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Leon Takes Hungary Feature Race Victory After Timely Virtual Safety Car Pit Stop
Campos Racing driver Noel Leon secured his third Formula 2 win of the season at the Hungaroring, capitalizing on Virtual Safety Car timing to leapfrog Kush Maini and Rafael Camara.
By Patrick Koster - 2026-07-26T10:49:16.000Z - 2 min read
Timing proved decisive in Sunday’s 37-lap Formula 2 Feature Race at the Hungaroring, where a perfectly placed pit stop under Virtual Safety Car conditions handed Noel Leon his third victory of the campaign. The Campos Racing driver had spent the opening stint tracking pole-sitter Kush Maini before the critical strategy window opened.
Off the line, Maini launched cleanly to hold his lead into Turn 1, while Leon executed a sharp move around Rafael Camara to claim second place. Further back, title leader Nikola Tsolov took immediate risks at Turn 2, clashing with Martinius Stenshorne on the outside line. The contact forced Stenshorne into the pits with damage on his Rodin machine, though stewards eventually cleared Tsolov of wrongdoing following a formal investigation.
With track position stable up front, Gabriele Minì triggered the mandatory pit stops among the lead runners on lap 15. Having started eighth, the MP Motorsport driver opted for an early switch to medium compound tyres, aiming to undercut the cars ahead after his Sprint Race victory the previous day.
The defining tactical moment arrived shortly afterwards when Rafael Villagomez stopped on track, prompting race control to deploy the Virtual Safety Car. Leon was already heading down the pit entry as the neutralisation was called, allowing Campos to execute his tire change with significantly reduced time loss compared to normal racing speeds.
When Maini and Camara completed their mandatory stops under green conditions, Leon emerged in the lead. The Mexican driver managed the restart cleanly and controlled the remaining laps to cross the finish line just 0.887 seconds clear of ART Grand Prix driver Maini, with Invicta’s Camara rounding out the podium a further half-second behind to cement his place in the title fight.
Behind Laurens Van Hoepen in fourth and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak in fifth, the closing stages featured a frantic battle for position. Joshua Dürksen had defended fifth place stoutly against heavy pressure, engaging in multiple exchanges before his tyres faded. Dino Beganovic capitalized to take sixth, while Tsolov pulled off a sweep around the outside of Dürksen to claim seventh place.
Tsolov’s late-race progress also included a pass on Minì with seven laps remaining, as the Italian struggled to maintain pace on his worn medium tyres. Crossing the line ninth, Minì lost ground in the standings, allowing Tsolov to widen his championship lead as Formula 2 enters its August summer break ahead of the next round at Monza in September.