Crawford takes pole in Baku after stop-start F2 qualifying

Written by Vyas Ponnuri

DAMS racer Jak Crawford took his second pole position of 2025, this time by 19 milliseconds from championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli, in a session of multiple interruptions and incidents around the streets of Baku.

Crawford took a crucial pole to boost his championship hopes | Credit: DAMS

Crawford set his best lap of 1:54.791 by eking out every last millisecond around the Baku Street Circuit. The American racer managed to grab a crucial slipstream from PREMA Racing's Gabriele Minì in the final sector, a crucial aspect of his pole position lap.

Minì would end up third on the road, the Italian netting an excellent start position for the race on Sunday. While Victor Martins was classified fourth, his time remains at scrutiny, with Martins under investigation for causing the second red flag of the session.

Alex Dunne took fifth in the session for Rodin Motorsport, while Luke Browning put himself in the frame of contention with sixth on the road. Campos Racing's Pepe Martí wound up seventh on the road, while Trident's Martinius Stenshorne impressed with eighth on F2 debut.

Fornaroli's teammate Roman Staněk wound up ninth, ahead of Sebastián Montoya, although the former's lap time remains under investigation for causing the final red flag period of the session.

AS IT UNFOLDED - F2 Qualifying in Baku

Credit: Formula 2 via X

Rodin Motorsport's Alex Dunne came into the 30-minute qualifying session on the back of topping the free practice session earlier in the day, ahead of DAMS racer Jak Crawford and Hitech TGR's Dino Beganovic.

A crucial qualifying session unfolded, with the five in championship contention attempting to nail the best starting position on the streets of Baku.

A five-minute delay ensued, though, with repairs being conducted to the barriers around the Baku streets, following Formula One's Free Practice 1 session earlier on. Drivers eventually took to the track, with championship contender Crawford among the first to set their laps around the circuit.

While Crawford and Invicta Racing's Staněk set the quickest lap times, the speedy McLaren-liveried Rodin Motorsport of Dunne surpassed them to the top of the standings, setting a 1:55.846, while yellow flags were briefly flown for Luke Browning heading off the track at Turn 3.

Cordeel triggered the first red flag of the session | Credit: Formula 2 via X

However, an early red flag halted proceedings, with nine drivers still yet to set a fast lap around the circuit. Dunne's teammate Amaury Cordeel experienced a moment of oversteer as he approached Turn 13, his Rodin machine hitting the barrier on the outside of the track, before coming to a halt at the kink of Turn 14. The Belgian would report he was okay, heading back to the medical centre for a routine check-up.

The drivers returned to the circuit to set their next fast laps. At the halfway mark, Crawford had lowered the benchmark, setting a 1:54.791 to sit ahead of Gabriele Minì and championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli.

Trident rookie Martinius Stenshorne sat eighth at the halfway mark, showcasing his speed around the Baku circuit. Drivers were clipping the barriers around the circuit, with Fornaroli tapping the barriers at Turn 15, while Dunne bent his steering after making contact with the barrier at Turn 8, retreating to the pits for repairs.

Fornaroli set a quicker lap with 13 minutes to go, ending up 19 milliseconds from Crawford's leading time.

With nine minutes to go, the drivers quickly retreated to the circuit for their final laps around the circuit. With the tow so crucial in lap time, Fornaroli's race engineer advised him to overtake drivers who attempted to slow down unnecessarily on the track.

Martins caused the second red flag of the session with a heavy crash at Turn 3 | Credit: Formula 2 via X

As the drivers set off for their final laps with five minutes to go, the running was quickly brought to a halt, with ART Grand Prix's Victor Martins going heavily into the barriers at Turn 3. The Frenchman braked late at the end of the back straight, causing his car to go hard into the barriers, and the brakes on fire.

The resulting incident brought a red flag, with Martins leaping out of his Williams-liveried F2 machine, and repairs to be conducted to the barriers on the outside of Turn 3. He would be investigated after the session for causing the red flag, with a cloud hanging over his fourth-position finish in the session.

The session resumed after a 20-minute interruption, with drivers racing to the line to set their lap times, as it came down to one shot qualifying for anyone who would reach the finish line first.

Despite all drivers getting across the start/finish line for one flying lap, the session would face its third interruption. While Staněk went off the track at Turn 1, an attempt to rejoin the circuit saw him collide with Van Amersfoort Racing's John Bennett, causing both cars to be scattered on the exit of the corner, causing the third red flag of the session.

Crawford took his second pole of 2025, this time by a mere 19 milliseconds, grabbing two crucial points to edge closer to rival Fornaroli in the standings.

Classification - F2 qualifying in Baku

1. Jak Crawford (DAMS)

2. Leonardo Fornaroli (Invicta Racing)

3. Gabriele Minì (PREMA Racing)

4. Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix)*

5. Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport)

6. Luke Browning (Hitech TGR)

7. Pepe Martí (Campos Racing)

8. Martinius Stenshorne (Trident)

9. Roman Staněk (Invicta Racing)*

10. Sebastián Montoya (PREMA Racing)

11. Dino Beganovic (Hitech TGR)

12. Rafael Villagómez (Van Amersfoort Racing)

13. Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport)

14. Joshua Dürksen (AIX Racing)

15. John Bennett (Van Amersfoort Racing)

16. Kush Maini (DAMS)

17. Arvid Lindblad (Campos Racing)

18. Ollie Goethe (MP Motorsport)

19. Ritomo Miyata (ART Grand Prix)

20. Laurens van Hoepen (Trident)

21. Cian Shields (AIX Racing)

22. Amaury Cordeel (Rodin Motorsport)*

*- Under investigation