When Formula 2 last went racing in Australia, there wasn’t any indication at all that the series would next be racing in Miami – the series’ first foray into North America – which will be closely followed by an excursion into Canada. With the longest gap in the calendar now behind us, a new chapter in the Formula 2 2026 season has been written. Let’s take a look then at the key takeaways from Formula 2 in Miami.
Formula 2 in Miami – A Real Surprise
Having never held a round of Formula 2 before, nobody really knew what to expect from Miami. There was a collective sigh of relief then when both the Sprint and Feature Race provided us with two of the best Formula 2 races we’ve had in recent memory. Fourteen of the twenty-two drivers finished inside the top ten across the weekend with six different drivers standing on the podium. The Sprint Race was action packed throughout with everyone on track hungry for success, no matter the risk. The top three came across the line with less than half a second separating them and were fighting like men possessed for the last few laps.
The Feature Race finished in a similar manner with the top three covered by a single second. That result, combined with an incident heavy running that saw seven cars eliminated from contention meant that survival alone in those wet conditions was an achievement in itself.
A race in the dry, a race in the wet, a multitude of different point scorers and podium finishers along with a number of lead changes kept everyone on the edge of their seats throughout. While not part of the original Formula 2 schedule, Miami will be firmly in the conversation for inclusion on the 2027 calendar.
Tsolov Retains Champoinship Lead – Just
Coming into the weekend, Bulgaria’s Nikola Tsolov had a firm grip on the Championship lead. Leaving Miami, just a single point seperates him from both Gabriele Mini and Rafael Câmara in second and third. His Sprint Race win on Saturday extended that lead. But a DNF during Sunday’s Feature Race after contact in Turn 1 with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak brought the Campos driver back down to Earth with a firm thud.
Van Hoepen is also less than ten points behind Tsolov. Mitaya, Leon and Beganovic are not far away either. With mixed conditions again a possibility in Canada next time out, every point scored will feel potentially more vital than normal. Tsolov will have to bring his A game – and stay out of trouble – if he still wants to be leading after Montreal.
Hitech on the March
Across the weekend, Ritomo Miyata made up sixteen positions, following a less than stellar qualifying that meant he would start both races from P17. P12 in the Sprint Race and P6 in the Feature Race showed that the Japanese driver is now putting himself firmly into the mix in his third season of Formula 2. In Australia, he had two fifth place finishes, putting him in P5 overall in the Championship as Formula 2 leaves Miami. Could Miyata be an outside contender for the Championship focusing on consistency rather than podiums?
On the other side of the garage, it was an overall positive weekend for Colton Herta too. The former IndyCar driver survived the diabolical Feature Race to finish in P8. Once the American gets his qualifying sorted, it only stands to reason that he’ll find himself both more regularly inside the top ten and higher up in it. He could yet be a thorn in the side for the main Championship contenders.
Redemption for Trident?
Trident, despite having six different drivers last year, scored a whopping two points in the entirety of the 2025 season. In 2026, they’ve so far scored an appropriate amount – 26 points. This is thanks solely to Laurens Van Hoepen. The Dutch driver has finished inside the points in three of the four races held so far this year and has been on the podium twice, most recently at the Miami Sprint Race. It’s the first time the team has been on the podium on multiple occasions since Richard Verschoor drove for the outfit in 2024.
Their second driver, John Bennett, has yet to score in 2026. Fifth overall in the Team Standings, one point ahead of ART, Trident will be hoping Bennett can come to the fore soon, otherwise their season of redemption may come undone.
Anything Else
In just his third Formula 2 outing, Nico Varrone finished in P4 – his best result so far. The Argentinian former Endurance Racer impressed many in Miami and will be hoping to repeat and better this achievement in Montreal.
Gabriele Mini and Joshua Dürksen stood out from the pack this weekend for being the only two drivers who scored points in both the Sprint Race and the Feature Race. Both drivers are also the only two to have finished in the points in every race held so far this season.
Kush Maini achieved his first ever Pole Position in Formula 2 at Miami. However, the Indian driver had to settle for P5 come the Feature Race. He’s currently one of three drivers level on 12 points in the Championship. One of those three is Alex Dunne. In 2026 so far, he either finishes in third of DNFs. Such is the pattern since Australia. Third in both Sprint races followed swiftly by a DNF in the Feature Race, both times of his own making too. Answers on a postcard for how he’ll do in Canada.
Maini, Stenshorne, Boya and Fittipaldi also all had their best finishes in Formula 2 so far this year in Miami. They finished in P5, P6, P7 and P12 respectively in the Feature Race aside from Stenshorne, who achieved his best result in Saturday’s Sprint.
Feature Image: Red Bull Content Pool
Formula 2 returns May 22nd in Montreal, Canada.