Rafael Câmara won the second Formula 2 Feature Race in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday (26). The Invicta Racing driver started from third and finished ahead of Nikola Tsolov and Alexander Dunne after a closely contested battle for the leading positions in the closing stages.
Câmara crossed the finish line in second, but inherited the victory after Dunne received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit-lane entry.
Strategy changes the race
The top three maintained their positions at the start, while the action quickly developed further down the field. An incident involving John Bennett and Rafael Villagómez on the opening lap left the Trident driver stranded on track and brought out the Safety Car. The neutralisation was brief, however, and had little impact on the strategies of the leading drivers.
The situation changed several laps later when Ritomo Miyata stopped on track with Hitech. The Virtual Safety Car was deployed during the pit-stop window, reducing the gaps and altering the strategic picture. Dunne had already made his stop while Câmara remained on track, allowing the Rodin Motorsport driver to gain time in the battle for the lead.
Once the pit-stop sequence was completed, Dunne took the lead, followed by Câmara. Stenshorne dropped to third, while Tsolov continued his recovery after starting 11th. The Campos Racing driver made the most of the opportunities created during the race to close in on the leaders and join the fight for the podium.
Another Virtual Safety Car period followed after Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak encountered problems with his car, but by then the battle for victory was already focused on Dunne and Câmara. The Brazilian remained close to the leader, while Tsolov continued to close the gap ahead of the final laps.
Final laps decide the result
Dunne managed to control the lead after the pit-stop cycle and was closely followed by Câmara. The Brazilian could not find an opportunity to overtake, but stayed close enough to put pressure on his rival until the chequered flag.
The battle was ultimately decided by an incident in the pit lane. During his stop, Dunne crossed the white line at the pit-lane entry and was handed a five-second penalty. Although the penalty did not prevent the Rodin Motorsport driver from crossing the finish line first on the road, it was enough to change the official result.
Câmara crossed the line just behind Dunne and inherited the victory following the Irishman’s penalty. Tsolov also completed a strong recovery to finish second, just 0.7 seconds behind the Brazilian. In the closing laps, the Bulgarian reduced the gap to less than a second, but could not find an opportunity to challenge Câmara for second place.
The result capped a strong recovery drive from Tsolov, who gained ten positions from where he started. For Câmara, the victory came after a race in which he had to manage the strategy and stay within striking distance of the lead without making mistakes while waiting for an opportunity to take the top spot.
Dunne was classified third after the penalty, followed by Stenshorne and Van Hoepen. Mari Boya, Dino Beganovic, Noel León, Gabriele Minì and Roman Bilinski completed the top 10.
Championship remains wide open
The victory in Baku also had a direct impact on the Formula 2 title fight. Câmara leaves Azerbaijan with a seven-point lead over Tsolov at the top of the championship, while Dunne remains involved in the battle near the front of the standings.
With the Baku round now complete, the season enters its final stages. The next scheduled rounds are in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with just seven points separating Câmara and Tsolov at the top of the championship.
