The 2026 F2 Miami GP marked a historic weekend for the FIA Formula 2 Championship, as the series raced in the United States for the first time. But for Gabriele Minì, the weekend became even more memorable, with the Italian claiming his maiden F2 victory in a chaotic and dramatic Feature Race at the Miami GP.
Speaking in the FIA Formula 2 post-race press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, the MP Motorsport driver described the moment as “amazing” after battling through changing conditions, tyre overheating and an intense late-race fight for victory.
“It feels amazing,” Minì said. “It was a very chaotic race. I think it was in two parts. The first part, I tried to stay on track, not to do any mistakes and see how the pace was. Then in the second part, we just tried to gain positions and be as quick as possible.”
Wet conditions in Miami made the race incredibly challenging
The Feature Race was rescheduled to 9:25am local time, to attempt to combat the weather forecast predicted for the original race time. Although the F2 drivers weren’t actively driving in the rain, wet conditions from earlier downpour made conditions on track extremely challenging. As the track slowly dried, tyre overheating became a critical factor, especially during the closing stages.
“Overheating was a big element of the race,” Minì explained. “So when I saw Dino [Beganovic] and Rafa [Câmara] fighting, I started trying to catch up. And in the end, with a very nice battle, I managed to bring the win.”
The final laps of the F2 Miami GP Feature Race saw Minì fighting wheel-to-wheel with DAMS Lucas Oil driver Dino Beganovic and Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara in a tense battle for victory. From Minì’s perspective, the fight was close to boiling over multiple times.
“To be honest, I think there were more times when I thought that we were really close to a crash,” he admitted. “But we didn’t because it was really hard fighting, but we kept it clean. You know, Rafa went down the inside in T1 and they both went wide. So I managed to overtake him. And then we had a very close fight on the slow speed section with Dino. And in the end, I managed to go back in first place before the last lap. So it was very nice, but at the same time, very, very tough.“
Minì’s first F2 victory
The race marked Minì’s first Formula 2 victory after a difficult start to the season, including technical problems in Melbourne that prevented him from capitalising on strong pace. Despite now moving provisionally into second in the championship standings, the Italian insisted he is not focusing too heavily on the title fight yet.
“I mean, it feels good, but I’m not really looking at the championship at the moment. There are 12 rounds to go, so 24 races. There is time to gain and time to lose. So just doing it race by race, lap after lap.”
Many drivers making mistakes in the wet
During the race, 6 drivers did not finish the Feature Race, as well as Roman Bilinski who did not start the race due to technical issues. With the conditions on track difficult in the wet, and the track drying out during the race, it made the race unpredictiable by the time the Feature Race concluded.
“Well, I think in general all race wasn’t easy. Because as we saw many drivers did many mistakes and it was very easy to commit one. Especially because we never driven in the wet. I mean this year and in this track. So it wasn’t easy at all.”
“Then at the end, especially managing the overheating as both Rafa and Dino already mentioned. It was something that played a big factor in the race. And I mean when they were fighting, I remember trying to go in the water and staying a bit out of it to try and push later on, which worked.”
“So yeah, we’ve been waiting for this quite a lot of time. We had an issue in the first round which didn’t allow me to start in the front position with the pace we’ve had. But you know, after the second round we managed to bring it.“
Evolving conditions on track
Minì also highlighted how instinct played a major role during 2026 F2 Miami GP Feature Race, especially early on when visibility was severely reduced in the wet conditions.
“Yeah, for me it was quite a lot about instincts to be honest, especially in the first part of the race,” he explained. “I couldn’t really see where the braking point was because there was not so much visibility. So we’re just trying to look at the walls, you know, and brake more or less at a certain point.”
The constantly evolving circuit conditions made adapting difficult throughout the race, with drivers balancing the search for grip while also trying to cool their tyres on damp patches off the racing line.
“And then just during the race it was again very easy to do mistakes. And we never practised this in the simulator or previously, you know, because I mean, you can’t really simulate the wet weather. We didn’t have so many wet on boards even from F1 just last year in the sprint. But it wasn’t as wet as when we started. So it was all a question mark. And I guess it was quite a lot about our driver’s instinct.”
Tyre overheating into the late stages
Minì explained that adapting to the constantly evolving conditions throughout the Feature Race was one of the biggest challenges drivers faced at the F2 Miami GP. With the circuit changing lap by lap as it slowly dried, drivers had to constantly adjust their braking points, racing lines and throttle application to avoid mistakes and tyre overheating.
“I mean, once again, Dino [Beganovic] sounded quite well. It’s a lot about feeling, to be honest. As we said, there were many factors coming into play. One of those, the biggest one probably was the overheating. So it’s a lot about trying to find in a way the drier lines and where there is more grip, but at the same time trying to find the wet spots and to try and cool down the tyres. So it isn’t always easy and it’s something that you learn with experience.”
The Italian added that even experienced Formula 2 drivers were forced to continuously adapt throughout the race as conditions evolved.
