Asunción, Agencia IP.- Paraguayan driver Joshua Duerksen stood out today in Formula 2 by finishing third in the Monza Sprint race, earning his first points of the season after six events.
With this result, Duerksen secured his fifth points finish of the year, three of them on the podium, and consolidated his position in the championship.
«It has been a long time but very happy to be honest. Last year we were strong in Monza so we knew that if we do the same thing as last year,» Duerksen said after the race.
The driver started the Sprint from fourth position and, despite not having a perfect start, managed to recover ground during the race, facing intense on-track battles, especially with Dino Beganovic in the final laps.
Duerksen highlighted the difficulty of qualifying in Monza, where he «had to push like qualifying every single lap just to try to cut the gap.» On the race itself, he added: «The tyres were starting to drop as well, so it was making our lives a bit more difficult. Monza always creates great action, you can always expect a lot of overtakes and a lot of action here in Monza.»
Regarding the ups and downs of his performance throughout the season, Duerksen stated: «I want to be more consistent, that is key. Just to get points and be on top of the Championship. We are just pushing really hard. I guess we are still finding the limit of what works just perfect, but we are pushing hard. By pushing hard, it is obvious that at some point you will make mistakes. Then there were races where we just didn’t have the pace at all, and we didn’t know what the issue was. For sure it is one of my targets to be more consistent and for sure we are working on it.»
The driver shared his excitement on social media: «What a week to return to the podium! Happy to start the weekend this way, tomorrow we want to do the same. Thanks to God, my family and friends, sponsors, fans, and team for always being by my side.»
This podium allows Duerksen to earn valuable points in the championship and get closer to the season leaders. It also boosts the morale of the AIX Racing team, which continues to consolidate its competitiveness in Formula 2.
After several races with mixed results, this performance shows that our compatriot is finding the rhythm needed to stay consistent and aim for a better spot in the overall standings.