Nikola Tsolov has extended his lead at the top of the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship following the Azerbaijan GP Sprint Race in Baku, moving 11 points clear of Rafael Câmara ahead of the weekend’s two Feature Races.
Tsolov entered Baku only seven points ahead following the Spanish GP Feature Race in Madrid. The Campos Racing driver collected four points with fifth in Friday’s Sprint, while Câmara failed to score after an eventful race that included contact with Mari Boya and a 10-second penalty.
Dino Beganovic claimed his second consecutive victory after his Feature Race triumph in Madrid, leading Laurens van Hoepen and Alex Dunne home in a dramatic Azerbaijan GP Sprint Race. Dunne added the fastest-lap bonus point to his third-place finish, while Martinius Stenshorne, Tsolov, Roman Bilinski, Sebastián Montoya and Kush Maini completed the points-paying positions.
Tsolov gains breathing room as Câmara fails to score
Tsolov’s difficult Madrid weekend had reduced what was previously a more comfortable championship advantage to only seven points, but Baku’s opening race allowed him to regain some breathing room.
The Bulgarian started the Sprint from pole after the reversal of the first Baku qualifying classification and initially maintained the lead. Beganovic overtook him on Lap 6 before Tsolov began struggling with his rear tyres and dropped behind Van Hoepen, Dunne, Câmara and eventually Stenshorne.
Câmara briefly ran ahead of his title rival but had already received a 10-second penalty for locking up and hitting Boya at Turn 2 on the opening lap. Invicta subsequently brought him into the pits during the late Safety Car period to serve the penalty, leaving him outside the points.
Tsolov’s four points increase his total from 177 to 181, while Câmara remains on 170. The gap between the pair therefore increases from seven to 11 points before the two Feature Races.
Dunne closes significantly on top three
Alex Dunne made one of the largest gains among the championship contenders.
The Rodin Motorsport driver started 10th but produced a strong recovery drive to third, gaining seven positions before collecting the additional fastest-lap point available to a driver finishing inside the top 10. His seven-point haul moves him from 139 to 146.
Dunne is now only seven points behind Gabriele Minì in third and 35 behind Tsolov. Minì remains on 153 after finishing 14th following late-race contact and chaos at the restart.
Dunne’s position is particularly significant because Rodin dominated Thursday’s two qualifying sessions. He took pole for Feature Race 1, while Stenshorne secured pole for Feature Race 2 as the teammates locked out both front rows.
Beganovic continues rapid climb
Beganovic’s victory continues a dramatic late-season resurgence.
The DAMS Lucas Oil driver entered Madrid on 79 points before winning the Feature Race from pole, leaving Spain with 106. His Baku Sprint victory adds another 10 and moves him to 116, just three behind Noel León in fifth.
The Swede passed Tsolov for the lead on Lap 6 and controlled the remainder of the race despite a late Safety Car wiping out his advantage. It gives Beganovic consecutive victories across Madrid and Baku and leaves him within striking distance of the top five.
León remains fifth on 119 after retiring during the chaotic late restart, while Joshua Dürksen also failed to score after crashing at Turn 1 and stays seventh on 90.
Van Hoepen and Stenshorne make midfield gains
Van Hoepen’s second-place finish provided eight points and moves the TRIDENT driver from 72 to 80. He remains ninth in the championship but has reduced the gap to Maini immediately ahead.
Maini collected the final Sprint point in eighth and moves to 89, one behind Dürksen.
Stenshorne also gained significantly. His fourth-place result adds five points to his total and takes him from 70 to 75, moving him ahead of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Ritomo Miyata into 10th.
Bilinski’s sixth place adds three points and takes him to 29, while Montoya’s seventh raises his total to 30. The PREMA driver therefore remains narrowly ahead of Bilinski and Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. in a tightly packed lower-midfield group.
2026 F2 Drivers’ Championship standings after the Azerbaijan GP Sprint Race
- Nikola Tsolov — 181 points
- Rafael Câmara — 170
- Gabriele Minì — 153
- Alex Dunne — 146
- Noel León — 119
- Dino Beganovic — 116
- Joshua Dürksen — 90
- Kush Maini — 89
- Laurens van Hoepen — 80
- Martinius Stenshorne — 75
- Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak — 71
- Ritomo Miyata — 70
- John Bennett — 38
- Rafael Villagómez — 38
- Oliver Goethe — 37
- Sebastián Montoya — 30
- Roman Bilinski — 29
- Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. — 28
- Colton Herta — 26
- Nicolás Varrone — 15
- Mari Boya — 13
- Cian Shields — 10
- Hiyu Yamakoshi — 0
Yamakoshi joins the standings for the first time following his F2 debut with Van Amersfoort Racing in Baku. The Japanese driver finished 17th in the Sprint and remains without points after his first race in the category.
Rodin makes biggest gain in Teams’ Championship
Campos Racing remains at the top of the Teams’ Championship after Tsolov’s four-point contribution takes the team from 296 to 300.
Invicta Racing remains second on 260 after neither Câmara nor Dürksen scored, reducing its ability to capitalise on Tsolov’s relatively low finish.
Rodin Motorsport made the largest gain near the front. Dunne and Stenshorne combined for 12 points to move the team from 209 to 221, strengthening third place ahead of MP Motorsport on 190.
DAMS also enjoyed a productive Sprint. Beganovic’s victory and Bilinski’s sixth place produced 13 points, increasing its total to 145 and extending its advantage over TRIDENT despite Van Hoepen’s podium.
2026 F2 Teams’ Championship standings after the Azerbaijan GP Sprint Race
- Campos Racing — 300 points
- Invicta Racing — 260
- Rodin Motorsport — 221
- MP Motorsport — 190
- ART Grand Prix — 160
- DAMS Lucas Oil — 145
- TRIDENT — 118
- Hitech — 96
- Van Amersfoort Racing — 53
- PREMA Racing — 43
- AIX Racing — 38
The standings leave Campos 40 points clear of Invicta, compared with 36 after Madrid. Rodin has also stretched its advantage over MP Motorsport from 19 to 31 points following the double points-scoring result.
DAMS remains sixth but is now 27 clear of TRIDENT, while PREMA’s two points from Montoya increase its total to 43.
Two Feature Races leave plenty still to change in Baku
Baku’s unusual 2026 format means the Sprint Race represents only the beginning of the championship opportunities available this weekend.
The expanded Round 12 features two separate qualifying sessions and two Feature Races, with Dunne and Stenshorne having secured the two pole positions for Rodin. The official Baku weekend schedule places Feature Race 1 later on Friday before Feature Race 2 concludes the F2 programme on Saturday.
Tsolov has gained four points on Câmara and now leads by 11, but qualifying leaves the Invicta driver well placed to respond. Dunne’s Sprint podium has also brought him much closer to Minì and the championship leaders, while Beganovic’s second successive victory continues to transform his position after a difficult first half of the year.
With two full-points races still remaining in Azerbaijan, the championship order could look significantly different before the field leaves Baku.