“Now, I think we are a pretty experienced driver at this level. So we pretty much know more or less what to do, but it’s always changing lap after lap. So it’s a lot about adapting it.”
Formula 2’s first time in Miami
With Formula 2 visiting Miami for the first time, Minì was also asked whether his victory at a new circuit gave him extra confidence heading into Montreal, another unfamiliar venue for many drivers on the grid.
“I mean, in a way, yes, because it’s good to have a good flow and a good moment. You know, when you win a race, usually you go into the next weekend, you know, knowing that you can do well. But once again, it’s every weekend and every race has their own story.”
“So I just try to do the same things that I’ve done before. So I try to reset, learn well on the simulator, work well with the team, try to see how the track is during the traffic. And then we will see first in practise, then in qualifying and on the two races. So it gives a good boost of confidence, but doesn’t mean that we can relax.”
Despite the confidence boost, Minì believes Miami’s lessons may not directly translate to Montreal due to the vastly different characteristics of the Canadian circuit.
“I mean, I think it’s a good way of learning everything about race craft and stuff like this, but I don’t think it would be too useful in a way for Montreal because it’s a completely different track. And usually it’s a bumpy track.”
“So whatever you test on the simulator, it’s pretty hard for it to make it work on the real track. So it’s a bit of a question mark. I think we will have a clearer answers once we go into free practise. But, you know, I think on the way the track layout is, I don’t see why we couldn’t have, you know, a game fight and close fights like we had this weekend.”
The closing laps of the F2 Feature Race
Minì also reflected on the closing laps of the F2 Miami GP Feature Race, where he positioned himself strategically behind the battling Beganovic and Câmara before making his move for victory.
“To be honest, at the beginning, I mean, in the last lap, I was a bit the spectator of the fight. I was enjoying it. It was very nice. I was trying to cool down the tyres while they were both fighting really hard.”
With both driver’s battling back and forth over the final lap, it was a surge in the last few corners that allowed Minì to capitalise in the closing moments and secure his maiden Formula 2 victory.
“So I think that played a big factor later on because, you know, even five degrees in the tyres can make a huge difference. And then it just, in a way, it just builds up lap after lap. So it usually gets worse and worse as the track dries up. So it was, as I said, I started as a bit of a spectator and then I knew that I was a bit the one with the most advantage and had to use it.”
First season with MP Motorsport
The Italian also praised MP Motorsport’s approach during his first season with the team, highlighting the trust and freedom they give their drivers on track.
“Yeah, so far it has been really good. They have a really different way of work compared to what I was used to. They’re a bit more, you know, open-minded and they let us do the job on track, you know, feeling-wise.”
“So I really like this because it’s, you know, we just do what we know and see if it works in a way. So it’s more in our control. And yeah, I mean, they’ve delivered and they’ve done a really good job so far. So, you know, the thing that we have to do is to keep on working, to not relax and, you know, try to keep this form for the rest of the season.”
Reflecting on a difficult 2025
Following a difficult 2025 season, where Minì only secured 73 points in his maiden F2 campaign, the Italian described the Miami victory as an important personal milestone in what he previously labelled a “redemption” year.
“Yeah, last year wasn’t an easy year, but I mean, I still have full trust on myself and, you know, and on the team,” he said. “The most important thing is to not lose confidence and these kind of things. And as you said, in Melbourne we couldn’t get the points, but I think we showed the potential and we showed the pace because we went from last to points in both races.”
“And again, here taking the win yesterday wasn’t so easy, but today taking the win is really important, both for the championship and, as I said, as a personal level. The beginning of the year I said that this would be, in a way, redemption for myself and so far it’s going good.”
Safety car chaos
A Safety Car was deployed on Lap 2 of the F2 Miami GP Feature Race to recover Nikola Tsolov’s stranded car near the start/finish straight. However, poor visibility and late communication created confusion among several drivers.
As the field approached the pit entry, Maini and Câmara failed to enter the pit lane to follow the Safety Car as instructed, while Minì crossed the solid white line after the bollard at SC1, a breach of Appendix L of the FIA International Sporting Code.
Minì explained that the message from his team came extremely late as he approached pit entry, leaving little time to react safely.
“I mean, I got told right before, so when I made the move, going to the pit basically, I didn’t want to hit the bollard, so I just went after it. I thought it was still the safest option to try and not go on the grid.”
Choosing the safest option
At the time of the press conference, all 3 drivers were under investigation, but they were all given warnings as no driver benefited nor was harmed, and all drivers were in the correct positions with no advantage gained after the Safety Car period.
“If there was a car stall, I didn’t know what happened at the moment, but I got told to follow safety car in the pit lane and there was no safety car, so I had to see what the guys in front were doing and there was half and half, so I just stick to go in the pit lane.”
“I went a bit late because I got the call really late, but I think it would be harsh because I didn’t even stop. It was just a safety thing, so we will see what happens, but I’m not too worried.”
Following the F2 Miami GP Round, Minì now sits tied on points in the Drivers’ Standings on with Câmara, only 1 point behind current leader Tsolov.
