Miami – Sprint: Tsolov wins a superb duel against van Hoepen

Starting from pole position, Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing) managed to withstand the intense pressure from Laurens van Hoepen (Trident). The Bulgarian and the Dutchman started from the front row and began their battle right from the start, before Joshua Dürksen (Invicta Racing) joined the fray. Tsolov initially benefited from the fight between van Hoepen and Dürksen to maintain his advantage, but the three DRS zones at the Miami circuit prevented him from truly pulling away.

One might then have thought that it would be tire management, on a track that the drivers of F2 Discovering this weekend's results would prove decisive and could widen the gaps at the front. This was indeed the case to some extent, with Dürksen dropping back to fifth place at the checkered flag, but the two leaders continued to trade blows. At the start of the final lap, Tsolov maintained his advantage over van Hoepen, while Alex Dunne (Rodin Motorsport) was closing in like a rocket.

The Dutchman's attack at the end of the first DRS zone allowed the Briton to close the gap even further, as van Hoepen ran wide, also costing Tsolov time. The three drivers found themselves side-by-side in the final corner of the final lap, and it was ultimately Nikola Tsolov who emerged victorious, finishing just a tenth of a second ahead of Laurens van Hoepen. The driver supported by Red Bull This allows them to increase their lead in the championship standings.

Starting from pole position for Sunday's race, Kush Maini (ART Grand Prix) had to begin from pit lane after stalling at the start of the formation lap. The Indian driver ultimately failed to finish, as did his teammate Inthraphuvasak. Villagomez and Fittipaldi were also forced to retire from the race. For the Brazilian driver, the penalty was even more severe, as he received a ten-second penalty for overtaking outside track limits.

The main race of the weekend will take place this Sunday, starting at 18:20 pm.

Formula 2 – Miami
The sprint race classification

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