Câmara Inherits Baku Win After Dunne’s Pit-Lane Penalty: F2 Title Lead Changes Hands Over a Wild Weekend
Alex Dunne crossed the line first, but a five-second penalty for crossing the pit-entry line handed Rafael Câmara the win. It stretched Câmara’s lead to seven points, capping a Baku weekend where the F2 lead went from Tsolov to Câmara. Here’s how it happened.
Câmara Inherits Baku Win: Dunne Penalised
A five-second pit-entry penalty hands Câmara the win and a seven-point lead.
Formula 2’s extended Baku weekend had one final twist. In the second Feature Race on Saturday 26 September, Alex Dunne led Rafael Câmara to the chequered flag, but he had been noted for crossing the white line at pit entry on lap 14. His five-second penalty dropped him from first to third and gave Câmara the victory, with Nikola Tsolov second after a recovery from 11th on the grid.
The result left Câmara on 207 points, seven clear of Tsolov and 18 ahead of Dunne, with two rounds remaining. It finished a remarkable weekend in which the championship lead swung from Tsolov to Câmara. Below we cover the race, the penalty, how the lead changed across the weekend, and what comes next. For Câmara’s bigger story, he’s also the favourite for a 2027 F1 seat with Haas, see our Tsolov vs Câmara head-to-head.
Feature Race 2: How It Unfolded
Martinius Stenshorne started from pole, but the race was decided in the pit stops. Dunne got ahead of his Rodin Motorsport team-mate during the stop sequence and went on to lead. Câmara stayed close throughout: Dunne broke the DRS gap on lap 17, but by lap 25 Câmara was just 0.6 seconds behind. Behind them, Tsolov made steady progress from 11th on the grid and reached DRS range of Câmara on lap 29, but stayed just too far back to challenge.
On the road, the order was Dunne, Câmara, Tsolov. Once Dunne’s penalty was applied, the official result became:
| Pos | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael Câmara WIN |
| 2 | Nikola Tsolov |
| 3 | Alex Dunne +5s |
| 4 | Martinius Stenshorne |
| 5 | Laurens van Hoepen |
| 6 | Mari Boya |
| 7 | Dino Beganovic |
| 8 | Noel León |
| 9 | Gabriele Minì |
| 10 | Roman Bilinski |
Dunne’s Penalty: The Pit-Entry Line
Dunne was penalised for crossing the white line at pit entry on lap 14. Drivers must stay on the correct side of the line when entering the pit lane, and crossing it, even by a small amount, is penalised because it’s a safety rule as well as a matter of fairness. The line marks where cars should be when they leave the racing line.
The penalty was even more painful because the same offence had already hit Tsolov in Feature Race 1. Two title contenders penalised for the same mistake in two days shows how unforgiving Baku’s pit entry can be. With the penalty applied, Dunne dropped two places: that cost him ten points and handed Câmara seven extra.
Dunne finished ahead on the road, but his margin over Câmara was less than five seconds, and Tsolov was close behind too. With the time added after the race, he dropped to third. Our guide to how pit stops work explains the pit-lane rules.
How the Lead Changed Hands in Baku
Because of the uncertainty over the season finale, F2 ran an extended Baku weekend with a Sprint and two Feature Races. The championship lead changed during it:
Tsolov arrived in Baku as the championship leader and left seven points behind. Câmara arrived second and left in front, and Dunne put himself firmly into the title fight with a win and a third. We covered the earlier races in Beganovic’s Sprint win and Dunne’s Feature Race 1 victory.
F2 Standings After Baku
| Pos | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafael Câmara LEADER | 207 | — |
| 2 | Nikola Tsolov | 200 | −7 |
| 3 | Alex Dunne | 189 | −18 |
| 4 | Gabriele Minì | 163 | −44 |
| 5 | Dino Beganovic | 137 | −70 |
In the teams’ championship, Campos Racing leads on 333 points, with Invicta Racing (297) and Rodin Motorsport (296) just a point apart behind.
What’s Next: Two Rounds, and an Uncertain Finale
Two rounds remain: Qatar (27–29 November) and Abu Dhabi (4–6 December). Both depend on the same decision facing Formula 1, which is expected by mid-October because of the conflict in the Middle East. Imola has been reported as a standby venue. That uncertainty is why F2 added the extra Feature Race in Baku. Our report F2 finale in doubt covers the background.
For Câmara, there’s more at stake than the F2 title. He’s the reported favourite to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas in 2027, and winning the championship would strengthen his case. For Tsolov and Dunne, the long gap until the next round means seven and 18 points to think about for almost two months.
Dunne won the race on the road and lost it in the stewards’ room. Câmara won the race on paper and, maybe, took a big step towards both the F2 title and a seat in F1.
F2 Baku Feature Race 2 — FAQ
Seven points, two rounds, one F1 seat
Baku turned the F2 title fight upside down: Tsolov arrived as leader, Câmara left as leader, and Dunne’s penalty in the final race made the difference. With two rounds left and the finale venues still uncertain, three drivers are within 18 points.
Follow World of Speed for every update on the F2 title and the 2027 F1 driver market.
