Round 1 Post Qualifying Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello and welcome to the first F2 press conference of the season, the 10th season of F2, a jubilee weekend. And what a qualifying we have seen. On pole position is Dino Beganovic from DAMS Lucas Oil, in second position is Martinius Stenshorne of Rodin Motorsport and also from Rodin is Alex Dunne in third. Starting with you Dino, that was hard fought, it was a little crazy at the end, a lot of battling for track position, but you found some speed on this beautiful Melbourne track.

Dino Beganovic: Yeah, I mean it's great to be here and take the first pole of the year. Like you say, it was a matter of being in the right position in the end, getting the tyres in and going for the lap. We were lucky enough to be at the front in the pit lane to avoid, let's say, the mess in the back, but I'm very happy with the lap, with the qualifying in general, with the FP this morning. I think the car has been very nice to drive the whole weekend and I want to thank DAMS also for the hard work as well.

FIA Formula 2: It's quite a different start to the season than last year. Last year was stressful, first F2 season. How is it gelling with DAMS? By the looks of things, it's going well.

Beganovic: Yeah, like in 2024, when I did the two races with them, it feels like we have a very good connection and I'm very happy with the team and what they're giving me. A very warm welcome and they're working really, really hard and I appreciate that very much and I think this year we can achieve very good things together.

FIA Formula 2: Now, what is the game plan for the next two races? You've got a reverse grid to get through first and then, of course, the main race.

Beganovic: Well, always in the Sprint Race it is about gathering the experience for the next race, but obviously we want to move forward as well and try to get the first couple points of the year already tomorrow. I think we have a good car, as I said this weekend. In general, we also have a good race car, so I'm looking forward to try it out tomorrow, starting off and then we will see what we learn tomorrow and start applying it for Sunday.

FIA Formula 2: You'll have to battle on the Sunday with Martinius Stenshorne, Martinius what a qualifying as well for you. You’re first full season in F2, you couldn't really ask for a better start or was pole position possible?

Martinius Stenshorne: No, I think Dino was quite quick today, so good job to him. Overall it's been a good start to the weekend and big thanks to Rodin as well for giving me a good car and couldn't have asked for a better start.

FIA Formula 2: What's this track like though to go out on a qualifying lap?

Stenshorne: Well, it's really fun. It's a bit of street track vibes, which I enjoy and still a really nice track, fast and flowy and slow corners as well. So yeah, really enjoying it out there.

FIA Formula 2: You seem to be gelling well with the F2 car, also on your few outings last year. This is a car that suits you, it seems.

Stenshorne: Well, it's difficult to say. I'm always trying to drive to the limit of every car I'm driving. So far it's been good, so hopefully it stays that way.

FIA Formula 2: F2 season is built on consistency. How much risk are you willing to take in the first race weekend?

Stenshorne: Well, it's a long season, so you have to have to play it smart. But of course, if any opportunity comes, we will go for it.

FIA Formula 2: Alex, how about for you, you're in a good position for the main race in third?

Alex Dunne: Yeah, I mean, qualifying wasn't too bad. Well, in saying that, the last lap wasn't too bad. I think up until then it was a bit tricky. We were struggling with a couple of things and we had to make a couple of changes on the car for the final run to improve that. I think if I'm not wrong, I was 15th or 16th before that final lap. So, I think all the pressure was kind of just on that lap meeting to deliver it at the end. Otherwise, it would have been a much harder day and much harder weekend as well. It's not a bad place to start, being in the top three is always nice. It's nice now for a change that we have the two of us in Rodin up here as well. So it shows that the car has been strong. But I think there's definitely a couple of things we can do to get more out of it.

FIA Formula 2: What were you struggling with? Because this track is known for huge track evolution. Were you just tweaking setup during qualifying?

Dunne: Yeah, pretty much. I think we made a couple of relatively big changes from FP and then we kind of did a similar step again through the session. I think I was struggling quite a bit with the fronts and understeer at the beginning and I much prefer a car that's quite on the nose. So we made a relatively big step for the last run because realistically we didn't have a whole lot to lose and I wasn't particularly happy with the balance. So we made a big step and I think still we probably could have gone even more but it was in a much better direction.

FIA Formula 2: This is the first time we see you in Alpine colours. A lot has happened for you over the last 12 months, but you seem to be in a good place.

Dunne: Yeah, I'm happy. I'm in a good place. I'm enjoying it which is nice. It's nice to have a fresh start to my second season with Alpine and kind of just get my head down and focus on the year ahead. From what I've seen so far with them, I've really enjoyed working with everyone. It's been very short-lived and I'm still yet to meet most of the team so it's still all very new to me. But for everyone I've met, Steve, the team principal, Flavio as well, I feel like the relationships already with them are quite strong, so I'm excited to work with them more in the future.

FIA Formula 2: Thank you all.