Miyata targeting “short-run performance” improvement heading into Canada’s maiden F2 weekend

Credit: Formula 2

Formula 2’s latest campaign may only be two rounds in, and while the likes of Nikola Tsolov and Rafa Câmara have emerged strong contenders after the opening rounds, another standout name has been Hitech’s Ritomo Miyata.

The Japanese driver, now into his third F2 season, has finally gotten to grips with the handling of the car. He currently holds a lowest finish of 12th, scoring points in three of the four races in 2026.

While his race pace has certainly kept him in good stead in 2026, Miyata’s biggest challenge has been chasing the performance over a single qualifying lap. The Japanese driver has started 13th and 17th so far in the two weekends, making up several positions and staying out of incidents on his way to strong points.

“I would say the car is always good, I am always ready for fight, especially for the best performance,” Miyata mentioned. “Still, we need to make some improvements in short-run performance, but yeah, that's why I keep pushing,” the Japanese driver expressed, speaking to DIVEBOMB ahead of the race weekend.

With F2 heading into another new venue this weekend, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve features a mix of low-speed and medium-speed corners. Miyata highlights the biggest challenge being getting the tyres into the right temperature window, especially over one lap, a critical area he is looking to improve heading into the weekend.

“Yeah, Canada is a very technical track. And also, not so high-speed. I would say there are low-speed corners a lot. So it's very challenging for the tyre warm-up, especially in qualifying. And also during the race, it will be very important to manage the tyre warm-up as well, I think. And also, the weather (can be interesting),” Miyata said, looking ahead to the circuit at hand.

The weather has been a major talking point, once again, with rain forecast for Sunday’s racing action. While a chance of 30 to 60% of rain persists for Formula One’s showpiece Canadian Grand Prix, this could also bring about a rain dance for F2’s Feature Race earlier in the day.

F2’s previous Feature Race in Miami witnessed several drivers being caught out, while a three-way tie ensued on the final lap, with race victory decided only on the final lap.  Miyata, who had climbed up 11 places amidst the chaos and the rain to finish sixth, expressed his confidence for a wet race during the weekend.

“Yeah, I prefer rain, of course. Because Miami was really good. And also, yeah, I feel confident in the race performance, even with dry and wet conditions,” he expressed.“But the wet will provide more opportunities to overtake on the track. And for sure, it will be chaos. Yeah, I prefer wet racing,” Miyata concluded, reflecting on his promising Miami weekend.

Herta has scored points in two races in 2026 | Credit: Formula 2

Another factor spurring the former Super Formula champion on is his new teammate, one with a similar trajectory. As Colton Herta beds into his new surroundings in the F2 paddock, Miyata believes a strong part of their relationship as teammates comes from their shared history and pathway to reach F2.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he's quite a good guy, I would say,” Miyata expressed, speaking to DIVEBOMB about having Herta alongside. 

“And also, you know, he came from IndyCar and IMSA, like, you know, he was doing single-seaters and endurance racing. It felt very similar to my situation two years ago, because I came from Super GT, GT500 class and Super Formula, to Europe. So we have many experiences, I would say.”

Herta has scored points twice in 2026, in both Feature Races at Melbourne and Miami, a collective effort that has propelled Hitech to an early fourth in the constructors’ standings. Miyata points to this as a factor in the team’s early success in the opening rounds.

“We try to work hard together, improve the car performance and also driving, of course. And I felt quite happy with this season. I already have experience in F2, but still, I could learn a lot from him and also from the team,” Miyata concluded, referring to the opportunity to grow and evolve alongside another seasoned driver.

The race weekend in Canada carries a similar tune of uncertainty to the previous outing in Miami, when drivers had no prior data to refer to, and had to learn on the go. Miyata weighs in on his preparation work for the weekend, looking forward to a positive outcome once again.

“Yes, I did a lot for the simulator because we could drive or practice the Montreal track on the simulator. We also checked out many onboards from Formula One. I wish that that experience works well on track this weekend,” Miyata mentioned, speaking on the outlook for the race weekend. 

The Japanese driver will certainly be looking to build on his strong start to the season, and lead the charge for a Hitech team slowly starting to gain momentum as the season goes on.