Rafael Câmara crossed the line to claim victory in Formula 2 (F2) Feature Race 2 at the 2026 Azerbaijan GP, ahead of Nikola Tsolov and Alex Dunne, full report below.
F2 returned to the streets of Baku for the second and final Feature Race of the 2026 Azerbaijan GP, with Rodin Motorsport’s Martinius Stenshorne starting from pole.
Thursday saw Rodin Motorsport take control in qualifying, with Alex Dunne and Stenshorne securing pole positions for Feature Races 1 and 2, respectively. That pace carried into the opening Feature Race, as Dunne converted pole into his long-awaited first victory of the season, leading Stenshorne home for a commanding Rodin one-two.
After finishing second behind his teammate in Feature Race 1, Stenshorne lined up from pole for Feature Race 2 as he looked to turn Rodin’s qualifying dominance into a victory of his own around the streets of Baku.
Stenshorne holds firm at the front after early Safety Car
Stenshorne led the field into the opening corner at the Baku City Circuit, while further back, John Bennett went off following contact with Villagomez. The Trident driver was unable to restart his car, bringing out the first Safety Car of F2 Feature Race 2.
Once the Safety Car returned to the pits, Stenshorne controlled the restart and retained the lead. Behind him, Dunne immediately came under pressure from Câmara, who locked up into Turn 1 while attempting to challenge for position. Despite the pressure, Dunne held onto P2, while Stenshorne remained comfortably out front.
Tsolov in the back meanwhile was on his way into the points after a disappointing Feature Race 1, were he did not scored any points. Meanwhile Miyata made slight contact with the wall as tried to overtake Dürksen, giving the advantage to Minì who went through and up into P13.
Câmara emerges with net lead as VSC shakes up pit strategy
After six laps around the Baku City Circuit, the pit lane opened for the mandatory stops in F2 Feature Race 2. At the front, the two Rodin teammates began to close up, with Dunne steadily cutting the gap to race leader Stenshorne. Meanwhile, Miyata stopped on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Dunne, Maini, Beganovic and Bilinski crucially completed their mandatory stops before the VSC came out, gaining an advantage over the drivers who remained on track.
When racing resumed, Stenshorne once again led the field, holding a 1.3-second advantage over Câmara. The championship leader quickly began closing the gap as he looked to strengthen his position in the title fight.
However, as Câmara edged closer, Intraphuvasak went off at Turn 1, into the wall and triggered another VSC. Just before it was deployed, Stenshorne had entered the pits, handing the lead to Câmara. Minì, Herta, Fittipaldi, Villagomez and Yamakoshi also managed to pit in time. Meanwhile, championship contenders Câmara and Tsolov missed the opportunity and had to remain out on track under the VSC. Though it did not cost them as Câmara got out of the pits ahead of Dunne, gaining the net lead of the race.
Dunne battles penalty as Tsolov charges through the field
With another yellow flag out on track, Dunne used his fresher tyres to his advantage and overtook Câmara to take the net lead of F2 Feature Race 2 in Baku. However, the stewards handed the Rodin driver a five-second penalty for crossing the line at the pit lane entry, meaning he needed to build a gap of more than five seconds over Câmara to keep the lead after the penalty was applied.
Tsolov, meanwhile, continued his charge through the field after starting from P11. The Bulgarian climbed to P4 as he looked to secure valuable points for his championship campaign. At the front, Dunne began pushing to extend his advantage over Câmara after receiving confirmation of his penalty. Further back, Boya found a way past a struggling Maini, while Dürksen ran wide but managed to recover without hitting the barriers.
Tsolov then closed onto the back of Stenshorne in the battle for P3. His first attempt into Turn 1 proved unsuccessful, but he stayed close and completed the move one lap later to move onto the podium and begin his pursuit of Câmara in second. Further back, Minì continued his recovery through the field and climbed into the points in P10.
Câmara claims Baku victory as fight goes down to the final lap
With around 5 laps left to drive around the Baku City Circuit, Câmara closed in on Dunne, while Tsolov tried to close the gap. Meanwhile, Stenshorne in P4 was over 5 seconds behind teammate Dunne, who had to serve his penalty, leaving Dunne in the top 3 of the race. Though Câmara closed in on Dunne at the front trying to take the lead on the track and crossing the line in first, Tsolov also gained time as he closed in on Câmara. Meanwhile Dunne will be investigated after the race for a yellow flag infringement.
With 3 laps to go, Câmara was still behind Dunne as Tsolov closed in on the Invicta, while Dunne had a slight lockup, though staying in front of the grid. And though Câmara did not have to take over Dunne to win the race, it would put a car between him and Tsolov that now was in DRS range. Meanwhile, Tsolov slightly made contact with the wall, though he was not gaining any issues from that. As the final lap went on, there were 2 seconds between the top 3, with Tsolov trying to overtake Câmara, not only for the win but also for the championship lead.
Câmara crossed the line to claim victory in the F2 Feature Race 2 at the 2026 Azerbaijan GP, ahead of Tsolov and Dunne, leaving Baku with the championship lead.
