Martinius Stenshorne finished second in the F2 Azerbaijan GP Feature Race 1, completing a Rodin Motorsport one-two behind teammate Alex Dunne. The Norwegian made a series of overtakes through the race after losing positions to the Safety Car, recovering to the podium with a composed drive. He starts from pole position for Feature Race 2 and spoke in the post-race press conference attended by Pit Debrief.
Stenshorne on Feature Race 1 at the 2026 F2 Azerbaijan GP Feature Race 1
Stenshorne acknowledged that the safety car timing worked against him during the race. He had just boxed for his mandatory stop when the car came out, costing him positions and forcing him to work his way back through the field.
“Yeah, I think our race was really good. The pace was good and we had some good overtakes, some good restarts. A bit unfortunate that the safety car came out right after we boxed. So, lost some positions there and getting back and then the red flag put me back again. So, I had to do some overtaking in this race but luckily we got it done,” Stenshorne stated.
Baku shaping up to be Rodin Motorsport’s strongest weekend
Rodin Motorsport locked out the front row for both Feature Races in qualifying and completed a one-two in Feature Race 1. Stenshorne credited the team for giving both drivers a car capable of challenging for pole and race wins.
“Well, I think the team has done a great job giving both me and Alex a good car. It’s not always that you can have a car that can put you in pole position and win races. So, a big thank you to them.”
“I think me and Alex are doing a good job as well to deliver these results but a big thank you to the team as well for giving us a really good car,” he stated.
Stenshorne on his chances in Feature Race 2
Stenshorne starts Feature Race 2 from pole position. He was measured about his expectations, pointing to the unpredictable nature of racing in Baku while expressing confidence in the car and the team.
“Yeah, I feel good. I think we had a good sprint race this morning as well, gaining some positions and a good pace. We have to see how the race plays out. A lot of stuff can happen. We just have to see how it goes. I’m confident for tomorrow that we can bring home another good result for the team,” he stated.
Team dynamics at Rodin Motorsport
The Rodin Motorsport pair had made contact at the opening round in Melbourne, and Stenshorne was asked how much he had learned from that experience heading into another race where he and Dunne start first and second.
“Well yeah, we had this situation before. Hopefully it doesn’t go that way again. Today it went well so hopefully again tomorrow we can have a good one and have no issues and we can bring home the same results as today. So that’s the plan. Apart from that, not much else to do to be honest. Just try not to crash together.”
Expanded weekend format and preparation for Feature Race 2
The 2026 Azerbaijan GP runs two F2 Feature Races across the weekend. Stenshorne welcomed the extra running, admitting the car’s strong pace made the experience even more enjoyable.
“Yeah, a bit like Dino said, it’s nice to get a bit more running during the weekend. Always nice to be out on track and I think especially for us this weekend it’s nice to have as much running as we do. I think we have a really good car and we’ve been really quick so I think that makes everything a bit better. I think it would be maybe not so nice if we weren’t so quick but yeah luckily I’m happy this way.”
Asked what he would take from the two races into Feature Race 2, Stenshorne expected a tighter battle on Saturday as the whole field refined its approach overnight.
“Yeah not too much to add to be honest. I think everyone will look into the data from today’s two races and see what we can do better and I think tomorrow morning again it’ll be a bit closer to maybe what we had this morning so it will be interesting. Hopefully we can do the right changes and be on the race,” Stenshorne concluded.
