Rodin Motorsport drivers Martinius Stenshorne and Alexander Dunne started in the first two grids in the race, and Stenshorne maintained the lead with a good start. However, events determined the race outcome. Rafael Camara regained the championship lead after incurring a five-second penalty. Nikola Tsolov secured third place with a strong overtake.
Critical Turning Points of the Race
In the first lap, John Bennett spun between Roman Bilinski and Van Amersfoort Racing in the first corner, causing a safety car to enter the track and the race restarted on the third lap. This changed the balance of the race.
Rafael Camara attempted to overtake Alexander Dunne in the first corner, but managed to keep his car under control despite locking the brakes. In the sixth lap, Alexander Dunne approached Martinius Stenshorne, his teammate, by 0.5 seconds, while Rafael Camara was closely following the pair.
When the pit stop procedure began, the race balance shifted. As Alexander Dunne entered the pit lane, Martinius Stenshorne and Rafael Camara chose to stay on track. With Miyata staying on track behind them, a virtual safety car intervened. Alexander Dunne gained a significant advantage by pitting before Maini, Beganovic, Montoya, and Bilinski in the virtual safety car. However, Martinius Stenshorne pitted on the eighth lap, and Rafael Camara took the lead. But just as Camara was about to pit, the virtual safety car re-entered after he touched the track barrier in Turn 15 and remained on the track. This delayed Rafael Camara's pit stop.
Overtakes in the Championship Battle
In the championship battle, Nikola Tsolov made a strong overtake. The Bulgarian driver, starting from eleventh place due to a grid penalty, moved up to fifth place after the pit stops. Nikola Tsolov increased his pace in subsequent laps and passed Martinius Stenshorne on lap 22 to climb to third place. When the last five laps were entered, the gap between Alexander Dunne, Rafael Camara, and Nikola Tsolov was only two seconds. Dunne tried to maintain the lead, while Rafael Camara rejoined the DRS distance, and Nikola Tsolov soon joined the pair. As the battle among the trio intensified in the final laps, Nikola Tsolov informed his team that his car touched the barrier at one point but continued the race. In the final lap, Rafael Camara managed to stay within DRS distance of Alexander Dunne. With this result, Rafael Camara regained the championship lead, scoring 25 points from Baku. Nikola Tsolov was in second place, and Alexander Dunne finished in third.
Conclusion
The 13th round of the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season will take place in Qatar between November 26-28.
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
