Miami, May 2 (IANS) Kush Maini delivered an outstanding performance in Miami by securing pole position for the first FIA Formula 2 race at the venue. The championship returned under unusual circumstances and featured one of the most competitive qualifying sessions of the season.

After previous rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled, the revised schedule sent F2 to Miami for the first time. This created a unique situation where both rookies and seasoned drivers competed on a completely new circuit equally.

The session started with early benchmarks from Colton Herta, whose practice pace translated into qualifying as he briefly posted a 1:41.038. However, as grip increased and drivers found their rhythm, lap times rapidly improved. Rafael Camara then climbed to the top with a 1:40.441, just ahead of Alexander Dunne, demonstrating the field’s intense competitiveness.

Margins stayed extremely narrow throughout, with only about half a second separating the top ten midway through the session. Teams decided to reset, pitting drivers for new tyres before the crucial final run.

In the final moments, the track was crowded as all 22 cars made their last runs. Nikola Tsolov started strong with a fast lap, but Gabriele Mini soon surpassed him. The ongoing changes at the top highlighted the high stakes of the session.

Maini ultimately performed at his best when it counted, recording a remarkable 1:39.888 to claim pole position by just 0.033 seconds ahead of Camara. Martinius Stenshorne secured third place, merely 0.050 seconds behind, while Dunne finished a strong fourth for Rodin Motorsport.

The session concluded with yellow flags after Stenshorne encountered a problem and stopped on track, which prevented any final times and finalized the grid order.

Behind the leading quartet, Mini secured the fifth position, with Nico Varrone in sixth. Joshua Duerksen and Oliver Goethe finished seventh and eighth, respectively, while Laurens van Hoepen and Tsolov completed the top ten.

Tsolov’s tenth-place result qualifies him for reverse-grid pole position in the Sprint Race, giving the Red Bull junior a strong chance to increase his points after bouncing back from an earlier setback in practice.

For Maini, securing pole position is a key milestone, his second in Formula 2. It sets him up well for the Feature Race, as he aims to capitalize on recent momentum and turn his qualifying speed into a major race-day result.

–IANS

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