F1 is back in Miami for the second running of the Miami Grand Prix with just six points separating the top two drivers in the championship.
F1 returns to Miami this weekend for the first U.S. race this season. After a rather processional Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week, let’s see if Miami can offer a greater spectacle.
Last week in Baku it was a two-horse race out front between Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. Both passed polesitter Charles Leclerc in the early stages of the race and were on their own out front most of the day. With similar pace, it was a safety car that allowed Perez to get by Verstappen after an unfortunately timed pit stop for the two-time champion.
Even with the small speed bump, Verstappen fought his way back through, but couldn’t catch Perez as the Mexican driver grabbed his second career win in Baku. Joining those two on the podium was Leclerc, who secured Ferrari’s first podium of the season on an overall clean weekend for the Scuderia.
With Ferrari gaining about two-tenths per lap with their upgrades, the focus in Miami will likely be on the three-way battle for the final podium spot between them, Mercedes, and Aston Martin. The rest of the top eight finishers in Baku were made up of Carlos Sainz and each of the Mercedes and Aston Martin pairs, meaning there isn’t much margin for error for any of the three teams in that battle.
Bringing the heat to Miami 🔥
Check out @redbullracing's livery for the #MiamiGP 😍#F1 pic.twitter.com/npwD9G1fAL
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 4, 2023
The Circuit
The Miami International Autodrome is a 5.41 km (3.36 mile) circuit located around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. The track is entering just its second year on the Formula 1 calendar and is a temporary circuit constructed around the stadium just for race weekend. Its temporary nature is due to the fact that the NFL’s Miami Dolphins play at Hard Rock Stadium in the fall, and the venue is used for other sporting events and concerts year-round. Interestingly, this year the paddock is located on the playing surface inside the stadium, another unique feature for a special weekend.
The inaugural Miami Grand Prix was won by Max Verstappen, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completing the podium. Verstappen also set the fastest lap with a time of 1:31.361. Last year we saw 55 overtakes during the race, but we’ll see how the 2023 cars handle the track after a typically exciting Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week didn’t produce much action.
This weekend the teams will be using the C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft) tires from Pirelli. The track has been repaved since last year’s event, so the practices will give us good info on how those tires will hold up in the Miami sun. Sunday’s race will be 57 laps long.
A Lap of Miami
The circuit features 19 corners and three DRS zones across its 5.41 km length. The main straight takes the drivers down to the right-handed Turn 1 that leads into the twisty Sector 1. Turns 2 and 3 speed things back up into a small straight before Turns 4-6 which resemble Suzuka’s esses or Silverstone’s Maggots and Becketts. Turns 7 and 8 are progressively slower left-handers that lead into the long back straight.
The back straight is where we see the first DRS zone, and the 1.4 km run is the best overtaking spot on the circuit. Drivers will be smart to get passes done there, because Turns 11 through 16 are extremely slow and single-file, almost resembling Monaco. After that, it’s another straight shot down to Turn 17 with the second DRS zone providing another great overtaking opportunity. The sharp Turn 17 leads to two small kinks at Turns 18 and 19 and into the third DRS zone that finishes the lap.
Points Standings
Things are tight at the top of the driver standings after Sergio Perez’s win last week, but let’s look at where things sit in both championships ahead of Miami.
Driver Standings
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – 93 points
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing – 87 points
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 60 points
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 48 points
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari – 34 points
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 28 points
- George Russell, Mercedes – 28 points
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 27 points
- Lando Norris, McLaren – 10 points
- Nico Hulkenberg, Haas – 6 points
Constructor Standings
- Red Bull Racing – 180 points
- Aston Martin – 87 points
- Mercedes – 76 points
- Ferrari – 62 points
- McLaren – 14 points
- Alpine – 8 points
- Haas – 7 points
- Alfa Romeo – 6 points
- AlphaTauri – 2 points
- Williams – 1 point
Predictions
While Ferrari made strides in Baku to grab their first podium of the season, they still are a ways back of Red Bull, closer to Mercedes and Aston Martin. It should be a fun battle for the final podium position, but barring a crash or a mechanical failure I’ll expect another Red Bull battle at the front this weekend.
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
How To Watch – F1 at Miami (U.S. and U.K. times)
- Practice 1: Friday, May 5 – 2:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2 (19:00 Sky Sports F1)
- Practice 2: Friday, May 5 – 5:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2 (22:30 Sky Sports F1)
- Practice 3: Saturday, May 6 – 12:30 p.m. ET – ESPN (17:30 Sky Sports F1)
- Qualifying: Saturday, May 6 -4:00 p.m. ET – ESPN (21:00 Sky Sports F1)
- Grand Prix Sunday (Pre-Show): Sunday, May 7 – 2:00 p.m. ET – ABC (19:00 Sky Sports F1)
- Miami Grand Prix: Sunday, May 7 – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC (20:30 Sky Sports F1)
