Ritomo Miyata produced yet another impressive comeback drive at the 2026 F2 Monaco GP, finishing sixth in the Feature Race despite starting from outside the top ten. The Hitech driver moved forward at the start and climbed as high as second during his first stint, before a well-timed pit stop ahead of a Virtual Safety Car kept him in contention. A multi-car battle on the final lap ultimately cost Miyata a position to Martinius Stenshorne at the penultimate corner, leaving him sixth at the chequered flag.
Speaking after the F2 Monaco GP Feature Race, Miyata was appreciative of his team’s strategic work before reflecting honestly on where the weekend fell short.
Miyata takes the positives from the 2026 F2 Monaco GP
Despite the late loss of a position, Miyata left Monaco encouraged by what the race had shown. He was quick to acknowledge the role his team played in making the result possible.
“Firstly, big thanks to the team because they made a good call for the pit stop and our last strategy was good,” he stated. “It’s just that we are missing some quali performance because here it is very important. But again, we scored points and we gained positions at the start, so it’s positive.“
Miyata also reflected on the final lap battle that cost him P5, taking a measured view of the outcome. “We always stay calm and stay focused on our processes. I was just focusing on my racing with the team. The last lap we were fighting and I was trying to gain a position. Of course in the end I lost a position, but it is what it is. Anyway, we scored points. It’s positive.”
Qualifying as the key weakness for Miyata and Hitech
The F2 Monaco GP continued a frustrating qualifying pattern for Miyata and Hitech. The team has yet to place a car inside the top ten in qualifying at any of the four rounds this season, a streak that has consistently forced Miyata into comeback mode on race day.
Reflecting on the qualifying struggles across the season, Miyata offered some context while making clear that the situation still needs to change.
“I would say there is mixed feelings. At first, in Melbourne and Miami we used the Supersoft compounds in quali. So, I felt a bit of a struggle with that, and also, in Melbourne, there was a red flag. So that penalised our strategy, and that’s why we struggled in quali in Melbourne, but Miami was a different story. Anyway, even with that, we need to improve,” he stated.
Miyata was clear about what an improvement in qualifying would mean for his F2 results more broadly.
“If we can improve, that means we can fight for a much better place, we can start from a much better place. Even P10 would be okay. So we need to improve the short-run performance. We need to keep our good race performance as well. So we need to improve our short runs.”
Miyata building confidence with Hitech despite Monaco GP qualifying setbacks
Despite the on-track frustrations, Miyata spoke positively about his working relationship with Hitech. Reliability has been a consistent strength, and the Japanese driver sees that as a foundation to build on as the season moves into the European calendar.
“The most important thing is we are always running on track,” Miyata stated. “This is very good because we never have any issues or problems on track. So it’s good. It’s positive, very positive and it will bring more confidence.”
That confidence, Miyata hopes, will translate into stronger qualifying showings in the rounds ahead. His ambitions for the rest of the season are clear, and he is not setting modest targets following the 2026 F2 Monaco GP.
“I want to take pole positions and win races. The Sprint and the Feature Race, of course. But it’s really challenging, and the key point is always consistent results. It’s already interesting and I’m ready for fighting,” he concluded.
