The F2 race in Azerbaijan was disrupted by a crash today, leaving viewers wondering what happened and which cars were involved.
A four-car string of incidents disrupted Friday’s Formula 2 Sprint Race at Baku City Circuit, capped by a chaotic last-lap crash at Turn 1 that ended two more cars’ afternoons. Here’s what happened in the Azerbaijan race, which cars were caught up in the crash and how the incident affected the event.
The trouble left four drivers out of the 21-lap race and wiped out a scoring chance for one of the year’s form drivers, reviving the annual debate over whether Baku’s narrow streets breed more contact than other Formula 1 support-race venues.
The first crash arrived almost immediately. Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara locked his brakes into Turn 2 on the opening lap and hit the rear of Prema Racing’s Mari Boya, spinning him into the wall and out of the race. The contact brought out the race’s first safety car and earned Câmara a 10-second time penalty.
The second incident struck late. Câmara’s Invicta teammate, Joshua Dürksen, found the Turn 1 wall with just a handful of laps remaining, triggering a second safety car. Invicta used the caution period to pit Câmara, who served his penalty and switched to fresh supersoft tires. He rejoined well down the order and eventually crossed the line in 16th.
Gabriele Minì’s Costly Baku Sprint Setback
The Safety Car pulled in on Lap 21 for a one-lap restart, and that’s when the chaos hit. MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe misjudged his braking into Turn 1 and collected teammate Gabriele Minì, who according to RacingNews365 reporter Samuel Coop was on the cusp of a much-needed points finish. Hitech’s Ritomo Miyata and Campos Racing’s Noel León also came together in the same corner, and neither could continue.
A post from SpeedSectorF1 described as many as eight cars tangled up in the sequence of incidents across the race. The final-lap wreck happened behind the leaders, though, and race control did not throw a red flag. Dino Beganovic, driving for DAMS Lucas Oil, had already passed pole-sitter Nikola Tsolov on Lap 6 and cruised to his second straight Formula 2 victory, backing up his win in Madrid. Laurens van Hoepen and Alex Dunne completed the podium, while Tsolov’s championship lead over Câmara grew after the Campos Racing driver fell to fifth with tire wear issues.
No driver injuries were reported. Formula 2 cars share their halo and survival-cell construction with Formula 1 machinery, and Friday’s incidents played out as a series of retirements and cautions rather than a medical situation.
Baku’s Reputation For Producing Crashes
The Baku City Circuit is a 6.003-kilometer (3.73-mile) street track through the Azerbaijani capital with 20 turns, built for Formula 1’s debut on the calendar in 2016, Formula 1’s circuit guide shows. Its defining feature pairs a roughly 2.2-kilometer (1.4-mile) straight, one of the longest on the F1 calendar, with a walled-in “Old City” section that narrows to just 7.6 meters (25 feet) at its tightest point.
That combination makes Baku unusually punishing. Cars carry huge speed into Turn 1 off the long straight, drivers set up their cars with low downforce to maximize that speed, and the barriers sit close enough to the track that small mistakes turn into retirements. Qualifying for last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix produced a record six red flags. Formula 2’s support race has a long history of first-lap and restart pileups on the circuit, and Friday’s Sprint Race fit that pattern even as the front of the field escaped untouched.
What Happened in F2 Azerbaijan Race Today? Which Cars Crashed?