Nikola Tsolov and Gabriele Mini both prevailed in three-wide last-lap battles to score a victory each in Formula 2’s first-ever North American event in Miami.
Miami was added to the calendar following the cancellation of April’s rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the Middle East crisis, and it produced two very different races, both albeit concluding in spectacular fashion.
ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini edged Camara by 0.033 seconds in qualifying to seal his second F2 pole for the feature race, while Campos Racing’s points leader Tsolov took reversed-grid pole for the sprint by setting the 10th quickest time.
Tsolov made good use of his sprint race grid spot to lead Trident’s Laurens Van Hoepen into turn one, while Joshua Duerksen profited from a slow start from Oliver Goethe to climb to third.
Van Hoepen challenged Tsolov a couple of times early on before losing out to Duerksen, but he soon reclaimed second from the Invicta Racing driver.
Tsolov survived a trip across the chicane to remain ahead, but not for long, as Van Hoepen grabbed the lead a couple of laps later. The Red Bull junior fought back with eight laps to go, reclaiming the advantage with a move up the inside.
Meanwhile, an equally frenetic scrap raged for third, with Duerksen resisting a challenge from Nico Varrone at the halfway stage, but then eventually losing out to Dunne following a battle that lasted several laps.
Dunne then closed in on the front two, as the battle for victory heated up once more in the closing stages. Van Hoepen dived up the inside of Tsolov with three laps to go, only to run wide a drop back behind, and the same scenario played out on the final lap.
The pair both ran wide as they continued to squabble into turn 17, allowing Dunne to briefly make it three-wide, but it was Tsolov who held on at the chequered flag for his second win, while Van Hoepen maintained second ahead of Dunne.
Varrone pipped Duerksen to fourth, with Martinius Stenshorne and Mini finishing close behind. Dino Beganovic rounded out the points scorers in eighth, while Camara came home 10th behind Noel Leon. Maini, however, was one of four drivers who failed to finish.
Sunday’s feature race was rescheduled to earlier in the day due to the weather forecast, though morning thunderstorms left the circuit very wet prior to the action getting underway.
The race began with a standing start. Despite being handed a drive-through penalty due to his mechanics being too late in leaving the grid, Stenshorne grabbed second into the first corner behind Maini, but Tsolov was spun into retirement by Inthrapuvasak, resulting in the safety car being deployed and the latter being handed a 10s penalty.
Race control made a late call in asking all drivers to head through the pitlane at the end of the first lap, and while most of the field obeyed the instruction, Maini and Camara did not make it in.
Maini held off Camara and Duerksen at the restart, while Stenshorne headed back into the pits to serve his penalty, but Goethe got sideways through the final corner. The MP Motorsport driver stopped with car damage three corners later, causing a virtual safety car period.
Invicta duo Camara and Duerksen were involved in a dice once green-flag running resumed, allowing Maini to scarper over 5s clear. But advantage was eradicated by the appearance of the safety car once more, this time due to Dunne locking up and sliding slowly into the barriers.
Most of the field used the opportunity to make their mandatory pitstop, while Duerksen, Colton Herta and John Bennett stayed out. Maini was held in his pit box before being released due to other cars going by, crucially costing him the net lead to Camara.
Maini lost further places once racing got back underway, but soon the race was neutralised once more due to a three-car collision, with Varrone braking too late and collecting Stenshorne, who retired on the spot, and Van Hoepen getting caught up in the incident.
Duerksen, Herta and Bennett pitted this time, their strategies having not worked out, and Camara continued to lead following the restart despite a trip of the circuit.
The safety car was required for a fourth time when Cian Shields spun into retirement, with five minutes remaining when it peeled off into the pitlane once more.
Having climbed from 11th on the grid to second, Beganovic grabbed the lead as Camara slid wide again, and Mini then made it a three-wide battle, Having come out on top, Beganovic missed the chicane, and a further mistake gifted Mini the lead heading into the final lap.
Despite running wide himself, Mini held on to take a maiden win, while Camara reclaimed second from Beganovic.
Leon passed Maini to finish fourth, while Ritomo Miyata came home sixth ahead of Mari Boya, Herta, Sebastian Montoya and Van Hoepen.
Mini’s victory leaves him one point behind Tsolov, who continues to head the standings.
Featured image credit: Formula 2 on X
