Kush Maini took pole position for Formula 2‘s inaugural race in Miami, with Nikola Tsolov taking reverse pole around the Hard Rock Stadium.
Due to the ongoing conflicts in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, two rounds of the F2 championship were cancelled. However, the series managed to reorganise the rounds for Miami and Montreal, the first time F2 has raced in Miami, creating a level playing field for rookies and veterans alike.
Colton Herta led the field in the opening laps of qualifying, crossing the line with a time of 1:41.038s. The ex-IndyCar driver topped practice, showing his experience through his quick adaptability. However, taking pole would be another feat.
As more drivers crossed the line, the times began to drop, Rafa Camara took the top spot with a time of 1:40.441s, but close behind was Alex Dunne in his Alpine-liveried Rodin slotting into second just 0.1s behind the Invicta.
Just over half a second covered the top ten, with the finest margins making a big difference.
Some drivers tried a second push lap on the first set of tyres but failed to improve; instead, the grid filtered into the pitlane to change their tyres and go for a second run.
Maini puts it all on the line
All 22 drivers came out on track with 10 minutes remaining, nose-to-tail around the track. The grid was busy preparing for the final flying laps, and finding space on the track was paramount to posting a strong lap.
Tsolov led the field, with personal-best times in every sector, and he crossed the line to take the fastest time. But not for long, as Gabriele Mini went fastest with a time of 1:40.111s. Each criver crossing the line was finding time, with Kush Maini taking the top spot with a 1:39.888, behind him were Camara and Martinius Stenshorne in third.
The margins were getting even smaller as the session went on, with just 0.3s covering the top ten in the final three minutes.
However, the session was yellow-flagged in the final minute as Stenshorne’s Rodin suffered an engine issue and pulled over to the side of the track. Ending any driver’s hopes of challenging for pole position in the final stages.
Maini ended qualifying on top, taking pole position in the inaugural Miami race for F2. Camara will line up alongside him for the Feature Race on Sunday, with Stenshorne and Dunne making it a Rodin second row.
Mini had a strong showing after a weekend climbing through the field in Australia, taking fifth for the Feature race in Miami with Nico Varrone alongside him.
Joshua Duerksen and Oliver Goethe finished seventh and eighth. The front row for the Sprint race will be Tsolov, who qualified tenth for the Feature, and Laurens Van Hoepen, who qualified ninth but will start on the front row tomorrow.
READ MORE – F1 2026 Miami Grand Prix – FP1 Results
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