Alexa Dunne claimed his first Feature Race victory of the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season in Azerbaijan, leading a Rodin Motorsport 1-2 and moving himself firmly into championship contention. 

The Irishman, who finished in pole position during Qualifying, held off his team mate, Martinius Stenshorne, to take his third consecutive podium of the season. Dino Beganovic completed the top three for DAMS after winning the Sprint Race this morning.

The race ended before it even began for PREMA driver, Sebastian Montoya, who spun and crashed as he made his way to the starting grid.

Making a strong start from the front line, Dunne managed to defend against Stenshorne into Turn 1 as the Rodin pair gained an early advantage from the rest of the grid. Noel León initially followed suit with Rafael Câmara. 

The race saw change during the mandatory pit-stops. Nikola Tsolov, who arrived in Baku as the championship leader, was one of the first to take to the pits, but dropped to the back after a slow change.

Stenshorne and León then both made their stops, while Mari Boya was forced to retire after coming to a halt shortly after his own pit stop – causing a safety car. 

Dunne and Câmara took the opportunity to make their stops, with Dunne emerging in second. Oliver Goethe took the lead after staying out on a different strategy.

Following the restart, Dunne continued to chase Goethe. Behind them, Beganovic and Stenshorne fought their way back through the field, with the Rodin driver reclaiming fourth before a red flag was waved.

This was caused by a multi-car incident at Turn 3, with Tsolov being amongst those caught up and having to retire – a big hit on his championship lead. The seven-driver pile-up forced Joshua Dürksen, Cian Shields, John Bennett, Ritomo Miyata, Laurens van Hoepen and Rafael Villagómez to retire. 

The race restarted with Goethe still leading, but Dunne remained on his tail. Beganovic moved past Colton Herta, while Stenshorne again worked his way past Câmara.

Dunne finally made his decisive move on Lap 16. Goethe ran slightly wide, allowing Dunne to use DRS and move alongside before taking the lead. 

Stenshorne soon followed back into a podium position, passing Beganovic at Turn 3 to restore a Rodin top two. 

A lock up for Goethe while defending Stenshorne allowed both Beganovic and León to pass, with Câmara also taking the opportunity.

Dunne controlled the remaining laps to secure the victory, with Stenshorne in second. Beganovic held off both León and Câmara for third, while Câmara produced one of the closest finishes of the race. The Brazilian used the slipstream to pass León only metres before the chequered flag to claim fourth place.

Drivers’ Championship Standings

1. Rafael Câmara
2. Nikola Tsolov
3. Alexander Dunne
4. Gabriele Mini
5. Dino Beganovic

Image: Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images