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Going for glory in 2026: DAMS Lucas Oil Season Preview
DAMS Lucas Oil head into the 2026 season looking to win their first ever FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship, and with an eye on taking their second Teams’ title crown.
The French team have placed a driver in the top five of the Standings in each of the last four seasons, going close with Jak Crawford last year, who finished second.
DAMS have also not finished inside of the top three of the Teams’ Championship since winning it in 2019, but could 2026 be different?
They bring an all-new lineup to the grid that they hope will change their fortunes, with Dino Beganovic and Roman Bilinski joining the team.
CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM
DAMS 2025 season was an impressive one, with the highlight being their double victory in Monte Carlo, winning both the Sprint and Feature Race, before ending up fourth in the Teams’ Standings.
The French outfit had five wins last year, just one less than Campos Racing, who had the most victories, and tied with Champions Invicta Racing.
So what held them back? Well, they had a few point-less outing, notably at the start of the season when they did not score in Melbourne and Sakhir. They also went without scoring in Spa and Monza.
DAMS also ended the year with just nine podiums, the fourth most behind Invicta, Hitech TGR and Campos Racing, the three teams that finished above them in the Standings.
So they will be eyeing a better start to the season, with the goal of also adding more silverware and points to their collection.
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They have a driver in one of their cars that made a habit of that towards, with Beganovic scoring points in 10 out the final 11 races. This included a double podium in Baku, where he won the Sprint and finished third in the Feature Race.
The Swede also has a history with the team, joining them for the final two rounds in 2024, and taking his first F2 podium at the Yas Marina Sprint Race.
So can Beganovic, and his new teammate Bilinski help DAMS climb up the order?
FAMILIARITY AND MATURITY
Beganovic’s familiarity with the team, his experience in F2 and his pace are all what would have drawn DAMS to sign him for 2026.
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent had a mixed 2025 season. In the first half, his two podiums in Sakhir and Imola were mixed in with nine point-less outings.
But that improved in the second half, after he and his team found some improvements, and he went on to achieve consistent points finishes as he fought towards the front of the field.
Beganovic will be looking to continue the momentum, not only from the impressive second part of his season, but also from his time in 2024 with DAMS.
That started with post-season testing, where he spent three days ingratiating himself within the team once again, and getting back used to the car.
If the 22-year-old can put it all together, he has already said that he will be aiming for the title.
As for his teammate, Bilinski joins the team fresh from a strong FIA Formula 3 season where he finished 11th in the Standings. But in such a tight field, that does not tell the full story.
The Polish driver started the year on fire with a run to P3 in the Melbourne Sprint Race, and had many more highlights, including finishing second in the Monte Carlo Feature and winning on Saturday in Monza.
Bilinski also impressed with the way he worked with the team, and that showed in how he chose to adapt to Formula 2. He joined DAMS for the final few rounds of the season, watching on and listening in from the sidelines.
The 21-year-old also showed plenty of promise in post-season testing and will no doubt have been hard at work over the winter to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
That will continue with pre-season testing next month where Bilinski will get another three days adapting to F2. These will be important for him, Beganovic, and DAMS as a team.