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What To Watch For: Some of the key storylines to look out for in Miami

29 April 2026

For the first time in championship history Formula 2 will be racing on American soil, with the paddock making its way to Miami for Round 2 of the 2026 season.

There are a lot of storylines to look out for both on and off the track, so we have created a quick guide on what to keep an eye this weekend…

WHO HITS THE GROUND RUNNING

The next two rounds in Miami and Montreal are venues no one in the paddock has ever visited before and are likely to reward those who hit the ground running.

The teams and drivers will be working hard on the simulator to prepare for this trip to the Sunshine State, and while they can be very realistic, there is still nothing like the real life experience.

The last time F2 visited a new track was in 2024 when Hitech and Paul Aron were quicker out of the blocks than their rivals in Lusail. The Estonian was fastest by 0.642s in Free Practice and over three-tenths ahead in Qualifying.

Aron won the Feature Race the last time F2 raced on a new track in Lusail

Aron would go on to win the Feature Race, achieving his first win in the championship, and there a whole host of drivers that will be eager to get their maiden F2 victory this weekend.

There is also the chance to make history as F2’s first winner in America, and while you can fight back on Saturday and Sunday, a good start on Friday will be a huge advantage for the races.

EAGER TO STAY AT THE TOP

Nikola Tsolov arrives in Miami as the driver to beat after his victory in the Melbourne Feature Race left him at the top of the Standings.

It is still early in the Championship, so the focus will not be on the title right now, but every point matters, so Tsolov and his Campos Racing team will be eager to carry on their good form.

So will Invicta Racing and their drivers Joshua Duerksen and Rafael Câmara, the former having won the Sprint in Round 1, while his teammate finished second in the Feature.

Tsolov and Câmara led the way for Campos and Invicta in Melbourne

They were the only team, alongside Campos, to have both drivers on the podium in Melbourne, with Noel León having placed second behind Duerksen on Saturday.

Both teams have shown a strong level of consistency in recent seasons, so even though there will be a lot of unknowns this weekend, confidence levels will be high amongst both teams.

TIME TO BOUNCE BACK

There will also be many drivers and teams eager to improve on what they did in Melbourne, but probably none more so than DAMS Lucas Oil and Dino Beganovic.

The Swede’s weekend started really well when he took pole position, but as he battled for victory in the Feature Race, a mechanical problem caused him to pull over to the side of the road.

In what looked set to be a highly successful outing, Beganovic left Australia with just the two points he got for pole.

While frustrated by the result, both the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member and his team will be confident of a good performance in Miami given their strong pace.

Beganovic took pole in Melbourne but missed out on points in both races

RACING ON HOME SOIL

In just his second race weekend in F2, American Colton Herta will get the chance to race at home.

The Hitech driver showed a lot of promise in the opening round, recovering from a crash in Free Practice to score points in the Melbourne Feature Race – finishing seventh.

As Herta seeks to continue adapting to F2, home comforts should help. He has acknowledged that the newness of the venue should allow him to be more on a level playing field with his rivals, who also don’t know the track.

But the California-native is not the only driver who will be racing at home, with both Sebastián Montoya and Emerson Fittipaldi returning to Miami, where they are born and raised.

It is set to be a special few days for a lot of people within the paddock but probably none more so that these three drivers, and a trip to the podium for the trio would certainly mean a lot to them and their families.

Miami native Montoya will be eyeing a maiden F2 win this weekend

MORE WEATHER CHAOS

The drivers will have to bring out their cooling vests on Friday and Saturday where they are set to face sweltering heat, but they might need their rain jackets on Sunday.

Current forecast shows there to be a strong chance of rain on Feature Race day, which could add another layer of intrigue to a weekend where so much will be new.

Depending on what happens, the teams will have a lot to consider as if it stops raining, history shows that the track can dry up quickly, putting a huge emphasis on car setup and strategy.

If there is heavy rain, the drivers will be tested even more, as they must keep it out of the barriers, find the best racing lines, and possibly help the team with the strategy.

Rain or shine however, it is set to be a special few days in Miami.