Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara wins Azerbaijan F2 Feature Race but 2026 title remains uncertain

Rafael Câmara won the Azerbaijan Formula 2 Feature Race in Baku after holding off title rival Nikola Tsolov by just seven tenths of a second, but the Brazilian still cannot be certain that the result has made him the 2026 Formula 2 champion. Uncertainty surrounding the remaining rounds at Lusail and Yas Island means the championship may or may not already be over.

Saturday’s racing action began immediately with Formula 2, following a Friday that had completely transformed the championship standings. Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara moved into the lead with a one-point advantage over Nikola Tsolov, while the Bulgarian endured a particularly difficult day and also entered Saturday carrying a three-place grid penalty.

Alexander Dunne was the other major beneficiary of Friday’s events. Third place in the Sprint Race was followed by a perfect Feature Race 1, in which the Irish driver collected the maximum 28 points available through pole position, victory and fastest lap. That moved Alexander Dunne into third place in the championship, ahead of Gabriele Minì and only eight points behind Rafael Câmara.

Formula 2 title uncertainty hangs over the Azerbaijan Feature Race

Everything was therefore in place for an action-packed and potentially decisive race, with the added complication that nobody could be certain whether this would be the final Formula 2 outing of the season. The championship is due to conclude with rounds at Lusail and Yas Island, but both events remain seriously in doubt because of the conflict in the Middle East.

Only in the coming weeks will it become clear whether the standings produced at the end of the Azerbaijan race will be final and therefore decide the 2026 Formula 2 championship, or whether at least one more round will take place.

Martinius Stenshorne lined up on pole position for the Azerbaijan Feature Race alongside Alexander Dunne, with championship leader Rafael Câmara starting third. Nikola Tsolov’s three-place grid penalty left the Red Bull Junior Programme driver only 11th, meaning a major recovery drive would be required. Gabriele Minì faced an equally difficult task from 16th on the grid.

Safety Car interrupts the opening laps in Baku

When the lights went out, all the drivers on the leading rows made strong starts. Martinius Stenshorne retained the lead ahead of team-mate Alexander Dunne, with Rafael Câmara holding third place. Only a few corners later, however, the Safety Car was required following contact involving Rafael Villagómez and an innocent John Bennett, who was forced to retire.

The race resumed on lap three and the battle between the Rodin driver and the Invicta representative intensified, with Noel León also attempting to make progress. Meanwhile, Nikola Tsolov began recovering from his low starting position, which had resulted from a difficult qualifying session and the penalty received the previous day. The Bulgarian overtook Ritomo Miyata, who was then forced to retire only a few laps later, on lap six.

Anticipating that Race Control might activate the Virtual Safety Car, Alexander Dunne, Kush Maini, Sebastian Montoya, Dino Beganovic and Roman Bilinski elected to pit only seconds before the VSC was deployed. Unlike Formula 1, Formula 2 does not allow pit stops to be made while the race is neutralised under the Virtual Safety Car.

The race restarted on lap eight but remained under green-flag conditions for only two laps before another neutralisation. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak had hit the wall and was forced to retire, prompting Race Control to activate the Virtual Safety Car once again.

Rafael Câmara delayed by second Virtual Safety Car

Shortly before the second VSC was deployed, Martinius Stenshorne, Noel León, Mari Boya, Joshua Dürksen, Gabriele Minì, Colton Herta, Emerson Fittipaldi and Rafael Villagómez had all managed to complete their pit stops. Rafael Câmara was less fortunate. He had been called into the pits but was unable to make his stop because the race had just been neutralised again.

On lap 10, once the race had returned to green-flag conditions, Rafael Câmara was finally able to change tyres. Laurens van Hoepen and Nikola Tsolov followed him into the pits.

Alexander Dunne overtook the Ferrari junior on lap 12, while Nikola Tsolov rejoined in sixth place and continued his recovery through the field. Alexander Dunne’s race was then complicated by a five-second penalty from Race Control for crossing the line at the pit-lane entry, the same offence for which Nikola Tsolov had been penalised the previous day.

Nikola Tsolov closes on Rafael Câmara in dramatic final laps

The battles intensified during the closing stages. Mari Boya and Sebastian Montoya fought an all-Prema duel over the final two points-paying positions, while Nikola Tsolov, after spending several laps studying the driver ahead, passed Martinius Stenshorne for third place with seven laps remaining.

Alexander Dunne’s problems were not over. Shortly afterwards, Race Control issued a note stating that the Rodin driver had failed to respect yellow flags during the race and would therefore be investigated after the chequered flag.

Nikola Tsolov then used everything he had left in an attempt to catch Rafael Câmara. The Bulgarian closed rapidly, but Rafael Câmara held on to the lead at the finish and crossed the line only seven tenths of a second ahead.

Rafael Câmara therefore took victory, with Nikola Tsolov finishing second and the penalised Alexander Dunne third. What remains impossible to establish with certainty, however, is whether this was the final Formula 2 race of the year and consequently whether Rafael Câmara is already the 2026 Formula 2 champion.

The championship must now wait for confirmation regarding the remaining calendar before the title situation can be definitively settled. The complete Azerbaijan Feature Race classification is below.