Formula 2’s Baku weekend just gained a second feature race, and the timing is what the paddock has noticed.

The junior series announced the expanded format on September 14, roughly ten days out from the first cars going out on track. The round will now feature one free practice, two qualifying sessions, one sprint and two feature races instead of the usual single feature.

F2 has framed the decision as an experiment.

“This is the only weekend where the timetable allows the additional sessions, which will increase the level of entertainment even further for the attending crowd and all our fans,” CEO Bruno Michel said in a statement reported by Crash.net.

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The calendar question no one is answering

The subtext is F1’s still-unsettled finale. Doubts over the Qatar Grand Prix on November 27-29 and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 4-6 have persisted for months, tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Imola has been discussed openly as a European stand-in that could host a season closer on December 6.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told reporters in July that both races were still on the schedule but that “if this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places”. He has since indicated a call will come sometime after mid-September, per grandprix.com. No public announcement has followed.

F2 does not travel to F1’s overseas season closers. Its own calendar finishes earlier, which is what has drawn attention to the timing of an extra feature race at Baku while F1’s year-end map is still open.

What it does to the title race

Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov heads to Baku seven points clear of Ferrari’s Rafael Camara at the top of the F2 standings, as noted by Crash.net. Doubling the number of feature races raises the higher-value points available before F2’s schedule reaches its final two rounds, though Crash.net notes it remains mathematically impossible for Tsolov to clinch the title in Baku unless the closing rounds are cancelled.

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The Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself has already been reshaped for the year. The F1 race runs on Saturday, September 26 rather than Sunday, to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day on September 27. F2’s own sessions have shifted a day forward accordingly, with two feature races now scheduled either side of the grand prix.

The next dated moment on the calendar is Domenicali’s decision on the final two rounds, expected before the end of the month.

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