Bruno Michel's Baku Debrief

It was an important weekend in the fight for the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship as we had a bumper weekend in Baku with two Qualifying sessions and Feature Races.

FIA Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel talks about how the organisation of the round came together and gave his thoughts on the action that unfolded on three consequential days in the 2026 title race.

DOUBLING UP IN BAKU

"We wanted to do that because there was only Formula 2 as a support race here, and for the fans and for the promoter, it was good to be able to increase the number of races that we were having. It was easy to organize, too.

"This is a great track that the drivers really love. It's very demanding and it's very spectacular as well, and having three races here was good.

"I think we've shown that this format is working very well when there is enough track time to be able to do that. So, we'll keep it in mind for the future."

THE TITLE BATTLE KEEPS EVERYONE GUESSING

"The whole weekend was very dramatic. Rodin was flying here in terms of performance. It was quite impressive what they did in Qualifying between Dunne and Stenshorne - 1-2, 2-1 - and they've done an absolutely fantastic job.

"Alex was just untouchable in the first Feature Race, and in the Sprint Race, he was very impressive, too. On the other hand, Nikola Tsolov, who arrived in Baku as a leader, had a very difficult day. And he had an even more complicated time after he picked up a grid penalty for the second Feature Race, having then to start from P11.

"Rafael Câmara did better than Tsolov. He scored strong points in the first Feature Race, but he was in an even better form in Feature Race 2.

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• What we learned in Baku: The title fight hots up but who has the momentum?
• TITLE FIGHT ANALYSIS: How Baku showed that the championship fight is far from over

"That third race was everything you want to see in terms of motor racing. When you have three drivers fighting for the championship, fighting on track for the first three places and all of them on the podium… It was fantastic to watch!

"It's a bit too bad for Alex, because a couple of mistakes cost him dearly. But he was there and he was extremely fast. He cut the line first and classified third. His great weekend in Baku means that he’s moved up to third and he’s closed in on the top 2 in the Standings, with two rounds to go.

"Rafael had a very strong race on Saturday, he did what he had to do, and he was handed the win, which takes him to the top of the Championship. In the meantime, Nikola did not give up. Starting from P11, he put his head down. Ultimately, together with his team, they had a good strategy and the VSC and Safety Car timing worked in their favor. In the end, he did a fantastic race to take P2.

“Seeing the three of them finishing within three seconds and seeing the top three of them on the podium is very, very, very exciting. It's a great way to continue this season ahead of the next two events."

THE TEAMS' STANDINGS CLOSES UP

"Campos Racing has been showing what they can do in Formula 3 and now they're up there in Formula 2 and they're leading the Championship with two strong drivers.

"Invicta Racing has been winning in F2 the last two championships so it's no surprise they're up there as well. We know they're good, and we know they're a very solid team.

"As for Rodin Motorsport, what they have achieved this week in Baky is really impressive, with both of their drivers. They’ve had the pace in Qualifying all season long. Now they found the pace during the races, too.

"It's all done in a very competitive but very good spirit as well, which is the way F2 is. The teams are all fighting extremely competitively on the track. But everybody is respectful of the others and same thing for the drivers.

"There's drama on the track but never outside the track and I think that's really what we want to see in this Championship. We're looking forward to being in Qatar and to be in Abu Dhabi for the end of this thriller."