Formula 2 lands in Azerbaijan for F2 Baku GP 2025, the twelfth round of the season and the first of the final three flyaway events. With the championship margin tightening, every overtaking manoeuvre, tyre strategy and qualifying lap could shape who controls the title fight.
Weekend schedule
Teams begin on Friday with Free Practice from 10:00-10:45 (local time), followed by Qualifying at 14:00-14:30. The Sprint Race starts on Saturday at 14:15 and covers 21 laps. The Feature Race runs on Sunday, with lights out at 11:00 for a 29-lap battle. These times reflect the official FIA F2 timetable for Round 12 in Baku.
The circuit, history and its characteristics
The Baku City Circuit measures 6.003 km and features 20 turns. The track blends ultra-fast straights, especially the main straight along the seafront, with narrow, twisting sections such as the castle complex. Braking zones are sharp and frequent, and the slightest error in tight parts can carry heavy consequences. Overtaking often comes down to good exit speed and using Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones well.
Street circuits always pose challenges: track surface, kerbs, and ambient conditions play larger roles than on permanent circuits. Baku also tends to deliver safety cars, late interruptions and dramatic reversals, especially when tyre degradation or tyre temperature mismatches come into play. The circuit has hosted F2 since 2017, which means teams have a decent history there, but each year brings resurfacing or layout tweaks that reset parts of the learning curve.
Tyre compounds and strategy
Pirelli has confirmed that for F2 Baku GP, teams will use the softest dry-tyre compounds, Purple Supersoft as the Option tyre and Red Soft as the Prime tyre. This allocation steps a notch softer compared to prior years, in order to help the tyres reach optimal temperature more quickly on Baku’s demanding surface.
Drivers will need to manage thermal degradation across the rear tyres, particularly in the Supersoft in the Feature Race, where early pace must be balanced against sustainable lap times later in the stint. If the Supersoft tyres degrade heavily, teams may consider starting on Supersoft and switching to Soft, or vice versa if a Safety Car intervention allows for a pit-stop shakeup. Track evolution should be significant: as rubber gets laid and track temperature changes through sessions, grip improves and tyre behaviour shifts. Cars that adapt quickest will gain edges in both Sprint and Feature races.
Drivers and teams to look out for
Leonardo Fornaroli heads into Baku leading the drivers’ standings. He holds 174 points, with Luke Browning second on 153 and Richard Verschoor third on 144. Invicta Racing motorists have built a slender margin in the teams’ standings too, 32 points ahead of Hitech TGR and Campos Racing a further 10 points back. Fornaroli enters the street circuit knowing mistakes will cost dearly, consistency, street-craft, and safe overtakes will define his weekend.
Luke Browning remains a strong challenger. He has shown raw speed in qualifying and races and will aim to pressure Fornaroli into mistakes, especially in the braking zones into tight sections. Richard Verschoor also looks dangerous, with recent performances showing he can extract pace in difficult conditions.
Recap of the 2024 F2 Sprint Race
Joshua Dürksen took his first ever Formula 2 win in the 2024 Baku Sprint. He started the race from fourth on the grid, but made a great launch, moving up places immediately. He passed Jak Crawford at Turn 1 in Lap 1, and shortly after that overtook Christian Mansell and Gabriele Minì, both inside Turn 1 moves were decisive.
As the laps progressed, Dürksen managed to stretch out a gap. A late Safety Car was required following a crash by Ritomo Miyata at Turn 3; after the restart, Dürksen held off pressure, especially from Victor Martins and Gabriele Minì. Martins had dropped to fourth early after a difficult start, but Minì held off Martins by just 0.20 seconds to get the final podium spot.
Gabriel Bortoleto had a tougher Sprint. He tangled with Mansell and hit a barrier, which cost him time, but he recovered to fifth place ahead of his rival Paul Aron in the standings. Mansell, making his debut in F2, scored points with P8.
This result shook up the championship standings: Dürksen’s win and Bortoleto’s damage-limited result meant that Bortoleto closed the gap to the leaders.
Recap of the 2024 Feature Race
The 2024 F2 Baku GP Feature Race started in dramatic fashion. At the original lights-out, Kush Maini stalled on the grid, and Oliver Goethe and Pepe Martí couldn’t avoid the immobile car. The multi-car crash led to a red flag almost immediately, forcing a delay while recovery crews cleared the debris. Villagómez and Niels Koolen also suffered damage in the collision.
The incident that triggered a red flag at the start of the F2 Feature Race 🚩
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) September 15, 2024
Drivers ok #F2 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/VFjNA8M3SQ
When the race returned after the delay, organizers converted the scheduled 29-lap race into a timed finish, with 28 minutes remaining on the clock, reducing the number of racing laps to 17. The field resumed behind the Safety Car before a rolling restart.
Richard Verschoor led from the restart and held off a strong challenge from Victor Martins and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished close behind. An important moment involved Gabriel Bortoleto, who stayed out an extra lap while many front runners pitted. He rejoined in fourth and began closing down Antonelli in the closing stages.
With less than two laps to go, another incident involving debutant Gabriele Minì triggered a late Safety Car. That neutralised the race finish, so Verschoor crossed the line first under safety car conditions to claim Trident’s first win of the season in the Feature. Martins took second, Antonelli third.
Because the race had completed more than 50% but less than 75% of the scheduled distance, it awarded reduced points. Verschoor’s win and Martins’ second helped solidify their momentum, while Bortoleto’s fourth, with the fastest lap, gave him a vital points haul, enough to take the championship lead heading into the final rounds.
Stakes are high: What Baku could mean for the 2025 F2 Championship
As the penultimate flyaway rounds begin, Baku carries more weight than nearly any other round this season. If Fornaroli delivers a clean weekend, strong qualifying, solid Sprint result and minimal mistakes in the Feature, he has a chance to build a points gap that could endure through Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
For Browning and Verschoor, Baku presents an opportunity. If Fornaroli struggles with strategy, grid position or track incidents, they are well-placed to strike. Teams that adapt fastest to the Supersoft-Soft tyre strategy, manage traffic in slow sections, and avoid mistakes in qualifying will likely gain most.
Street circuits like Baku tend to punish error severely. Braking stability, throttle response, and confidence across kerbs will matter. Drivers who remain composed when the Safety Car appears, and who take advantage of the long straights and DRS zones, could swing big gains. The race may reward aggression, but only if tempered with precision.
Final thoughts
The F2 Baku GP 2025 promises two nights of spectacle, tension and possibly turning points. The drivers already feel the pressure; teams know that strategy, tyre allocation, and qualifying will determine who emerges stronger. Invicta Racing’s lead, while encouraging, remains vulnerable.
In this critical chapter of the F2 season, the street circuit looms as both opportunity and threat. For those who master the fine margins, tyre management, pace, overtaking ability and wise risk, Baku could be the weekend that defines the 2025 championship.
