After a difficult start to his rookie FIA Formula 2 season despite showing strong pace, Martinius Stenshorne finally put everything together at the 2026 Canadian GP weekend, claiming his maiden F2 victory in the Feature Race and securing two podium finishes at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The weekend marked Formula 2’s first-ever visit to the iconic Montreal venue, and it proved to be a breakthrough event for the Rodin Motorsport driver, who left Canada with the biggest points haul of any driver across the weekend with 31 points.
Speaking in the F2 Canadian GP post-Feature Race press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Stenshorne admitted the result was especially rewarding after several frustrating Feature Races earlier in the year.
“It feels very good,” he said. “The pace has been very good all year. Just the Feature Race hasn’t worked out as we wanted. So to finally finish the Feature Race and end it on top feels amazing.”
Misfortunes earlier in the year for Stenshorne
The Norwegian had consistently shown speed throughout the opening rounds of the season, but misfortune had repeatedly denied him strong results on Sundays.
In Melbourne, Stenshorne and teammate Alex Dunne collided while running first and second in the Feature Race after Dunne attempted a move in the slipstream, eliminating both drivers from contention.
Then in Miami, Stenshorne’s race was compromised by a 10-second stop-go penalty for a starting procedure infringement despite showing competitive pace, and a collision between Nico Varrone and Stenshorne later in the race then dashed any chances of scoring points in the Feature Race, with the Rodin Motorsport driver out of the race.
Canada, however, finally delivered the complete package.
The F2 Canadian GP Feature Race at itself was far from straightforward, with multiple incidents and Safety Cars creating a chaotic afternoon around the walls of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but despite the pressure, Stenshorne managed to stay out of trouble while carving his way through traffic.
“Yeah, we just had to try to stay out of trouble, overtaking the cars as well that hadn’t pitted,” he explained. “It was a bit of a challenge, but I think we got through it well. Rodin gave me a very good car as well today. So a big, big thank you to them.”
The Montreal F2 Round
A crucial moment came following a late Safety Car restart, where Stenshorne was able to break clear of DRS range to protect his lead.
“My Safety Car restart itself wasn’t amazing, but then I think we had good tyre temp and the car felt good,” he said. “So pushed quite hard and managed to get out of it.”
The Montreal weekend also continued an impressive trend for the rookie, who has adapted quickly to unfamiliar circuits in his first full Formula 2 campaign. Following Miami’s debut on the F2 calendar earlier in the season, Canada represented another completely new challenge for the grid.
“Yeah, same like Gabi [Minì] said, to be honest. It’s a new track in real life, but we’ve all driven it many laps on the simulator, both at home, all together, and also at the simulator and the team.
“So yeah, it’s a new track. But in the end, we have done many laps on it. I’m very happy with the pace we’ve shown in these two races on the new tracks, already in Miami. And here we’ve had a great pace, qualifying well, racing well. So yeah, very happy.”
Stenshorne’s pace in F2
The 18-year-old acknowledged that his pace in Formula 2 had made a victory feel inevitable sooner rather than later.
“It’s been a lot of races where we had a lot of pace, so it felt like a matter of time before it was going to come,” he explained. “Already in Baku last year, we had good pace, and the first two rounds this year as well.”
Stenshorne also admitted he feels far more comfortable in Formula 2 machinery than he did during parts of his FIA Formula 3 career.
“So what is different from previous cars I’ve driven, I’m not sure. F3 was a bit of a struggle for me, but I think for different reasons,” he said. “But yeah, I feel very comfortable in F2 together with Rodin as well, and they’re providing me with a good car that I’m very comfortable to drive.”
Tyre management in the Feature Race
Tyre management proved another important factor during the mixed-weather conditions in the Canadian GP Feature Race, with the colder temperatures presenting the opposite challenge to the extreme heat experienced in Miami just weeks earlier.
“Yeah, I think it was not easy. This time a bit, because it was very cold and a bit wet as well. So it was difficult to warm the tyres. Opposite to Miami, where it was very warm and difficult to keep the tyres cool.
“This time it was difficult to keep them warm,” he explained. “But throughout the race, I think we didn’t take too much [out of them]. I took care of my tyres well in the beginning, so we had pace throughout the race and it wasn’t much of an issue.”
Rodin’s 1-2 finish
Rodin Motorsport’s weekend became even more significant as the team secured a 1-2 finish with Dunne, rewarding a season that had consistently shown strong underlying pace without always delivering the results to match.
Yeah, it feels very good,” Stenshorne said when asked by Pit Debrief about finally achieving a double podium finish for the team. “I think we’ve been very competitive so far this year. Obviously, Melbourne, we were running well in the beginning, but didn’t end very well and same for Miami, for me at least. Running well in the beginning, but having some issues halfway through.
“So but yeah, it feels very good. The team has done an amazing job so far and we’ve been very competitive. So I hope it stays that way for the remaining rounds.”
When asked about one track he’d love to add to the calendar, the Norwegian added that he enjoys driving at Mugello.
“One track I quite enjoy is Mugello. F1 has been there before, but it’s quite a while now. So it’s a track I enjoyed racing on in the past. And the F1 is good there as well in Italy. So I have an extra positive.”
Looking ahead to the remaining rounds
Throughout the F2 Canadian GP Feature Race, Stenshorne was also forced to navigate several aggressive on-track battles, including a particularly tight moment involving Nikola Tsolov.
“There was a lot of incidents this weekend in F2. Also yesterday, there was a few. But yeah, I just tried to stay calm.” he said. “Nikola tried to overtake Boya and then I managed to get them both.
“So after that, I just tried to beat them up one by one. Our pace was good. Of course, we had a bit of pressure tyres as well, but we managed to get by quite quickly. So for sure that helped us to build a gap before the first, well, second safety car came out.”
With strong pace in both dry and wet conditions this season, Stenshorne believes confidence in the car is continuing to grow, which will reap in the rewards heading into the rest of the season.
“I’ve been very confident with the car so far this year, to be honest,” he concluded. “Yesterday, I did struggle a bit, but I felt better today. Even in the wet in Miami, we were quite competitive before our race as well. So pace, we keep posting in all conditions. Hopefully it stays that way.”
