BEGANOVIC WINS AGAIN IN BAKU AS CAMARA AND MINI SUFFER SETBACKS
Dino Beganovic continued his excellent form in Formula 2 by winning the Sprint Race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver took his second consecutive victory after winning the Feature Race in Madrid two weeks ago, finishing ahead of Laurens van Hoepen and Alexander Dunne.
The Swedish Ferrari Driver Academy driver made his move for the lead early in the race and then controlled the pace from the front. Van Hoepen stayed behind him, but Beganovic managed both Safety Car restarts without giving his rival a real chance to attack. He crossed the finish line to claim another important victory at a crucial point of the season.
The race started with a major incident involving Rafael Câmara and Mari Boya. Câmara was fighting with championship leader Nikola Tsolov when he made contact with Boya under braking at Turn 2. The Prema driver was sent into a spin and ended up in the barriers, bringing out the first Safety Car of the weekend.
Câmara received a 10-second penalty for causing the collision. He tried to explain over the radio that Boya had moved under braking, but the stewards judged Câmara responsible for the incident. The penalty later dropped him to 16th, leaving him without points from the Sprint Race.
After the restart, Beganovic immediately established himself at the front. The Swede had started behind Van Hoepen but managed to take control of the race and build a gap before another Safety Car interruption. Even after the final restart, Van Hoepen could not get close enough to launch a serious attack.
Van Hoepen therefore finished second for Trident, while Dunne completed the podium after an impressive recovery from 10th on the grid. The Rodin Motorsport driver gained seven positions during the 21-lap race, adding another strong result to an already productive Baku weekend.
Dunne’s podium was particularly important because Rodin Motorsport had already dominated Thursday’s qualifying sessions. Dunne topped Qualifying 1 before team-mate Martinius Stenshorne took pole in Qualifying 2, giving the team a front-row lockout for the Feature Race grids.
Stenshorne also produced a strong recovery drive in the Sprint Race, moving up to fourth at the finish. Tsolov followed him in fifth, scoring valuable points but losing ground to his championship rival Câmara after the Brazilian’s penalty.
Tsolov had started the Sprint from reverse-grid pole after finishing 10th in Thursday’s qualifying session. He could not maintain the lead for long, however, as Beganovic moved ahead during the early stages. The Bulgarian eventually finished fifth and took the points available from that position.
The result still leaves Tsolov at the top of the championship standings, but his advantage over Câmara has been reduced by the Brazilian’s failure to score. After the Sprint, Tsolov holds an 11-point lead over Câmara, adding further importance to the remaining races in Baku.
Gabriele Minì was another major loser from the race. The MP Motorsport driver had recovered into the fight around the points-paying positions after starting outside the top eight, showing stronger race pace than he had managed during qualifying.
His recovery came to an end after the final restart. Minì was hit by his team-mate Ollie Goethe, who made a mistake under braking and collided with the other MP Motorsport car. The incident ended Minì’s chances of scoring points and interrupted his attempt to reduce the gap in the championship fight.
The result is especially frustrating for Minì after he had made several strong overtakes in Madrid to finish seventh from 13th on the grid. He arrived in Baku still involved in the title battle, but the Sprint did not give him the result he needed.
Beganovic’s victory continues a clear improvement in his recent results. His Madrid Feature Race win was his first victory of the 2026 season, and he has now followed it with another win in Baku. The DAMS driver is therefore entering the final part of the championship with strong momentum.
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