F2 Miami Weekend Recap

Chaos, strategy and crucial points defined the long awaited Miami weekend, after a long spring break. Here is everything you need to know!

(Image Credits to Formula 2)

The Track

As reiterated in the preview, this was the first time the F2 championship took place at the 3.36km long Miami International Autodrome. The track has 19 corners, three straights with an estimated top speed of 320km/h. The track is built around the iconic Hard Rock Stadium and has been host for the FIA Formula 1 Championship since 2022.

Day 1

Friday, May 1st, started out with the one and only free practice. Here we say Noel Leon spinning and Sebastian Montoya drifting but managing to keep it on track with about 35 minutes left. Leon’s spin got the virtual safety car out, and with 32 minutes left the cars could continue driving.

But only about a minute later, a yellow flag that eventually changed to a red flag came out as the championship leader, Nikola Tsolov came to a full stop going around Turn 12, but with about 25 minutes left they could continue their only practice session

Laurens van Hoepen kept putting fastest laps in throughout the whole session, but in the end it was Colton Herta that ended up taking the P1 home, which was followed up by Kush Maini in P2 and Van Hoepen in P3.

A few hours later came qualifying that determined the starting grid for the Sunday feature race. The top 10 from this qualifying session are reversed to form the front for the Saturday sprint race.

WIth about 15 of the 30 minute session left, Rafa Câmara had provisional pole, Alex Dunne in second and Martinius Stenshorne in third.

The session was cut early as Stenshorne’s Rodin Motorsport car came to a stop at Turn 16 due to an engine issue, which triggered a yellow flag with 1 minute left that eventually meant an end to the session.

In the end Maini ended up on top after a tightly fought qualifying session, just 0.033s ahead of Câmara’s lap time, followed up by Stenshorne in P3. This top three was only covered by just 0.050s. In P4 was the BWT Alpine junior driver, Dunne and in P5 was Gabriele Mini for MP Motorsport.

(Image Credits to Coffee Corner Motorsport)

Day 2

Following the intense qualifying session a day earlier, came the sprint race on day 2.

Tsolov lined up on pole - for the starting grid for the sprint race - ahead of Van Hoepen on P2, Oliver Goethe in third, Joshua Dürksen fourth and Nico Varrone completing the top 5.

Out of Turn 1, the red bull junior, Tsolov was still leading the race, but Dürksen had moved up to third before starting to challenge Van Hoepen for second.

On Lap 5, Dürksen made a move into Turn 17 to take second place and pushed Van Hoepen down to P3 in the same lap as he put in the new fastest lap. Van Hoepen fought back on Lap 6, eventually reclaiming P2 from Dürksen at the same corner as he was overtaken earlier.

This allowed Tsolov to build a small gap, until Lap 13 where Van Hoepen saw his chance just before Turn 17 and overtook the polesitter for P1.

Further down the order on Lap 15, Herta and Enzo Fittipaldi had a clash that eventually led to Fittipaldi having to retire due to a broken suspension. At the same lap Tsolov responded to Van Hoepen by overtaking him at the end of the lap.

Again at just before Turn 17, we saw Dunne making a move for third place by overtaking Dürksen on Lap 19 of 23.

With just one DRS zone remaining on the last lap, Van Hoepen had retaken the lead from Tsolov again and held it until Turn 17, where Tsolov launched a crucial move for the win.

In the end, Tsolov could take the gold medal from the first sprint race in Miami home, just ahead of Van Hoepen after a very close fight for the win and completing the podium in P3 was Dunne.

(Image Credits to Motorsportsclicks)

Day 3

May 3rd marked the final day of Formula 2’s debut in Miami, with the feature race taking place after being rescheduled due to the weather.

But before the race even got underway, Stenshorne - who was starting 3rd - was handed a stop-and-go penalty during the delayed formation lap for a starting procedure infringement, with team members working on his car on the grid too late. This meant the Norwegian driver would have to make an additional trip to the pitlane, aside from the mandatory pitstop.

The starting grid, set by Friday's qualifying session, saw Maini on pole ahead of Câmara starting P2, Stenshorne - who was hit by a penalty - in P3, Dunne in P4 and Mini in P5 rounding out the top 5.

Already through Turn 1, polesitter Maini was leading comfortably as Câmara slipped down the order, as he was one of a number of drivers to go wide at Turn 1, which Dunne capitalised to take second place.

Meanwhile, further back Saturday's sprint winner, Tsolov, was involved in a collision with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, which immediately put an end to his race and got the safety car out.

When the safety car ended, Stenshorne pitted to serve his penalty, whilst Oliver Goethe hit the barriers on the straight, bringing his car to a stop and triggering a short virtual safety car.

By Lap 10, Maini had built a comfortable gap to Câmara in third and Dürksen in fourth, when Dunne - who was running in sixth - outbraked himself into Turn 17, ran wide and hit the barriers bringing the safety car out once again.

During the safety car, many saw this as an opportunity to pit, while Duerksen, Herta and Bennett stayed out. Câmara now moved into the next race lead, after Maini lost time in the pitlane, having to wait in his box as traffic passed.

The race now switched to a timed format instead of laps, 25 minutes remained, and Dürksen led the field at the restart, meanwhile Dino Beganovic continued his charge, passing Maini for net P2, before Noel Léon followed through a lap later.

With 20 minutes remaining, the safety got brought out yet again, this time by Stenshorne’s Rodin car that was left stranded on the outside of Turn 17 following a minor contact with Varrone.

Under the safety car Dürksen then headed to the pits, handing the lead to his invicta teammate, Câmara.

At the restart Câmara was immediately under pressure with five drivers now battling for the lead. Mini overtook Léon just before another safety car interrupted the session yet again to recover the AIX car of Cian Shields.

With the safety car deployed, John Bennet made a switch to slick tyres, but having struggled for grip and spinning at Turn 12 was followed up by him going to pits again to switch back to wets.

With only 6 minutes remaining, Câmara led, just ahead of Beganovic and Mini, until the Swedish driver made a decisive move for the lead into Turn 17 and made the move stick on the inside.

Câmara tried doing an optimistic lunge into Turn 1, but in doing so, lost second place to Mini.

Mini then capitalised on a mistake from Beganovic at Turn 15, as the DAMS driver cut the chicane and ran wide at Turn 17, which handed Mini his maiden win in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

Mini therefore took his maiden in Miami, followed up by Beganovic in second place, Câmara in P3, Léon in P4 and polesitter, Maini completing the top five.

This now leaves Tsolov on top in the championship standings just one point ahead of Câmara and Mini who are tied at 34 points.

Up next is Montreal, where Formula 2 returns from the 22nd of May till the 24th of May.

Article written by Laura Friis