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Joshua Duerksen on ‘mixed’ start to the season, settling into Invicta and Mercedes opportunity
Joshua Duerksen has so far not had the season that he had hoped so far but remains confident that he can still fight for the championship this year.
The Invicta Racing driver made a strong start by winning the Melbourne Sprint Race, but since then the results have not gone in his favour.
Since scoring those 10 points in Australia, he has added just 11 more to his tally and currently sits 11th in the Drivers’ Standings – trailing leader Gabriele Minì by 65 points.
Reflecting on it all recently, Duerksen says he has not yet maximised the performance he and Invicta have had.
“At the moment, I think it's a bit sweet and sour,” says Duerksen. “I have mixed feelings. We have always had very good pace, but we just have not maximise the results yet.
“So, I’m not happy in that sense, but I’m very happy that I feel very strong with the team, very connected, and very bonded together. We have the pace, so that gives me a lot of optimism for the rest of the races.”
A NEW LIFE AT INVICTA
This is Duerksen’s third season in Formula 2 but his first with Invicta, having previously raced with AIX Racing in 2024 and 2025.
It’s a new environment for the Paraguayan driver but one that he already feels very comfortable in.
“They're great people,” he continues. “They have made me feel at home very quickly. It feels like I have known them for a longer time than what I actually do. So, it has been going very well with them right now.
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“That relationship makes the work much easier because the understanding is there, it’s good vibes and it makes the working days more enjoyable. It gives you more energy as well to do everything you have to do during the day.
“That very quick connection helps as well to understand each other, how everybody works, how I work and just to work better together.”
WORKING ALONGSIDE A NEW TEAMMATE
Those great relationships also include his new teammate Rafael Câmara, with both drivers having been incredibly complimentary of each other so far this season.
“It's been amazing, to be honest, working with Rafa, for sure,” says Duerksen. “He has a lot of speed, he is very quick.
“I think he has shown it this season, and it has been really great because both of us push each other together to go faster and faster and I think we make a very good team together.
“The relationship is good, the understanding between us both as well, and it just has been enjoyable.”
Câmara has also spoken about the relationship between the two and has praised Duerksen’s work ethic and professionalism.
The 22-year-old explained how he approaches a weekend, especially as the busy European leg of the calendar gets underway.
“I just keep working like if it would be my first time in F2,” he says. “There's always something to improve, and I know that the other drivers will also improve. So I need to improve a lot more to be ahead of them.
“I keep focusing because there are always little details to improve, there's always something to find. So I really try to focus and to improve the things that I could improve from the previous race weekend, I try to do them on the next one. The learning never stops.”
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JOINING MERCEDES
Duerksen’s learning is not only with Invicta but also with the Mercedes Formula 1 Team, who he joined at the start of the year as a Development Driver.
The Paraguayan says it was an opportunity he could not turn down and believes he impressed them with how he ended the 2025 campaign.
In the final four rounds of the season he scored six podiums, including a victory in the final Feature Race of the year as Yas Marina.
“It means a lot to me to be part of Mercedes and working together with them,” he says. “Of course, they're a very, very good team, for me the best.
“After my streak on the podiums – six podiums in the last eight races – that was something very nice and I think that helped me as well, just to show them what I can do. To be honest, I just really learned a lot from them as well and it has been amazing.”
Despite those links to the multiple time world champions, Duerksen says his full focus is on his F2 season, although he draws on the “wisdom” of those within the team to help him.
One of those people is current Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with Duerksen revealing that the F2 alumni gave him advice for his first visit to Montreal last month.
APPROACHING THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
Next up for Duerksen is a trip to Spielberg – the venue of his best starting position in the Feature Race having lined up in P2 back in 2024.
This kicks off a run of four rounds in five weeks with the paddock set to also visit Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest before the summer break.
Duerksen knows the importance of the next few weeks as he looks to get back to fighting towards the front consistently with Invicta.
“It's important to score very good points in the middle of the season,” he acknowledges. I think Invicta will help me a lot to make that happen.
“June and July will be very, very busy with a lot of races, so I'm trying to prepare as much as possible as I can right now, as we have a little bit more of time, because later on it will be very tight. But for sure, Invicta will help me a lot with it.”
Part of Duerksen’s preparations will be to take a look at the numbers from previous years, including 2025 champion and former Invicta driver Leonardo Fornaroli’s data.
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The Italian’s approach is one that Duerksen wants to follow for the remaining rounds if he is to launch a title challenge.
“I think, as we have seen the last previous years, it's all about consistency,” Duerksen explains. “It's all about scoring points consistently, race after race, and not being a hero or zero.
“It's just driving consistently. I think Leo Fornaroli is the best example for that. In F3 and the same in F2, he was just consistently there. I think if we can manage that, for sure we will have a good chance in the championship.”