Martinius Stenshorne continued his strong record around the Baku City Circuit by securing second place in Formula 2 (F2) Qualifying 1 of the 2026 Azerbaijan GP weekend. The Rodin Motorsport driver set a 1:55.416, finishing just 0.033s behind teammate Alex Dunne, who claimed pole position. The result secured a front-row lockout for Rodin Motorsport for Feature Race 1, with Noel León completing the top three.
Stenshorne had already shown his pace around the Azerbaijan street circuit during his first Formula 2 appearance at the venue in 2025. Returning one year later, the Norwegian once again looked comfortable between the walls throughout Friday’s running. Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Stenshorne reflected on another competitive showing in Baku.
Stenshorne feeling confident around Baku
Stenshorne believes his previous experience at the Baku City Circuit helped him quickly find confidence this time around. He made his Formula 2 debut at the circuit in 2025 and showed competitive pace, something he has carried into this year’s event.
“Yeah, so far we’ve been really quick here. Obviously I did my first race in Formula 2 last year, and that went quite well. We were really competitive, so yeah today as well already from FP I felt quite confident and I think we showed showed our pace in qualifying.“
That confidence translated into a strong opening Qualifying session, where Stenshorne put himself firmly in the fight for pole before ultimately falling just short of Dunne.
Pole was possible in F2 Qualifying 1 for Stenshorne in Baku
Finding the right track position proved particularly important around Baku, where the long run to the finish line makes the slipstream a significant factor. Drivers repeatedly backed off in an attempt to avoid leading groups of cars and instead gain a tow. Stenshorne managed to find one on his final attempt but felt there was still more performance available from his lap.
“Yeah it was tricky. I mean no one wanted to be in front which is understandable and yeah I think it was possible. I was, I had a really good toe but yeah, I think I could have done a bit better in the middle sector there, but yeah in Q2 it all came together and we did everything perfect.”
While Stenshorne had to settle for second in the opening session, he converted his pace into pole position in Qualifying 2 later in the day. His performance handed Rodin another front-row lockout, this time for Feature Race 2.
Hoping to turn Baku pace into results
Stenshorne’s previous Formula 2 visit to Azerbaijan did not produce the results his pace suggested were possible. Despite running competitively and putting himself in contention for substantial points during his debut weekend, problems in both races prevented him from capitalising on that performance. Returning to Baku in 2026, Stenshorne hopes he can finally translate his speed at the circuit into a strong result. With starts from the front row secured for both Feature Races, Stenshorne has put himself in a strong position to do exactly that.
“Yeah, I hope so. Yeah, last year we were really competitive, and unfortunately we had some issues in both races while being in contention for big points, so hopefully this year it turns around and we get it.”
Managing traffic and the slipstream
During the press conference, Stenshorne was also asked how difficult it was to put a complete lap together while managing the traffic and trying to find the right slipstream. For the Rodin driver, maximising both elements presented a significant challenge. The narrow street circuit leaves little margin for error, while drivers also needed to position themselves correctly to benefit from a tow.
“Um, yeah, it was not easy for sure getting the right tow I think we did really good at that as well as putting the lap together here, it’s not easy with the walls close and getting everything out of the car. Um, so yeah, I think we maximised almost what we had. I think Q2 was really good. Q1, Um, I think maybe I left a bit on the table, but still, it’s more than I could have asked for and a lot more than I expected starting today, so yeah, I’m really happy.”
