F2 adds Baku double-header as Qatar and Abu Dhabi grands prix hang in the balance

Formula 2 will run an expanded double-header at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after organisers announced a restructured Baku weekend less than ten days before the event, adding a second qualifying session and a second feature race to the usual format.

F2 CEO Bruno Michel confirmed the change on Monday, citing the series’ status as the sole support event in Baku as the reason the timetable could accommodate the extra sessions. “As Formula 2 is the only support event at the Azerbaijan Formula 1 Grand Prix, together with the promoters, we have opted for a supersized F2 race weekend, with one free practice, two qualifying sessions, one sprint race and two feature races,” Michel said. “The Baku City Circuit always provides us with amazing racing, so we’re very pleased to make the 12th Round of our season pretty unique.”

The announcement is notable for its timing. The FIA and Formula 1 are currently weighing the future of the 2026 calendar’s final rounds, with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix under threat due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. A relocated Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang in Malaysia has already been added to the schedule for early October, and among the options under active discussion is the cancellation of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi events in favour of a season finale at Imola in late November.

F2 organisers have not explicitly stated that the Baku expansion is a contingency measure, but the logic is difficult to ignore. An additional feature race means additional championship points on offer, which would help offset any reduction in the points available if end-of-season rounds are cancelled or consolidated.

For now, F2 insists the final two rounds of its season remain on the original schedule. “The final two rounds of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will resume with the usual weekend format made of one free practice followed by one qualifying, a sprint race and a feature race,” the series said in a statement, though it acknowledged that situation could change depending on decisions made at the F1 level.

The FIA and Formula 1 are expected to finalise the remainder of the 2026 calendar before the end of the month, at which point the picture for both the premier series and its feeder championships should become clearer.