MP Motorsport’s Gabriele Minì claimed his maiden F2 victory in the 2026 F2 Miami GP Feature Race, full report and results below.
The first-ever F2 Miami Sprint Race delivered plenty of action, as Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov claimed victory in a thrilling race, fiercely battling Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen from lights to flag. As Alex Dunne completed the top three, the intense fight for the race lead highlighted the benefits of having DRS around the Miami International Autodrome.
Due to the looming threat of wet weather hitting the track, the organisers of the Miami GP moved the start of the F2 Miami Feature Race forward to 09:25 local time. However, as attention shifts to today’s race, Dunne will serve a five-place grid penalty carried over from his crash with his teammate Martinius Stenshorne in Melbourne. Subsequently, it is also worth noting that Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez will serve a ten-place grid penalty after the Mexican failed to slow down under double-waved yellow flags.
But, after a struggle-filled day yesterday, Kush Maini will be hoping to convert his pole position into a win today. Alongside him on the front row will be reigning Formula 3 Champion Rafael Câmara.
Rain delays and early issues
Wet weather conditions continued to loom over the Miami International Autodrome as early issues started to arise. On the way to the grid, Roman Bilinski’s race ended before it even started as the Polish driver stopped and hopped out of his car. The DAMS driver marked the first retirement of the race. However, race control soon decided that the formation lap would take place under the safety car.
Following behind the safety car, the stewards noted Stenshorne for a starting procedure infringement. The Norwegian driver was soon handed a stop-and-go penalty. As drivers continued to circulate the track, visibility and spray appeared to be a challenge. Despite that, race control decided that the race would undergo a standing start.
Time for the F2 Miami Feature Race!
A timely launch off the line for Maini saw him lead the pack down to Turn 1. However, after struggling to get off the line, Câmara fell through the field as chaos continued to unfold. Meanwhile, Nicolás Varrone ran straight on at Turn 1. Further down the field, Tsolov was spun around by Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak who attempted a late move down the inside.
Câmara started to carve his way back through the field, trying to regain the positions he lost at the start. However, as drivers made their way around the track, wet conditions continued to affect driver’s visibility.
First safety car deployed for Tsolov
On Lap 2, a safety car was soon deployed to retrieve Tsolov’s stranded car. As a result of the incident, Inthraphuvasak was handed a ten-second time penalty. Heading into the pit lane, Stenshorne soon served his stop-and-go penalty as well. After a quick retrieval effort from the marshalls, the safety car ended on Lap 3 as Maini put his foot to the floor at the penultimate corner.
Heading down the main straight, a snap of oversteer out of the exit of the final corner saw Oliver Goethe into the barriers. Yellow flags were soon waved as the German driver parked his car up a few corners down. Meanwhile, at the front of the field, Câmara ran wide at Turn 1, allowing Dürksen to close in on the Brazilian driver. The Invicta teammates went side-by-side heading down to Turn 6 and 7, but Dürksen soon backed out of a potentail move and was forced to slot in behind Câmara.
Yellow flags were waved once again as the two Invicta teammates continued to battle. However, a virtual safety car was deployed on Lap 5 to clean up the debris of Goethe’s car. A fight for 4th and 5th started to shape up between Gabriele Minì and Dino Beganovic. The Swede made a bold move around the outside of Minì at Turn 4 to claim P4. Meanwhile, a safety car infringement involving both Maini and Câmara will be investigated after the race.
Second safety car for Dunne in the barriers
Running wide into the last corner, Dunne out-braked himself and made a costly mistake as the Irishman ran into the barriers. A second safety car was then deployed to retrieve Dunne’s Alpine-liveried car. The first drivers to dive into the pits were both Van Amersfoort Racing drivers. However, unfortunately for Villagómez, the Mexican stalled as he tried to get away. Mechanics hurried to push his car away as Varrone came in to serve his mandatory pit stop. Under the safety car, the majority of the field dived into the pits to serve their pit stops.
However, Dürksen, home hero Colton Herta and John Bennett opted to stay out, believing that the track was starting to dry. Most importantly, under the pit stops, Câmara managed to jump Maini in the pits, claiming the net lead of the race. With 22 minutes of the race left on the clock, Dürksen aced the restart and started to pull away from the rest of the grid. Around the outside of Maini, Beganovic continued to carve his way through the field.
Third safety car deployed for Stenshorne
Stenshorne’s day continued to go downhill as Varrone spun him around. The Norwegian couldn’t get his car going again, deploying the third safety car of the race. Under the safety car, Dürksen, Herta and Bennett pitted for their mandatory stops. The Paraguayan rejoined the track in 12th. As it stood, Câmara, Beganovic, Noel León, Minì and Maini completed the top five.
As the race got underway once again, Câmara ran wide, allowing Beganovic to close in on the Invicta driver as he looked for a move. However, after failing to serve his penalty correctly, the stewards handed Inthraphuvasak a drive-through penalty.
Shields deploys fourth safety car after spin
With 12 minutes left of the race, the Feature Race saw a fourth safety car after Cian Shields spun. A bold strategic gamble from Trident saw Bennett pit for slick tyres as the track began to dry up. However, unfortunately for the Briton, the gamble wouldn’t pay dividends as he pitted for wet tyres once again. With the safety car ending, five minutes remained on the clock. Acing the restart, Câmara and Beganovic started to break away from the rest of the field.
As it stood, Câmara, Beganovic and Minì completed the top three. Further down the field, a battle for the last points-scoring positions continued to heighten. Meanwhile, out in front, Beganovic attempted an overtake around the outside at Turn 17 to claim the lead, allowing Minì to join the fight. Heading down to Turn 1, Câmara lunged down the inside of the Swede but out-braked himself and ran straight on. This soon allowed Minì to sail past the Brazilian to claim P2. Joining in on the action, it was soon a three-way fight for the lead between Beganovic, Minì and Câmara.
Cutting across the chicane, a costly mistake from the Swede saw Minì claim the lead on the final lap. Running wide once again, Câmara managed to hold on to P3. While the battle for the win went down to the wire, the Alpine-liveried car of Minì ultimately held off Beganovic to claim his maiden F2 victory.
