Colton Herta got off to a strong start at the 2026 F2 Miami GP, taking P1 during the last moment of Free Practice by just 0.016s.
The American driver impressed on his home circuit, consistently sitting inside the top five on the timesheets with each flying lap. In the closing stages, with just two minutes left, Herta managed to knock ART Grand Prix driver Kush Maini down to P2, to top his first F2 session with a time of 1:40.320.
This marks a clear step forward from the season opener in Melbourne, where Herta finished last in Free Practice after crashing, qualified P14, and finished the races in P16 and P7, respectively.
Speaking in the paddock after the session, Herta shared: “It’s great to be home. It obviously started really well, and I felt a lot more comfortable than in Melbourne.
“I think that’s partly due to maybe adjusting pre-event, and just more time in the car. But I’m super happy to start off this way. Obviously, it doesn’t mean much if we can’t continue it the rest of the weekend, so that’s the focus.”
Adapting to a new F2 venue
As Miami is a new addition to the F2 calendar, Free Practice carried extra significance as teams gathered their first data and drivers began adapting to the Miami International Autodrome.
Only having 45-minutes to learn the layout on track, Herta explained that simulator work played a key role in preparation, as he said:
“I mean, it was almost just fully simulations. So on the laptop we have the set up, and then obviously with us in the simulator actually driving what they think will be good.
“So it’s a lot of bit of educated guessing. I also think you have to expect that everybody’s going to make a big step after they can decompress and look through everything, both teams and drivers. So I expect lap times to be quite a bit quicker in qualifying.”
“Now it’s just about putting it all together”: Herta on qualifying
Despite the already strong result, Herta noted that there is still room for improvement ahead of the 2026 F2 Miami GP qualifying, as track conditions and rivals will continue to evolve.
“There’s always places that we can go better and we be better at,” he said. “I think it’s obviously less than a lot of people because I was fairly happy.
“But now it’s just all about understanding what that transition is going to look like with lighter fuel loads, softer tyres, more rubber down on the track – looking at what that is going to do to the car. We will have more heat and the wind might be a little different.
“From my side, it’s very simple. It’s looking at where I need to improve. There is still quite a bit of improvement than can be made from the lap that I did, and I’m sure it’s the same for everybody.
“But for me, it’s all about maximising. We know we can be fast. Now it’s just about putting it all together, all into one lap,” Herta concluded, as he looks to convert his Free Practice P1 into a maiden F2 pole position.
