Miami Welcomes F2 for the First Time and Herta Writes the First Chapter

There are moments in motorsport that transcend the numbers on a timing screen. Friday’s Formula 2 free practice session in Miami was one of them: the first time in the championship’s history that an FIA F2 car turned laps on the hot asphalt of the Miami International Autodrome, and it did so with an American driver setting the pace at his home race.

Colton Herta one of the most anticipated rookies on the grid following a successful IndyCar career took control of the session in its closing minutes to set the fastest time with a 1:40.320, beating ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini by just 0.016 seconds. Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen completed the provisional podium in third, though the Dutchman would have an afternoon touched by misfortune.

The session was marked from its very first moments by bad luck for the Campos Racing team. Noel León triggered a Virtual Safety Car after spinning at Turn 7, leaving his car stranded on track and forcing the marshals to react immediately. When green flag conditions returned, the alarm bells rang again just minutes later: Nikola Tsolov, the championship leader with a race win already to his name from Melbourne, stopped at Turn 13 and forced the red flag. The young Bulgarian, arriving in Miami as the clear favourite in the category, was left with almost no track time in his first encounter with the American circuit. For Campos, it was a Friday to forget from the very first minute.

With just 25 minutes available after the restart, drivers streamed out of the pit lane to make the most of every available second. The timing screen moved rapidly: Dunne, Minì, Beganovic, Van Hoepen and Joshua Dürksen the young Paraguayan who had already shown pace in Melbourne all took turns at the top during the opening timed laps. The action was frantic and laptimes tumbled constantly as Miami’s tarmac gained temperature and rubber.

Kush Maini was the first driver to go below 1:40.5, temporarily establishing himself as the man to beat. His lap was consistent through all three sectors the signature of a driver who understands the mechanics of building a perfect Formula 2 lap. But Herta had the final word. With fewer than five minutes on the clock, the Californian set a 1:40.320 that could not be beaten. The combination of hundreds of simulator hours ahead of the weekend, the natural instinct of a driver who has competed at the highest levels of motorsport for years, and the emotional bonus of racing at home proved decisive.

More than the result itself, it was Herta’s demeanor in the paddock that caught attention. The Hitech driver was candid in his comments: “It’s great to be home. I felt a lot more comfortable than in Melbourne. I think that’s partly down to pre-event preparation and just more time in the car.” At the same time, he was honest about the scope for improvement: “We did almost everything in the sim. We know we can be fast. Now it’s just about putting it all together in one lap. There are always areas to improve, and I expect laptimes to be quite a bit quicker in qualifying.”

The session also delivered interesting notes elsewhere in the field. Dino Beganovic of DAMS showed the consistency of a driver who makes no errors, while Prema appeared to focus more on long run configuration than chasing a single fast lap. Rafael Villagómez had to use the run off area at Turns 14 and 15 after losing the car while attacking the corner entry one of the tensest moments of the session.

Laurens van Hoepen, who had led at several points in the session, brushed the wall near the end and damaged the front wing of his Trident, bringing out the final yellow flags. The Dutchman finished third but the incident did not bode well for his qualifying preparation. Roman Bilinski of DAMS suffered electrical issues throughout the entire session and barely managed a single installation lap by the end, severely complicating his technical preparation for the rest of the weekend.

For Formula 2 as a championship, this debut on American soil is a historic milestone worth celebrating. Miami’s addition to the calendar a direct consequence of the Middle Eastern round cancellations was unplanned, but the result is a perfect narrative: an American driver setting the pace in the championship’s first-ever practice session on North American soil. No Hollywood scriptwriter could have written it better.

MIAMI GP 2026 | FREE PRACTICE

Can Herta convert Friday’s pace into his first F2 pole position, or will the category’s specialists claw back the time they lost in practice? Share your prediction in the comments.

Sources: pitdebrief.com, racer.com, racingnews365.com, fiaformula2.com, motorsportweek.com, lat.motorsport.com