Leon’s strategy call earns him F2 pole in Spielberg

(opens in a new tab)Sign InSubscribeF1ScheduleChevron DropdownPrevious 2026 SeasonDriver Standings Team StandingsArchive 1950-2025F1 AwardsNewsChevron DropdownWhat is F1? What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosMercedes expect to have ‘fight on our hands’ in AustriaHayu Yamakoshi secures maiden F3 pole position in SpielbergLeon’s strategy call earns him F2 pole in SpielbergVowles shares upgrade plan after being 'impressed' by rivalsPlay1:27Lindblad believes points 'should be the goal' for the Austrian Grand Prix 1:18Browning 'happy' to be 'top of the rookies' in Austria FP1 Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f2-leons-inspired-strategy-call-earns-him-maiden-pole-position-in-spielberg.5uIyIRmENhABRrkKAoJatu.5uIyIRmENhABRrkKAoJatu"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f2-leons-inspired-strategy-call-earns-him-maiden-pole-position-in-spielberg.5uIyIRmENhABRrkKAoJatu","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f2-leons-inspired-strategy-call-earns-him-maiden-pole-position-in-spielberg.5uIyIRmENhABRrkKAoJatu","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f2-leons-inspired-strategy-call-earns-him-maiden-pole-position-in-spielberg.5uIyIRmENhABRrkKAoJatu","datePublished":"2026-06-26T17:41:04.841Z","dateModified":"2026-06-26T17:41:04.841Z","headline":"F2: Noel Leon’s inspired strategy call earns him maiden pole position in Spielberg","author":"F1","description":"Noel Leon took his maiden Formula 2 pole position in Spielberg, beating Alexander Dunne and his Campos Racing team mate Nikola Tsolov to top spot on Friday.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9North/f_auto/q_auto/v1782495387/fom-website/2026/Austria/GettyImages-2283439566.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}Road to F1F2AustriaShow more tagsF2: Leon’s inspired strategy call earns him maiden pole position in SpielbergLeon went against convention in Qualifying to claim his first Formula 2 pole position in Austria. Noel Leon took his maiden Formula 2 pole position in Spielberg, beating Alexander Dunne and his Campos Racing team mate Nikola Tsolov to top spot on Friday. After the first set of laps, the Mexican left the pits on his own during the middle of the session while the rest of his rivals waited in the pit lane before conducting their final runs. Leon’s 1m 15.544s thus became the time to beat for the remaining 21 drivers, with Dunne the closest for Rodin, 0.129s slower while Tsolov finished in P3. Championship leader Gabriele Minì ended up fourth for MP Motorsport, while Rafael Camara, having been fastest after the first set of laps, finished in P5. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak led the charge for ART Grand Prix in sixth place, with Oliver Goethe in seventh. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez ended up in P8, ahead of TRIDENT’s John Bennett, with PREMA Racing’s Sebastian Montoya in P10. Montoya is now set to start from reverse grid pole in Saturday’s Sprint Race, where lights out is scheduled for 1415 local time. You can read a full report from today’s FIA Formula 2 Qualifying session on the official website here. F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited