Miyata takes maiden F2 victory and Feature podium at the Madring
Round 11 – Madring – Report
Hitech enjoyed a landmark weekend at the Madring as Ritomo Miyata claimed his first-ever FIA Formula 2 victory in Saturday’s Sprint Race before following it up with a podium in Sunday’s Feature Race.
The result marked a breakthrough weekend for Ritomo, who converted a front-row start into a dominant Sprint victory before returning on Sunday to fight his way from P9 to another podium.
With the entire F2 field tackling the Madring for the first time, Ritomo conquered the brand-new circuit in impressive fashion, becoming the first F2 Sprint winner at the new Madrid venue.
Colton Herta was unable to take part in the Sprint and Feature Race after feeling unwell, leaving Ritomo as Hitech’s sole challenger.
Sprint Race
Ritomo started the Sprint Race from P2, putting him on the front row for the first-ever F2 Sprint at the Madring.
He made the perfect start, immediately moving into the lead and taking control of the race from the opening moments.
From there, Ritomo managed the race at the front and held his position through to the chequered flag, securing his first-ever F2 victory.
The win was a significant milestone for both Ritomo and the team, delivering Hitech its first victory of the campaign.
Feature Race
Ritomo started the 32-lap Feature Race from P9, making steady progress as the race developed.
A Safety Car on Lap 3 after Maini went off promoted him to P8, while three drivers pitting when racing resumed on Lap 6 helped Ritomo climb further up the order. He continued to progress to P7, P6 and P5 before later cycling up to P3.
A second Safety Car on Lap 19 provided the opportunity to pit, with Ritomo switching from the soft tyre to the hard compound and rejoining in P3 where he left off.
The Safety Car ended on Lap 21, but with significant time lost to incidents, the race was subsequently converted to a timed finish.
Ritomo held P3 through the closing stages to secure his second podium of the weekend.
Ritomo Miyata:
“My first-ever F2 victory was a really special day for me. It’s something I’ve been working towards for a long time, so to finally achieve it was an amazing feeling.”
“To come back today and finish on the podium again makes it an even better weekend. The Feature was quite chaotic with the Safety Cars and incidents, but when the Safety Car came out, we were able to take the opportunity to pit at the right time and rejoin in P3. From there we managed the race well and brought it home. Two podiums and my first F2 win – it’s a weekend I’ll remember for a very long time.”
Ritomo continued:
“I have to say a big thank you to the whole Hitech team and to Toyota GAZOO Racing for all their support. We’ve worked really hard for this, so it’s great to see that effort rewarded with such a strong weekend.”
Jan Sumann, Hitech's F2 Head of Race Engineering:
“Ritomo has had a fantastic weekend. To take his first F2 victory yesterday and then follow that up with a podium in the Feature Race is a great achievement, and one everyone in the team can be really proud of.”
Jan continued:
“Today was a difficult race with the Safety Cars and incidents, but Ritomo did a very good job to put himself in the right position. When the Safety Car came out, we were able to take the opportunity to pit at the right time and he did everything he needed to do afterwards to secure P3.
“His first F2 win is a significant milestone, and to add another podium today shows the progress he has made. It’s a very positive way to finish the weekend, and we’ll take a lot from these two results as we move forward.”
Hitech will now turn its attention to Round 12 in Baku, with the next round of the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship taking place from 24–26 September.
