Baku switches things up for Formula 2 this weekend with an extra Feature Race. After this morning’s Sprint Race, Dino Beganovic will be hoping to continue his momentum. Sebastián Montoya withdraws from this second race following an installation lap crash. But, with the season entering its final stretch, there is all to play for and the drivers aren’t hold back. For the first Feature Race, it’s a Rodin Motorsport front row, with Alex Dunne on pole ahead of teammate Martinius Stenshorne. The polesitter turned his maiden pole of the year to a maiden win of the year.
The Green Flag Flies
As the green flag fell, Alex Dunne got a great start, defending his lead as Noel León battled for second. Coming into the first corner, many drivers had a lock up, making the tight corner even more challenging. Hiyu Yamakoshi caused a brief yellow flag by stalling on the grid and consequently headed to pit lane.
Cian Shields, Colton Herta, and Oliver Goethe opted for an alternate strategy, starting on the soft compound tyre. Being the harder of the two tyres, this could allow the trio to go longer and capitalise later in the race. Similar to the Sprint Race, Herta got a good start, making up positions immediately.
As Dunne stretched his lead and broke the DRS window, León was staying close on the heels of Martinius Stenshorne. Just behind, Rafael Câmara was breaking away from Mari Boya and looking to chase down the leading trio. In comparison, championship leader, Nikola Tsolov, was stuck in eighth and trapped in a DRS train.
Dunne Builds the Gap ahead of Pit Stops
As the opening laps closed, gaps were starting to form in the front runners with none of the top three in DRS range. Tsolov attempted a move on Kush Maini, but the ART Grand Prix driver was able to defend. With only 11 points separating the championship, it was crucial for Tsolov to make up positions as Câmara closed in on León.
Being on the super soft tyres, many drivers opted to take their pit stop when the window opened on Lap 7. As the leading driver to take his stop, Tsolov encountered an issue on pit lane, losing places to the other stoppers. Race Control then noted him for a pit stop infringement.
A lap later, both León and Stenshorne pitted but they maintained positions. Coming out of the pits, Boya started to slow on the track, bringing out another yellow flag which became a safety car. To capitalise on the situation, leading duo Dunne and Câmara came to take their stop. Now, with the majority of pitstops taken, Dunne remained net P1 whereas Goethe held the lead on track.
Safety Car Restart
After being noted for a pit lane infringement, Tsolov also went under investigation for crossing the line at pit exit. Race Control also noted John Bennett for a pit lane infringement. Maini was handed a five second penalty for a pit lane incident.
The safety car neutralised the Feature Race, negating the advantages created early on. Goethe led but Herta split Dunne and Câmara, giving the polesitter a brief respite. Goethe held the field back as he restarted the race, but defended from the previous leader. Câmara was caught on the restart, allowing both Beganovic and Stenshorne to come through. The Norwegian used his momentum to take P4 the next corner.
But it wasn’t a simple restart, with some colliding further behind. Shields and Bennett had contact and slid out, collecting Joshua Dürksen, Ritomo Miyata, Rafael Villagómez, Laurens Van Hoepen and Tsolov in the aftermath.
Formula 2 Red Flagged
With all the contact and carnage from the collision, Race Control opted to red flag the race and halt the Formula 2 action. After DNFing, Tsolov was awarded a five-second penalty for crossing the line at pit exit. Because he was unable to serve it during the race, he could be facing a grid drop for the second Feature Race tomorrow.
With the restart time announced, Race Control also shared the restart order. Despite making up places, Stenshorne faced restarting behind both Beganovic and Câmara. Also dropping down for the restart was Tasanapol Inthrapuvasak. And although he was caught up in the collision, Villagómez was allowed to restart from the rear of the grid.
Just like the safety car restart, Goethe held the lead. Beganovic managed to overtake Herta whilst Câmara fell down to seventh. With all the gaps reset, drivers were close together and positions were being switched. Whilst Goethe held the lead, Dunne was hot on his heels and the duo were stretching away from the Sprint Race winner.
Dunne Reclaims the Lead and Takes the Win
The pole sitter remained patient in second, learning Goethe’s lines and waiting for the perfect moment to make a move. Because of the stoppage, the race switched from laps to total time elapsed. Herta came in to make his mandatory stop, and as the gaps had closed, he fell to the back of the pack.
Eventually, Dunne’s patience worked out and he reclaimed the lead of the race as Stenshorne bested Beganovic. Goethe split the teammates, but he still faced a pit stop to take. Whilst Dunne raced ahead and broke the DRS, his teammate took the fastest lap of the race. However, a lap later, Câmara took this extra point away.
The no. 14 Rodin Motorsport driver attempted a move on Goethe and initially it was defended. A couple of corners later though, the MP Motorsport driver locked up and consequently dropped to P6. All the action behind gave Dunne free range to push, and with five minutes remaining, he had a 3.5 second leading gap.
León and Beganovic made brief contact as they battled and were noted by Race Control. This battle saw them drop back from Stenshorne, but brought Câmara closer. Ultimately, no further action was taken for the duo.
As the chequered flag fell, Dunne took the victory and achieves his first win of the 2026 season. Just like they started, his teammate Stenshorne took second. Beganovic took third and Câmara took fourth place across the line.
The First Baku Feature Race’s Impact on Formula 2 Standings
The top 10 of the first Formula 2 Feature Race in Baku are as follows:
- Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport)
- Martinius Stenshorne (Rodin Motorsports)
- Dino Beganovic (DAM Lucas Oil)
- Rafael Câmara (Invicta Racing)
- Noel León (Campos Racing)
- Gabriele Minì (MP Motorsport)
- Roman Bilinski (DAMS Lucas Oil)
- Rafael Villagómez (Van Amersfoort Racing)
- Hiyu Yamakoshi (Van Amersfoort Racing)
- Kush Maini (ART Grand Prix)
Despite the stoppage, full points were awarded. With Tsolov not finishing, the Baku Feature Race sees Câmara take the lead of the championship by a single point. Dunne’s victory jumps him up to third, ten points shy of the championship lead. Starting on pole tomorrow, he could become the leader when Formula 2 leaves Baku.
It’s not all over though, Azerbaijan gives the young drivers another chance tomorrow as they have the second Feature Race. Can Dunne continue the momentum or will Tsolov and Câmara respond?