TITLE FIGHT ANALYSIS: How Baku showed that the championship fight is far from over

The supersized round in Baku delivered a special and entertaining weekend of racing with two closely fought Qualifyings and three action-packed races.

At the end of it all, we have a new championship leader and a title fight in which the top three, who were on the podium in Feature Race 2, are covered by just 18 points.

So as we analyse Round 12, what did Baku teach us about each of our championship hopefuls?

THE BRAZILIAN TAKEOVER

For the first time in 2026, Rafael Câmara leads the Drivers’ Championship.

Câmara has been quick all season but a few mistakes early on meant he did not always get the results his pace deserved.

But recently he has been consistent, especially in the Feature Races, and this has helped him take advantage of his rivals' struggles.

Câmara has finished in the top five in eight of the nine Feature Races – with three victories in Barcelona, Spa-Francorchamps and Baku.

In that same period, Nikola Tsolov has two Feature Race wins but has also been out of the top five on four occasions.

One of those races was in Baku, with the Campos Racing driver retiring from Feature Race 1, while Câmara beat Noel León in a drag race to the line to take P4 and the championship lead.

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The Brazilian followed that up with victory in Feature Race 2, with Tsolov in second, extending his lead to seven points.

This was a critical result, as in the previous nine seasons, the driver who goes into the final two rounds at the top of the Standings has won the championship.

So taking the lead now could be a sign of what is to come, although Câmara was very clear after the race weekend that the fight was far from over.

TSOLOV’S WIN EVEN IN DEFEAT

As for Tsolov, he lost the lead of the championship for the first time since taking over at Silverstone. But if you thought he would be disappointed, you would be wrong.

It was not an easy few days in Baku for the Bulgarian and his Campos Racing team. They struggled to P10 in Qualifying 1 and eighth in Q2.

Tsolov started from reverse pole in the Sprint Race and dropped down to fifth, before retiring with damage in Feature Race 1.

As well as that, the Red Bull Junior received a three-place grid penalty for Feature Race 2 after crossing the commitment line at pit entry.

But as Tsolov said, he and Campos’ fighting spirit was on show on Saturday, as they went from P11 to second.

At the start of the day, with Câmara and Alexander Dunne starting at the front of the field, there was a huge chance they were going to outscore Tsolov massively. However that did not happen.

Tsolov and Campos worked heavily to improve their car and an inspired strategic call to not pit early, allowed Tsolov to drive a great race to P2.

Speaking afterwards, the 19-year-old said the result felt like a win and given the struggles he faced for much of the weekend, it is hard to disagree.

DUNNE’S EPIC FIGHTBACK

Few would argue with Alexander Dunne being the driver of the Baku weekend, even if it did not end perfectly.

The Rodin Motorsport driver took pole in Q1 and was second in Q2 and fought from 10th to third in the Sprint Race.

Dunne then converted pole into a first win of the season in Feature Race 1 and crossed the line in Feature Race 2 in P1.

However, a five-second time penalty for the same infraction as Tsolov cost him the win, and dropped him to third, and even more significantly, he lost points to his two closest title rivals.

Had Dunne not been given that penalty, he would been second on 199 points – just a point behind Câmara.

But still, taking a step back, and looking at the weekend as a whole, Dunne’s three podiums in three races is a fantastic return.

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It also continued an exceptional run of form for the Irishman, who at one stage was 59 points off the championship lead in Madrid, but he has cut that down to 18 points in the space of two rounds.

Given the form, Dunne cannot be discounted and he is very much in the fight.

ANYBODY ELSE

As things stand, Gabriele Minì, Dino Beganovic and Noel León are still mathematically in with a chance.

For Minì, it was a tough round. He was just 24 points off the lead at the start of the weekend, but he is now 44 points behind Câmara. He still has a chance but a lot will need to go right for him.

Beganovic and León are over 70 points away from Câmara, and it would take a lot for them to win the title at the end of the season. But then again, it is Formula 2, so you never know!