F1 – The 76th Formula One World Championship continues with round 6, the Miami Grand Prix, taking place at the 5.41km Miami International Autodrome, Florida.
Formula 1 made its long-awaited return to Miami in 2022 after a 63-year hiatus since the last F1 race in Florida (held at Sebring in 1959). The Miami Grand Prix combines high-speed thrills with the unmistakable energy of the Magic City.
The Miami International Autodrome is unlike any other track on the calendar. It winds its way around the iconic Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. The layout is as eye-catching as it is technical, offering a mix of fast straights, tricky braking zones, and sweeping corners.
One of the circuit’s most talked-about features – the now-famous ‘Fake Marina’ near Turn 7, complete with moored yachts placed on a surface painted to resemble water. It’s pure Miami flair and adds to the unique character of this street circuit.
Overtaking is a key part of the show in Miami, and the track was designed with that in mind. It boasts three DRS zones – more than most circuits, and a 1.2km back straight, creating ample opportunities for wheel-to-wheel battles and daring passes. It’s one of the most overtaking-friendly layouts in the sport, ensuring nonstop excitement from lights out to checkered flag.
Seven days after his victory in Bahrain led to him being installed as the bookmakers’ favourite for the world title for the first time, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri solidified his new status with another accomplished weekend en route to victory over Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia.
The in-form Australian has now achieved the milestone of winning back-to-back races for the first time in his F1 career – a feat team-mate Lando Norris is yet to manage in the same season – and he has won three of the last four races since the error that cost him at least second place in the Melbourne season-opener.
In only his third year in the cockpit, Piastri has been tipped for a title push by Verstappen.
“I think I’ve said it before. People forget a little bit – last year was his second year. Now he’s in his third year, and he’s very solid,” Verstappen said of Piastri after the Jeddah race. “He’s very calm in his approach, and I like that.
“It shows on track. He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes – and that’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship.”
The 24-year-old’s growing momentum and assuredness through a race weekend is not being lost on observers - or rivals.
“You’ll not find many people in and around F1 who think Max is anything other than the best driver on the grid right now,” wrote Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle in his post-Jeddah column.
“But Oscar Piastri at McLaren is learning fast, and despite being 163 race starts behind Verstappen and 82 F1 races behind Norris experience-wise, he’s now won 10 per cent of his 51 race starts and leads the world championship. And he’ll only get better.”
Delivering at the key moments in Jeddah, of course, included going wheel-to-wheel with the pole-sitting Verstappen into the race’s crucial first corner.
That Piastri ultimately came out on top in that duel after getting the better start from second and then, as the stewards would rule, ‘winning’ the corner as the Red Bull challenged him in the incident that would earn Verstappen a penalty, impressed many.
F1’s fourth visit to the Miami International Autodrome represents the first anniversary of Norris’ maiden F1 win, a feat achieved from fifth on the grid ahead of Verstappen on the McLaren driver’s 110th race start.
A first return to the ‘Magic City’ since then will therefore hold special memories for Norris, who really needs a momentum-shifting result again this time after losing his early title lead to Piastri amid a difficult fortnight for him in the Middle East.
It is in the Briton’s previous stronghold over his McLaren team-mate – qualifying – where he really needs to deliver a timely improvement. Costly mistakes over a single lap in China, Bahrain and, most notably with a crash, Saudi Arabia mean Norris has only twice started on the front row so far this season.
It has been sixth and 10th in the last two weekends.
Both driver and team have spoken in recent weeks about the challenges he is having in meshing his driving style to the characteristics of this year’s McLaren, with the ability to extract the best from the car when on the low-fuel edge in qualifying proving particularly tricky for him.
Speaking after eventually salvaging fourth in Jeddah, Norris said: “I just make life tough for myself, especially when it’s a race like that. It would have been much easier, a lot more chilled, just to drive at the front.
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