeback during the Sprint Race, starting from eleventh place and finishing first.<\/p>\n<p>The Bahrain circuit seems to fit well with the skills of Mart\u00ec, who also last year was behind an incredible performance in Sakhir, finishing twice on the podium.<\/p>\n<p>In the final laps of a chaotic Sprint Race, the Spaniard overtook several cars one after another and reached the finish line in first position.<\/p>\n<p>Also, in the Feature Race, he came close to the podium, losing the fight with Leonardo Fornaroli at the last corner, despite the pressure he put on the Italian. This was an excellent response, given the performance in Melbourne, where neither of the two <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/16\/campos-racing-struggles-in-2025-f2-season-opener-in-australia\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Campos Racing<\/a> drivers had a good weekend.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"nl\">Sprint Race podium \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\udd47 Marti \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8<br \/>\n\ud83e\udd48 Verschoor \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1<br \/>\n\ud83e\udd49 Duerksen \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddfe<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/F2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#F2<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BahrainGP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BahrainGP<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tb8ncuShRl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/tb8ncuShRl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Formula 2 (@Formula2) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Formula2\/status\/1911082635582931281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/04\/11\/formula-e-andretti-hoping-to-get-a-win-at-home-in-miami\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Formula E: Andretti Hoping to Get a Win at Home in Miami<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Difficulties Remain for Prema Racing<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/02\/12\/prema-racings-best-seasons-a-motorsport-powerhouse\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Prema Racing<\/a> continued to struggle at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/04\/10\/f1-history-of-the-bahrain-grand-prix\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Sakhir circuit<\/a>. While the outcome this year was not wholly negative, it was still a far cry from the performance fans have come to expect from the Italian team.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, Sebastian Montoya did not earn any points in the races. In the Sprint Race, he was the victim of contact at the beginning, which damaged his race. On Sunday, he never managed to find speed and finished in nineteenth position.<\/p>\n<p>However, the weekend was not all bad. Gabriele Min\u00ec finished in the points in both races for the team. While he did not earn the win he was looking for, the team and drivers are aiming to recover in Jeddah before their home race at Imola.<\/p>\n<h3>Two Different Strategies in Bahrain<\/h3>\n<p>Tire degradation is known to be critical for races in Bahrain. So, it is no surprise that high temperatures and degradation burdened drivers and teams to find the right balance that minimised performance losses.<\/p>\n<p>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fiaformula2.com\/Latest\/7tw2rGO9qPNhNt0ATSYctc\/it-was-really-crazy-goethe-reacts-to-double-overtake-after-finishing-fifth\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sprint Race<\/a>, where pit stops are not mandatory, many cars at the bottom of the grid stopped to change tires and try a different strategy to recover points.<\/p>\n<p>For some, this choice paid off, as is the case of Gabriele Min\u00ec and Leonardo Fornaroli. The Italians sat at the bottom of the classification until their fresher tires saw them overtake drivers experiencing more tire degradation. Both finished in the points.<\/p>\n<p>Strategy made the difference in the Feature Race, where the soft compound performed better than expected. Alexander Dunne, who had chosen the soft-hard strategy, exploited this with a victory 8 seconds ahead of P2.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">HISTORY MADE IN OUR 200TH RACE!!!!! \ud83c\udf89<\/p>\n<p>A FIRST <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/F2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#F2<\/a> VICTORY FOR IRELAND!!! \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea<\/p>\n<p>ALEX DUNNE, TAKE A BOW!!! \ud83d\ude4c\ud83d\ude4c<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BahrainGP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BahrainGP<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fXITfpTbnc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fXITfpTbnc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Formula 2 (@Formula2) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Formula2\/status\/1911396423104373120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Luke Browning, who chose a hard-soft strategy, recovered in the final laps and ended in second position.<\/p>\n<p><strong>YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/04\/13\/kyle-larson-puts-on-a-clinic-in-nascar-xfinity-series-race-at-bristol\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Kyle Larson Puts on a Clinic in NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Bristol<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Changes in Drivers&#8217; Standings<\/h3>\n<p>After this round, there have been several changes in the drivers&#8217; standings.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/16\/durksen-leads-2025-formula-2-championship-after-australia\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Joshua Durksen<\/a>, leader of the F2 championship until Bahrain, lost his placing due to his disqualification in the Sprint Race and a lack of points scored in the Feature Race.<\/p>\n<p>The Paraguayan fell into fifth place while Alex Dunne, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/03\/31\/williams-fully-focused-on-2026-despite-fw47s-strong-start\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Luke Browning<\/a>, and Leonardo Fornaroli now occupy the top 3 of the drivers&#8217; standings.<\/p>\n<p>F2 leaves Bahrain and will return at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next week, from 18th to 20th April.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/04\/11\/red-bull-is-looking-for-confirmation-in-bahrain\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Red Bull Is Looking for Confirmation in Bahrain<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Main Photo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Credit: <strong>IMAGO \/\u00a0PsnewZ<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Recording Date: 13.04.2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Round 2 of the 2025 F2 season took the grid to Bahrain. The weekend was full of impressive performances and ended with an unexpected outcome. What Happened When F2 Stopped in Bahrain F2 visited Bahrain for Round 2 of its 2025 championship. The series experienced a weekend of impressive performances, each highlighting the drivers&#8217; skills. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4754,"featured_media":32827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[2440,2477,543,2045],"class_list":["post-32819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formula-2","tag-2025-formula-2-season","tag-alex-dunne","tag-bahrain-grand-prix","tag-pepe-marti"],"modified_by":"Emma Fisher","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32819"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32831,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32819\/revisions\/32831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}