Gabriele Minì claimed his first FIA Formula 2 victory in a dramatic, weather-hit Feature Race at the Miami International Autodrome, mastering a wet-to-dry finale and executing a decisive penultimate-lap move on Dino Beganovic to seal the win.
Starting fourth, the Italian slipped back in the early exchanges as the field tiptoed around on a soaked track. While others stumbled in the treacherous conditions, Minì kept his race clean and methodical, steadily advancing as the circuit began to dry and strategy came into play.
After the pitstop phase, Minì emerged within striking distance of race leader Rafael Câmara, who had controlled much of the running as the rain eased. With grip improving but still unpredictable, the closing laps promised a tense run to the flag.
Multiple Safety Car interventions punctuated the race, including one triggered by an opening-lap, Turn 1 collision for Sprint winner Nikola Tsolov. Alexander Dunne also exited after an error, with both drivers out of the running. A late Safety Car then erased Câmara’s advantage and compressed the lead pack for a time-certain finish rather than the scheduled 32 laps.
On heavily worn wet-condition Pirellis and a rapidly evolving surface, the decisive phase turned into a three-car duel between Câmara, Beganovic and Minì. The lead changed hands several times as mistakes crept in from the front-runners, and Minì’s patience proved pivotal. Capitalising when it mattered most, he swept past Beganovic on the penultimate lap and held firm to the flag to open his F2 win account.
Beganovic and Câmara completed the podium after an intense scrap that pushed all three to the limit. Behind them, Noel León secured fourth place, with polesitter Kush Maini rounding out the top five after a challenging afternoon in changing conditions.
Ritomo Miyata continued his strong start to the campaign in sixth, followed by Mari Boya in seventh. Colton Herta finished eighth, while Sebastián Montoya and Joshua Duersken completed the points in ninth and tenth respectively.
The Miami Feature Race showcased the full spectrum of F2’s unpredictability—strategy decisions on a drying track, tyre management on used wets, and high-pressure restarts deciding the outcome in the final minutes. For Minì, it was a breakthrough performance delivered with composure amid chaos.
Next up, the championship heads to Canada on 22–24 May, where teams and drivers will look to carry momentum—or regroup—after a Miami round that underlined how quickly fortunes can swing in Formula 2.
Source: formula1.com