DAMS Lucas Oil ended its first appearance in Miami on a high, securing second place in Sunday’s FIA Formula 2 Feature Race with Dino Beganovic after a competitive weekend in challenging conditions.

The team showed promising pace from the start, with Beganovic fighting at the front throughout Free Practice before finishing qualifying 11th in an extremely tight field, where high track temperatures and tyre management played a key role. On the other side of the garage, Roman Bilinski’s mileage was limited by a power issue during practice. With only two representative laps completed, secured 21st on the grid.

In Saturday’s Sprint Race, Beganovic delivered a solid drive to finish eighth after battling within the lead group during the early laps. Bilinski made an excellent start, gaining several positions, but lost ground after an incident ahead compromised his progress. Despite this, he managed his tires well to secure 14th at the checkered flag.

Heavy rain ahead of Sunday’s Feature Race meant the entire field started on wet tyres. From 11th on the grid, Beganovic made immediate progress into the top-10 before showing strong pace. A well-executed pit stop kept him firmly in contention, allowing the Swede to fight for the win in the closing stages. After briefly taking the lead on the penultimate lap, Beganovic eventually crossed the line in second position. Unfortunately, Bilinski was unable to start the Feature Race after a technical issue was identified on the formation lap.

DAMS Lucas Oil leaves Melbourne with valuable lessons learned ahead of the remainder of the championship.

Dino Beganovic :
« It was a very positive weekend overall. We had strong pace in the races and the car felt competitive in all conditions. The team did a great job with the strategy and pit stop, so it’s nice to come away with a podium after a demanding weekend. »
Qualifying: 11th | Sprint Race: 8th | Feature Race: 2nd

Roman Bilinski:
« It was a tough weekend on my side with limited mileage, but there were still positives to take from the Sprint Race where we showed encouraging pace. Unfortunately, I wasn’t get the chance to start the Feature, but we’ve learned a lot heading into Montreal.»
Qualifying: 21st | Sprint Race: 14th | Feature Race: DNF

Charles Pic, Team Owner:
« This weekend showed the team’s ability to react well and maximise the opportunities available to us during the races. Although qualifying didn’t fully reflect our potential, we showed strong race pace throughout the weekend with a competitive car in difficult conditions. Dino drove an excellent Feature Race to secure second position, while Roman’s weekend was compromised by limited track time following technical issues. We have two weeks to implement all the necessary changes. Overall, we leave Miami with a strong points haul, positive momentum and our first podium in the United States, which is something we can all be proud of. »

The FIA Formula 2 Championship now heads to Montreal on 21-24 May for the second event of the current double-header.

Image: Dutch Photo Agency