Alex Dunne sailed to victory in the first of two Azerbaijan Formula 2 Feature Races, reigniting his championship hopes against his rivals.
It was a RODIN 1-2 as Martinius Stenshorne overcame a difficult middle stint to secure second on the road. Rounding out the podium was Dino Beganovic, securing his second podium of the day.
Rodin Motorsport were the team to beat during Thursday’s qualifying session. Dunne lined up on pole position, with his teammate Stenshorne on the front row. Behind the RODIN duo was Noel Leon, chasing a podium finish.
Championship frontrunners Rafael Camara and Nikola Tsolov found themselves in fifth and 10th, respectively, chasing crucial points in the final rounds. Meanwhile, Gabriele Mini had a qualifying to forget, starting the race down in 14th.
Early drama unfolded, as only 21 cars would make the race start. PREMA’s Sebastian Montoya did not participate in the race, following a crash on the reconnaissance laps before the grid.
Lights out
As the lights went out, Dunne had the better launch off the line, converting his pole into a race lead into the first turn. Behind him, Stenshorne struggled, leaving him vulnerable to Leon behind; however, the Norwegian managed to stay ahead of his Campos rival.
Further back in the field, Hiyu Yamakoshi stalled on the grid, demoting him to the back of the field early in the race.
On Lap 4, Dunne broke the DRS from his teammate Stenshorne behind, as the Irishman continued to set the fastest laps of the race.
Crucially for the championship, both Camara and Tsolov made up places on the opening laps, moving into fourth and eighth, respectively.
The first pit stops came on Lap 7, with championship leader Tsolov leading the super-soft runners into the pit lane. However, a slow stop from the Campos team saw the Bulgarian rejoin at the back of the cars that had pitted. To add to Tsolov’s woes, he was given a 5-second time penalty for a pit lane infringement.
Camara moved into the podium places on Lap 7, sailing past Leon before immediately setting his sights on the RODIN pair ahead. The Brazilian moved into second as Stenshorne also pitted as the cycle continued.
But drama unfolded on Lap 8 as Mari Boya stopped on track, bringing out the Safety Car. The leading pair, Dunne and Camara, took advantage of the neutralisation to pit.
A fight at the front
On Lap 12, Ollie Goethe led the field back to racing conditions, with a fast-charging Dunne close behind. The Irishman looked to the outside for a move into the first corner but was unable to make it stick, remaining in second.
Câmara endured a difficult restart, with the Brazilian dropping from fourth to sixth in the first corners. He was overtaken by both Stenshorne and Beganovic as the field battled for position.
Typical street flag chaos unfolded further down the field as a multi-car incident brought out the Red Flag. Cian Shields made initial contact with the rear of John Bennett, sending him sliding into the wall. Ritomo Miyata, Rafael Villagomez, Joshua Durksen and championship leader Tsolov had nowhere to go, ultimately retiring from the race.
The incident saw a mid-race stoppage, bringing out the Red Flag as drivers returned to the pit lane.
Villagomez rejoined the field, sparking controversy in the pit lane, as Tsolov also believed he should restart the race. Despite his pleas, the Bulgarian is forced to watch from the pit lane.
Goethe led the field away once more for a rolling restart, with Dunne on hot behind. As the pair headed into Turn 1, they held their positions, whilst Camara found himself falling down to seventh from fifth.
Dunne and Goethe were locked in an intense battle as the race shifted into a timed format. With Goethe yet to make his pit stop, the Irishman had to be careful not to trip over the MP Motorsport driver, with Beganovic also closing in behind.
Final minutes
With just over 10 minutes remaining, Dunne finally moved on Goethe to take the lead. Further back, both RODIN drivers gained positions, with Stenshorne moving into the final podium place.
Goethe finally pitted with five minutes remaining, having played the team game to support his teammate, Mini. The strategy allowed the Italian to rejoin the fight for valuable championship points and brought him back into title contention.
In a drag race to the line, Camara sealed the championship lead by taking fourth place from Tsolov’s teammate Leon.
As the time ticked down, RODIN Motorsport secured a second 1-2 finish of the season. Alex Dunne secured his first race victory of the Formula 2 season. The Irishman firmly stamped his name in F2 title contention in 2026.
READ MORE: Formula 2 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Feature Race 1 Results
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