Rodin Motorsport driver Martinius Stenshorne is targeting a return to the points and podium fight as FIA F2 heads to the Baku City Circuit for an expanded Round 12 in 2026.
The Norwegian returns to the venue where he made his F2 debut in 2025, when he immediately impressed by qualifying seventh despite simultaneously learning both the car and circuit. His speed ultimately went unrewarded following incidents outside his control, but Stenshorne now arrives with a full season of F2 experience and considerably greater familiarity with the demands of Baku.
He also has an additional opportunity to convert that experience into points. The championship will use a one-off expanded format in Azerbaijan, featuring two Qualifying sessions, a Sprint Race and two Feature Races across the weekend.
Stenshorne returns to familiar surroundings
Stenshorne faced a considerable learning curve when he first appeared in F2 at Baku. He joined Trident for his debut and had to adapt to the championship’s machinery while simultaneously learning one of the calendar’s most challenging street circuits.
Nevertheless, qualifying seventh demonstrated his ability to quickly find the limit. The races proved less rewarding, preventing Stenshorne from scoring despite the promising start to his F2 career.
That appearance preceded his move to Rodin for a full-time 2026 campaign, which was confirmed following his initial F2 outings.
A year later, the circumstances are considerably different.
“Last year it was mainly about just getting into the rhythm with the new car,” he explained. “It was also a new track for me, so there were quite a lot of things to learn.
“Obviously this year I have a bit more experience coming here, both with the car and the track, so I’m looking forward to it.
“The most difficult thing here is the same as any other street track – the walls are so close, so finding the limit and not being over it but also not too far under it as well is tough.”
The 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit presents an unusual combination of long flat-out sections and an extremely narrow old-city complex. Finding confidence quickly remains crucial, particularly with the barriers leaving almost no margin for mistakes.
Full season of experience changes Baku approach
Stenshorne no longer has to spend the opening sessions simply learning how an F2 car behaves.
His rookie campaign has already included several significant milestones, with the strongest arriving during F2’s visit to Montreal. Stenshorne secured his first championship podium in the Sprint Race before completing a breakthrough weekend by claiming his maiden F2 victory in the Canadian GP Feature Race.
He led teammate Alexander Dunne across the line to secure a Rodin one-two, while the result completed a significant turnaround after a difficult opening phase of the year.
The experience accumulated since his first Baku appearance means Stenshorne expects a more straightforward preparation process this time.
“It will make it easier. I think we still showed really good pace last year, even though it was first for me. It went really well until it didn’t. Hopefully we can carry that good speed into this year and have some good qualifying results and hopefully score some good points in all three races.
“We haven’t scored as much as we wanted to lately. It was looking good for a while in Madrid, until another Safety Car came out and kind of ruined our strategy, so hopefully we can get some good points over the line this weekend.”
Strongest results have proved difficult to repeat
Montreal established Stenshorne as a race winner, but consistently converting his pace into results has proved more difficult through the middle portion of the campaign.
He went through several challenging rounds before returning to the podium at Spa-Francorchamps. Starting from the front row of the reverse-grid contest, Stenshorne fought Joshua Dürksen for victory and ultimately finished second in the Belgian GP Sprint Race.
That remains his most recent podium heading into Azerbaijan.
The Norwegian nevertheless arrives at Baku after returning to the points in Madrid. Fifth in the Sprint Race and eighth in the Feature Race lifted him to 70 points, leaving him 11th in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
His Madrid Feature Race initially appeared capable of producing a stronger result. However, Stenshorne had already completed his mandatory stop when a Safety Car changed the strategic picture and benefited drivers who had extended their opening stints. He ultimately salvaged eighth as his prospects of a larger haul disappeared.
The result contributed to a weekend that kept Stenshorne level on points with Ritomo Miyata, with the Rodin driver retaining 11th on countback in the championship standings after Madrid.
Expanded 2026 Baku F2 format offers Stenshorne extra points opportunity
Baku gives Stenshorne an immediate opportunity to respond because F2 will use an expanded one-off format for Round 12.
Rather than the conventional single Qualifying session, Sprint Race and Feature Race, drivers face two Qualifying sessions and three races. The additional Feature Race means an extra opportunity to score significant championship points across the weekend.
The altered schedule also places additional importance on adapting immediately. With two Qualifying sessions determining the respective starting orders, Stenshorne cannot afford to spend the opening stages gradually building confidence around a circuit where he already has experience.
For the Rodin driver, however, the preparation has remained largely unchanged.
“It’s an extra chance to score some points. I think the preparation has been the same as it usually is, not much has changed. We did our usual sim in the factory.
“The goal now is to be on it from the beginning and pick up some good points on Saturday as well. But for sure the main goal now is to be on it from Thursday and score good points in all three races.”
The additional contest could prove especially valuable given his recent results. Three races create more opportunities to regain ground in the championship, but also increase the importance of keeping the car out of trouble around a circuit where incidents and Safety Cars frequently influence the outcome.
Qualifying offers chance to recreate 2025 pace
Stenshorne’s seventh-place qualifying result on his F2 debut remains a useful reference ahead of this year’s event.
He achieved that performance with no previous F2 race experience and no competitive mileage around Baku. This weekend, he arrives knowing the circuit, the machinery and the demands of managing an F2 weekend.
Those advantages should allow him to focus more heavily on performance from the opening laps.
Street circuits can still punish small errors, particularly around Baku’s narrow castle section, but Stenshorne has already demonstrated that he can rapidly build confidence around the venue. Repeating the qualifying speed from his debut would place him in a considerably stronger position to capitalise on the three scoring opportunities.
Strong starting positions could also help minimise his exposure to the unpredictability that denied him better results in both his previous Baku appearance and more recently in Madrid.
Stenshorne targets return to podium contention
The immediate objective is to turn competitive pace back into a substantial points haul.
Stenshorne’s Montreal victory proved that he can win at F2 level, while his Spa podium demonstrated his ability to rebound after difficult rounds. However, the Rodin driver has yet to return to the top three since Belgium.
Baku provides several reasons for optimism. He already knows the track, has a year of additional F2 experience and enters a weekend offering three separate chances to score.
His 2025 appearance showed the potential but also the risks of the Azerbaijan venue. Stenshorne found competitive speed almost immediately before circumstances prevented him from turning seventh on the grid into a points finish.
This time, the objective is to combine that same speed with the experience gained throughout his rookie campaign.
With the expanded schedule providing an additional race, Stenshorne wants to be competitive from Thursday onwards and leave Baku with the points that escaped him on his first visit.
