News Summary
- The Baku F2 Sprint starts at 05:15 UK time on Friday, or 01:15 in Brasília
- Championship leader Nikola Tsolov starts from pole, with Rafael Câmara sixth
- Tsolov leads Câmara by seven points, but the Brazilian holds stronger starting positions for both Feature Races
Formula 2 begins its unusual three-race Azerbaijan weekend with an early Sprint around the streets of Baku on Friday.
Nikola Tsolov will start from reverse-grid pole after qualifying tenth in the opening session. Championship rival Rafael Câmara lines up sixth, placing the Campos driver in an immediate position to extend his seven-point lead.
The Sprint covers 21 laps of the 6.003km Baku City Circuit and starts at 08:15 local time.
What time does the Baku F2 Sprint start?
| Country/region | Start time |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 05:15 BST |
| Brasília | 01:15 BRT |
| US/Canada Eastern | 00:15 ET |
| South Africa | 06:15 SAST |
| India | 09:45 IST |
| Malaysia/Singapore | 12:15 |
| Australia — Sydney/Melbourne | 14:15 AEST |
| New Zealand | 16:15 NZST |
| Baku local time | 08:15 |
The race takes place on Friday because the entire Azerbaijan GP programme has moved forward one day. Formula 2 is also running an expanded format because it is the only support category competing in Baku.
Full starting grid for the 2026 Baku F2 Sprint
The top ten from the first qualifying session are reversed for the Sprint. Tsolov consequently moves from tenth to first, while qualifying leader Alex Dunne starts tenth.
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikola Tsolov | Campos Racing |
| 2 | Laurens van Hoepen | Trident |
| 3 | Dino Beganovic | DAMS Lucas Oil |
| 4 | Sebastián Montoya | PREMA Racing |
| 5 | Mari Boya | PREMA Racing |
| 6 | Rafael Câmara | Invicta Racing |
| 7 | Kush Maini | ART Grand Prix |
| 8 | Noel León | Campos Racing |
| 9 | Martinius Stenshorne | Rodin Motorsport |
| 10 | Alex Dunne | Rodin Motorsport |
| 11 | Ritomo Miyata | Hitech |
| 12 | Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak | ART Grand Prix |
| 13 | Roman Bilinski | DAMS Lucas Oil |
| 14 | Gabriele Minì | MP Motorsport |
| 15 | John Bennett | Trident |
| 16 | Joshua Dürksen | Invicta Racing |
| 17 | Rafael Villagómez | Van Amersfoort Racing |
| 18 | Hiyu Yamakoshi | Van Amersfoort Racing |
| 19 | Oliver Goethe | MP Motorsport |
| 20 | Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. | AIX Racing |
| 21 | Colton Herta | Hitech |
| 22 | Cian Shields | AIX Racing |
How does the Sprint affect the F2 title fight?
Tsolov enters the Sprint with 177 points, seven ahead of Câmara on 170.
The first eight finishers score points in the Sprint:
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 10 |
| 2nd | 8 |
| 3rd | 6 |
| 4th | 5 |
| 5th | 4 |
| 6th | 3 |
| 7th | 2 |
| 8th | 1 |
One additional point is available for the fastest lap, provided the driver finishes inside the top ten.
If the starting positions were maintained until the finish, Tsolov would score ten points and Câmara three. The championship lead would increase from seven to 14 points, excluding the fastest-lap bonus.
A Câmara victory combined with Tsolov failing to score would instead put the Brazilian three points ahead before the first Feature Race.
The Sprint cannot decide the championship. Its importance comes from providing Tsolov with the strongest starting position of his Azerbaijan weekend—and giving Câmara an opportunity to limit the damage before the grids move in his favour.
Câmara holds the advantage for Baku’s Feature Races
Although Tsolov starts the Sprint from pole, Câmara has considerably better positions for both Feature Races.
| Race | Rafael Câmara | Nikola Tsolov |
|---|---|---|
| Sprint | 6th | 1st |
| Feature Race 1 | 5th | 10th |
| Feature Race 2 | 3rd | 8th |
Feature Race 1 uses the direct order from the first qualifying session, where Dunne took pole and Câmara finished fifth. Tsolov starts tenth.
The second Feature Race uses the results of the second qualifying session. Stenshorne starts from pole, with Câmara third and Tsolov eighth.
Câmara therefore starts five places ahead of Tsolov in both Feature Races, which award substantially more points than the Sprint. A victory is worth 25 points, while each race also offers one point for the fastest lap to an eligible top-ten finisher.
That makes damage limitation Câmara’s immediate objective on Friday morning. Tsolov can extend his lead in the Sprint, but the Brazilian will have two stronger opportunities to respond later in the round.
Why Baku has three Formula 2 races
Baku is using a one-off expanded F2 format consisting of two qualifying sessions, one Sprint and two Feature Races.
Formula 2 is the only support category at the Azerbaijan GP, creating enough timetable space for an additional qualifying session and Feature Race.
The regular format returns for the final rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Feature Race 1 starts at 11:15 UK time on Friday, with the second Feature Race scheduled for 07:00 UK time on Saturday.
FAQ
What time does the Baku F2 Sprint start?
The Sprint starts at 05:15 UK time, 01:15 in Brasília and 08:15 local time on Friday.
Who starts the Baku F2 Sprint from pole?
Championship leader Nikola Tsolov starts from pole after the top ten from the first qualifying session were reversed.
How many points separate Tsolov and Câmara?
Tsolov leads the Formula 2 championship with 177 points, seven ahead of Câmara on 170.
Tags: Formula 2, Rafael Câmara, Nikola Tsolov, Azerbaijan GP
