F2 Australia: Feature Race heartbreak for Dino Beganovic as Rafael Camara shines

After a thrilling start to the F2 Australia Feature Race, Nikola Tsolov secured the top spot on the podium. Rafael Camara had an amazing race and secured 2nd, with Laurens van Hoepen following behind in 3rd. However, the star of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, Dino Beganovic, had a disaster in the feature race. Despite fighting past fellow Ferrari prospect Rafael Camara to take 2nd-place, Beganovic suffered a car malfunction, causing him to retire from the race. Consequently, the Swedish driver lost a nearly certain podium finish in Melbourne and instead got 20th and a DNF.

Dino Beganovic and Rafael Camara’s F2 Australia Feature Race Results

• Session Result: Dino Beganovic (20th DNF), Rafael Camara (2nd)
• Gap to Pole: Dino Beganovic (DNF), Rafael Camara (+1.6)
• Key Highlight: Rafael Camara securing his first feature race podium in Formula 2. Beganovic getting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:31.730 in the F2 Melbourne feature race.

Dino Beganovic’s Race Is Destroyed By Car Failure

Dino Beganovic started the F2 Australia Feature Race on pole. However, as mentioned, this was the only thing Beganovic had to smile about, with the Swedish driver not finishing the race. At around the halfway point of the contest, Beganovic was sitting in a podium position, ahead of his Ferrari rival Rafael Camara, who started in 6th. Dino was lapping faster than Camara on track, fighting his way past the Formula 3 champion and setting his sights on Nikola Tsolov who was the leader. But because of the mechanical issue, Beganovic had no choice but to end his race early, losing valuable points in the Formula 2 standings.

However, Rafael Camara had an amazing race. As I stated, the Brazilian started the feature race in 6th, but Camara quickly worked his way up the grid. At one point, the Ferrari Academy prospect was ahead of his much more experienced rival Dino Beganovic, who qualified on pole and had the fastest lap of the race. Beganovic’s car failure brought out a safety car, which actually left Camara in 3rd, with Nico Varrone pulling off a great bit of tire management strategy to get himself in front of the Brazilian. It took Camara a while, but on lap 27 he finally got past Varrone with a brilliant late-braking move into Turn 11. But at this point in the race, Nikola Tsolov was nearly three seconds ahead, meaning Camara didn’t have enough time to close the gap.

Ferrari Driver Academy H2H Season Results: Dino Beganovic 0-2 Rafael Camara

To get the low-down on the high-stakes rivalry between Dino Beganovic and Rafael Camara this season, check out my F2 2026 season preview here.