Round 12 Post Qualifying 2 Press Conference

FIA Formula 2: Hello again, this time for the FIA Formula 2 post-Qualifying 2 Press Conference here at Baku City Circuit. Joining us in third place, Rafael Câmara from Invicta Racing. In second place, Alexander Dunne for Rodin Motorsport and, also for Rodin Motorsport, taking his first pole position of 2026, Martinius Stenshorne. Martinius, welcome back to this couch. The roles are reversed in Qualifying 2. You lead the Rodin one-two. Congratulations. Can you tell us about that lap? You were flying.

Martinius Stenshorne: Yeah, the lap was pretty good. Also, I managed to get a good tow. It was perfect. Good strategy from the team as well to box and get one final lap on another set. So, I think we really maximised our session and we improvised well with the strategy. So, really happy.

FIA Formula 2: Were you able to take anything from that first qualifying session and use it in the second, despite the quick turnaround?

Stenshorne: Yeah, well, you find the limits and then it doesn’t change too much. Obviously, we go a bit quicker, there’s a bit more grip and the car is a bit lighter as well. So, we took some learnings from Q1 into Q2 and left it all out there.

FIA Formula 2: You said pre-weekend that you were looking to fight for the top spots and, so far, so good. What are you expecting for the rest of the round in the races?

Stenshorne: Well, I think now we have a good starting point, so that makes life a bit easier, but there’s still a long way to go. Two long races, well, three long races in total this weekend. So there’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s a good beginning.

FIA Formula 2: A very good beginning indeed. Congrats. Alex, thank you for waiting. P2 and another strong qualifying showing for you. You had a distant tow, but was it a little bit too far back to gain pace in that final sector?

Alexander Dunne: Yeah, I think I was probably a little bit too far behind. I think, in general, my lap in Q2 was pretty bad as well. My lap in Q1 was obviously quite good, but in Q2 there were a couple of mistakes. But I think, in general, it’s a difficult track, so to do two perfect laps across both sessions is always going to be difficult. But, no, in the end, to be on the front row is not the end of the world.

FIA Formula 2: It’s a very strong day for the team and exactly the kind of performance you needed with the title race still on. What makes it so special for you out there? We know that you love street circuits, but today you really showed that this is your kind of circuit.

Dunne: Yeah, I think it’s just something I enjoy. I think pushing to the limit, being close to the walls. I think this track is also different, where you’re approaching a lot of heavy braking zones from very high speed, which you don’t necessarily have on a street circuit. So I think it tests you in a lot of different areas, but it’s really enjoyable and it’s really cool. I think I said at the beginning of the weekend that qualifying is always something that a driver enjoys the most, so the fact that we had two goes at it made it a lot of fun as well. I think it was nice that, whatever you had in Q1, you had an opportunity to go out again, push the limits again, and learn and improve on what you did in Q1. So, definitely it’s a lot of fun. I think if we could do it all the time, I’d like to keep this format because it’s really enjoyable. But the track is super cool as well.

FIA Formula 2: Thank you very much. Congratulations on a great day. Moving on to Rafael, P3 in Q2. Are you happy with that result today?

Rafael Câmara: Yeah, I think overall it was a decent qualifying. Obviously, from Q1, I think we had a good base and I was able to feel more comfortable with the car in that second qualifying. Probably, I think, with the strategy we didn’t maximise, but I’m pretty happy with where we’re starting. Here in Baku as well, there’s always plenty of action in the races, so for sure there will be a lot going on on Sunday. So let’s see how it will be.

FIA Formula 2: Speaking of strategy, we saw you were out on track, but then opted to pit rather than try for a final improvement. Was that a strategy call the team made ahead of time or one that was decided during the session?

Câmara: Yeah, I mean, in the end, I think we didn’t really maximise things. For sure, we could have done a better job. I think what we did, in a way, was not really what we needed to be there fighting for position. But, in the end, I think the first lap was good enough that we’re still in a place where we can fight. Like I said, I’m quite happy with what we did and, from there, we can grab some good points.

FIA Formula 2: Like you said, you’re in a great position in both races this weekend, even in the Sprint Race. You must be feeling good about your chances of overturning the points deficit in the title race. You are seven points behind Tsolov at the moment.

Câmara: Yeah, for sure. In qualifying, we were better than him and, for sure, it gives us a better chance already with the starting positions. But we know how he is too, and we know that a lot of things can happen. So, for sure, we need to keep focused, keep our heads down, and the championship is still far from over. I think we just need to keep focusing on ourselves, make sure that we always try to maximise what we can and don’t leave anything on the table because we know how competitive he is. We always need to be there and be consistent to make sure that we can fight for the championship