The 2026 F2 Miami GP marked a milestone weekend for the championship and its drivers as it made its North American debut at the Miami International Autodrome. The second round of the 2026 F2 season delivered an exciting return to action, as drivers and teams hit the track after a two-month break. With the added element of the unknown, the weekend produced plenty of action as the championship standings saw a major shakeup.
On Friday, Kush Maini’s experience in the championship was evident as the Indian driver stomed to pole position. However, Campos Racing and Nikola Tsolov stole the spotlight on Sprint Saturday, securing back-to-back wins to extend their lead in both championships. Fortunes shifted on Sunday, but in a wet-weather masterclass, Gabriele Minì claimed his maiden F2 victory.
Before the championship heads to Montreal for the first time in a few weeks, we take a look at the winners and losers of the 2026 F2 Miami GP.
Winners of the weekend
Gabriele Minì
The 2026 F2 Miami GP proved to be a successful weekend for Minì, climbing eight places in the Drivers’ Standings after his Feature Race win and sitting tied in second with Rafael Câmara. While the Italian driver produced a strong drive through the field in Melbourne, a more complete weekend—combined with some luck—paid off this time. On Friday, he started strongly by qualifying 5th, putting himself in a solid position to fight for points or a potential podium in both races.
After starting 5th in Saturday’s Sprint Race, the 21 year-old crossed the line in 7th, adding two valuable points to his existing tally. However, it was on Sunday where a calm and composed drive in the wet rewarded him with his maiden F2 victory.
Although he didn’t battle for the lead early on, Minì steadily climbed through the field from 4th and eventually put himself in contention at the end of the race. As Câmara and Dino Beganovic fiercely battled, this subsequently allowed the Italian to slowly close in on the pair. He made a late lunge on Beganovic on the final lap and narrowly crossed the line to claim victory.
Minì’s Feature Race win shook up the Drivers’ Standings, as he surged eight places to move into a tie for second with Câmara as the championship heads into its third round.
Dino Beganovic
After an engine failure in Melbourne denied him the chance to convert pole position into a race win, the Swede bounced back strongly at the 2026 F2 Miami GP. Although some could argue that qualifying 11th was a result below his potential, Beganovic still salvaged points finishes in both races despite starting outside the top ten.
On Saturday, he climbed through the field to claim the final point as the DAMS driver crossed the line in 8th. However, by capitalising on others’ misfortunes and delivering a mature drive on Sunday, Beganovic earned the results he had hoped for to start the 2026 season.
Having carved his way through the field during Sunday’s Feature Race, the Swede showed impressive pace in the wet and soon found himself fighting for a podium finish. During the closing stages of the race, he traded positions with Câmara and demonstrated strong racecraft in his battle with the Invicta driver. However, a small mistake that saw him run across the chicane ultimately cost him the win, forcing him to settle for a 2nd-place finish.
Nonetheless, after a tough start to his sophomore campaign, having scored points in both races and a podium finish would be results the 22 year-old can be pleased with walking away from the weekend.
Rafael Câmara
The reigning Formula 3 Champion continues to show how consistency can keep you at or near the top of the standings. The Brazilian has now secured back-to-back Feature Race podiums, adding to his tally and continues to sit behind current championship leader Tsolov. On Friday, Câmara started his weekend strongly, securing his first-ever front row start for Sunday’s Feature Race by qualifying 2nd in just his second F2 weekend.
Despite his consistency and strong Sunday performances, Sprint Races on Saturday continue to pose a challenge for the Invicta driver, as he finished just outside the points in 10th. This continues to be a recurring pattern which he also showcased during his championship-winning campaign in F3 last year.
The Feature Race proved far more fruitful for him, as his pace and battles against the rest of the grid showcased how impressive he is. Despite a slow launch off the line, the Brazilian wasted no time reclaiming the positions he lost and soon found himself back at the sharp end of the field. Although he missed out on the win, another Feature Race podium and his continued consistency are positives he can take away.
Without a doubt, if Câmara manages to maintain this level of performance and improve his Saturdays, he can quickly find himself at the top of the Drivers’ Standings.
Saturday’s Sprint podium-finishers
Despite all three drivers having Sundays to forget, the top three from Saturday’s Sprint Race deserve credit for their commendable drives. For Alex Dunne, who started 7th, the Irishman carved his way through the field and showcased strong racecraft. After a difficult end to his weekend in Melbourne, this marked a much-improved performance that demonstrated his potential when he minimises avoidable mistakes.
Meanwhile, for Tsolov and Laurens van Hoepen, who started on the front row, it marked back-to-back podiums for the duo, whose battle for the win lasted from lights to flag. The pair demonstrated clean and mature racecraft throughout the Sprint Race, putting on a strong debut race for North American fans to witness. However, more importantly for Tsolov, another win allowed the Bulgarian to extend his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Standings as the championship heads to Montreal.
Losers of the weekend
ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini & Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak
It is safe to say the 2026 F2 Miami GP was a weekend to forget for ART Grand Prix and their drivers. While they can take some positives from Maini’s pole position, the weekend was largely defined by misfortunes and mistakes for both drivers.
Saturday marked a double DNF for the team. It began with Maini, who was unable to get off the line as the formation lap got underway and was pushed back into the pits, setting him up for a pit lane start. Running at the back of the field, the Indian driver eventually retired the car. Meanwhile, for Inthraphuvasak, an engine failure would prematurely end his day.
While misfortunes defined their Saturday, a mistake-filled Sunday made the weekend even worse for the French outfit. As the lights went out, Inthraphuvasak lunged down the inside of Tsolov and sent the Bulgarian spinning, earning himself a ten-second time penalty for the incident. However, after failing to serve the penalty correctly, the stewards doubled the punishment and handed him a drive-through penalty. The Thai driver ultimately finished last of the drivers who saw the chequered flag.
On the other side of the garage, Maini was unable to convert his pole position into a race win, as he lacked the pace of the front-runners. He ultimately finished in 5th.
Martinius Stenshorne
The 2026 F2 season has largely been marked by misfortune for Stenshorne, who has constantly found himself in incidents beyond his control. Despite an impressive Friday that saw him qualify third for Sunday’s Feature Race and score points on Saturday, a mistake from Rodin ultimately cost him the chance to convert a strong qualifying result into a podium.
After Dunne crashed into him in Melbourne, Stenshorne would have been hoping to bounce back stronger in Miami. The Norwegian was first handed a stop-and-go penalty for a starting procedure infringement, which dropped him far down the order after serving it. However, it was not Rodin’s mistake that cost him a chance at redemption; instead, he became an innocent victim of a racing incident when Nicólas Varrone spun him around.
While he has shown the speed and potential for strong results, luck has not been on his side so far in his rookie F2 season.
Roman Bilinski
Things also did not seem to go Bilinski’s way at the 2026 F2 Miami GP, as the Polish driver found himself towards the back of the grid across most sessions. Engine issues plagued him throughout the weekend, forcing him to qualify at the back of the grid in P21. While Saturday showed an impressive effort as he fought his way through the field, Bilinski did not even make it to the grid for Sunday’s Feature Race, as an engine failure on the way to the grid forced him to park his car before the race had even started. Heading to Montreal, the 22 year-old would be hoping to have a better weekend there.
Rafael Villagómez
The Mexican driver received a grid penalty after Free Practice for failing to slow down under double-waved yellow flags. As a result, the stewards handed him a ten-palce grid penalty for both races that weekend. However, that would not be the worst of his troubles, as Villagómez left the weekend having endured a double DNF. As the championship enters its third round, he is one of four drivers yet to score points.
