DAMS Lucas Oil showed its excellent speed in race trim during Round 6 of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship, and was unlucky not to score podiums with Jak Crawford thanks to unfortunately-timed Safety Car interventions.

Off the back of the squad’s double win in Monaco, both Kush Maini and Jak Crawford were competitive in qualifying, taking third and seventh respectively.

American racer Crawford started fourth for the semi-reverse grid Sprint Race, and a strong launch saw him move into second on the opening lap. Shortly after, the Aston Martin F1 Reserve and Development Driver took the lead, and looked set for a third win in three weeks. However, a late race Safety Car allowed drivers further down the field to pit for Soft tyres, giving them much more grip than the leaders, which meant Crawford had to settle for fourth. Alpine F1 Team Test and Reserve Driver Maini also showed great speed, and was sitting fourth at the restart, before also losing positions, eventually missing out on points.

The following day, Crawford opted for the alternate strategy, running long on the Hard tyre. Eventually pitting on Lap 26, the driver of car #11 was the one making the overtakes this time around, working his way up to fourth and eyeing a top-three finish. Unfortunately, before he could make a move for the podium, another Safety Car intervention halted his progress. This lasted until the end of the race, again leaving him in fourth. On the more traditional strategy, a difficult start from the second row of the grid saw Maini drop down the order, although the Indian driver showed determination and good race pace to battle back to take seventh at the chequered flag.

With the triple-header now complete, F2 takes a short break before the next round, which will be held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, on 28-29 June.

Jak Crawford: “Overall, it was a strong weekend for us in terms of pace, even if the results don’t quite show the full picture. We were leading the Sprint Race and looking good for another win until the late Safety Car changed everything. Then in the Feature Race, we went aggressive on strategy, made up a lot of ground and were closing in on the podium before another Safety Car neutralised the race. Frustrating to miss out, but I’m proud of the speed we showed and we’ll carry that momentum into Spielberg.”

Qualifying: 7th | Sprint Race: 4th (+5 points) | Feature Race: 4th (+12 points)

Kush Maini: “Barcelona had its ups and downs for me, taking third in qualifying was our best result of the year. When the Safety Car came out in the Sprint Race we were fourth and had great pace, but unfortunately those behind who pitted were so quick on the Soft tyres and we missed out on points. I had a bad start in the Feature Race, but recovered well for seventh. The car is strong and I’m feeling good behind the wheel, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Qualifying: 3rd | Sprint Race:16th | Feature Race: 7th (+6 points)

Charles Pic, Team Owner: “Both drivers found a good rhythm in qualifying, Kush put together a strong lap on the second run to take third, and Jak was close behind in seventh. Jak got a great start on Saturday and managed to take the lead in the opening laps. Kush was also in a solid position, but the Safety Car shook things up. We made a mistake not to pit both cars, as the intervention didn’t last as long as we had expected. Unfortunately, Jak was caught by three drivers on Soft tyres and dropped off the podium, and Kush missed out on points, so we’re sorry to them for this.

“In the Feature Race, Kush didn’t get a good start from third on the grid, but he showed his pace to fight back and claim points in seventh. We went with the alternate strategy on Jak’s side, and pitted early for Softs. He did a great job coming through the field while looking after his tyres, and was lining up a move to claim a podium when a late race Safety Car came out. It lasted until the end, so he was again left in fourth. Overall, it was a positive weekend for the team, both drivers showed their speed in every session, so we’ll look to continue this momentum in Austria.”

Image: Dutch Photo Agency