Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov stormed to victory in a nail-biting Sprint Race at the 2026 F2 Miami GP to extend his championship lead, full report and results below.
On Friday, the weekend began with home hero Colton Herta topping the times in Free Practice, as the 2026 F2 grid took to the Miami International Autodrome for the first time. However, it would prove to be a difficult start for Campos Racing, with Tsolov and Noel León both hopping out of their cars very early into the session.
During Qualifying, reigning Formula 3 Champion Rafael Câmara looked in a strong position to challenge for pole after showing promising pace from the outset. However, it was Kush Maini who edged him out to claim the first-ever pole position in Miami by less than a tenth of a second.
With the grid set for Sunday’s Feature Race, all focus turns to Tsolov and Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen who line up on the front row of the grid for today’s Sprint Race.
Lights out for the first-ever Miami F2 Sprint Race
The formation lap got underway as Maini wasn’t able to get off the line. The Indian driver was soon pushed back into the pit lane for the race start. However, as the lights went out, it was a great launch off the line for Tsolov who led the pack down to Turn 1. Immediately, several drivers were able to make up places. Further down the field, home hero Colton Herta lunged down the inside of John Bennett to claim for P13. Fighting for track position and with DRS open, many drivers were able to overtake down the back straight.
Oliver Goethe, who started P3, fell down the field and found himself in P10 by the end of Lap 2. Out in-front, van Hoepen managed to close in on Tsolov, who momentarily looked in control of the race lead. However, as the two battled for the lead, Joshua Dürksen and Nicolás Varrone soon joined the fight, while Alex Dunne began to close in on the top four.
At Turn 17, van Hoepen attempted a move around the outside of Tsolov as Dürksen almost ran into the rear of the Trident. As the fight for the lead continued, Tsolov, van Hoepen, and Dürksen soon found themselves in a three-way battle as they approached Turn 1. Behind the top three, the Rodin Motorsport teammates weren’t afraid to get their elbows out as they were side-by-side heading into the last corner. Once again, Dürksen attempted a move down the inside of van Hoepen as the Paraguayan snatched P2 back.
However, further down the field, Roman Bilinski—who had started P20—was making real progress through the field, as he was now in P13.
Misfortunes for ART Grand Prix continue
The day continued to go downhill for ART as Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak slowed down, allowing Goethe, Bilinski, and Herta to pass him. Meanwhile, out in front, Tsolov remained in control of the race. As it stood, although Tsolov, van Hoepen and Dürksen completed the top three, the top five started to form a DRS train.
Yellow flags were waved momentarily for a slow Rafael Villagómez. Unfortunately for the Mexican driver, he soon returned to the pits to retire his car. Further down the field, there was a four-way fight between Bilinski, Herta, Bennett and Ritomo Miyata.
Running straight through the chicane, Tsolov made a costly mistake that allowed van Hoepen to close in once again. With DRS open down the back straight, van Hoepen made his way past the Bulgarian to claim the lead of the race.
A nail-biting battle for the lead
On Lap 17, the fight for the lead didn’t seem to die down. However, fighting for the final spot on the podium, Varrone attempted a move around the outside of Dürksen out of the final corner, forcing the Paraguayan to defend aggressively against the charging Argentine. Soon enough, Tsolov had found himself back in the lead as the top two started to break away from the rest of the field.
Heading down to Turn 1, the pink-liveried Alpine of Dunne made a lunge down the inside of Dürksen but out-braked himself and ran off the track. This then allowed Varrone to close in on the Irishman. However, with DRS open, Dunne finally managed to sail past Dürksen and claimed P3. Out in front, van Hoepen was not backing down from the fight with Tsolov.
On the final lap, a mere two tenths separated Tsolov and van Hoepen. As the two continued to battle, Dunne closed in and soon joined the fight for the lead. van Hoepen soon made a move around the outside and reclaimed the race lead but ran wide at Turn 11. Down the back straight, with DRS open, it was a three-way fight for the lead down to the final corner. Despite that, a bold move around the outside of van Hoepen rewarded Tsolov with a well-fought win.
