F2 adds extra Baku feature race as F1 weighs cancelling Qatar and Abu Dhabi

Formula 2 has quietly expanded its Baku schedule to include an additional qualifying session and feature race, announcing the change just ten days before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend — a move that has raised immediate questions about the stability of Formula 1’s own end-of-season calendar.

F2 CEO Bruno Michel confirmed the revised format on Monday, describing it as a “supersized” meeting. “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. He added that Baku is the only round where the timetable allows for the additional sessions, and praised the circuit’s track record of delivering exciting racing.

The organisers did not spell out the reasoning behind the expansion, but the timing is hard to ignore. The Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix — the final two rounds of the F1 season — are under threat due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. By loading more points-paying races into Baku, F2 would partially offset any reduction in its own season if those events are cancelled or restructured.

F2 confirmed that, for now, Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain on the schedule in their standard format: one free practice, one qualifying session, a sprint race, and a feature race. But that position could change rapidly depending on decisions made at the top of the sport.

The FIA and Formula 1 are expected to finalise their plans for the remainder of the 2026 calendar before the end of the month. A relocated Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang in Malaysia has already been added for early October. Among the options under discussion is the cancellation of both Middle East rounds and the addition of a season finale at Imola in late November.

Whether the F2 schedule change is a deliberate contingency measure or simply a one-off opportunity to give fans more racing at a street circuit known for drama remains officially unconfirmed. Either way, the timing ensures it will be read as a signal — however indirect — that the end of the 2026 season is far from settled.