This weekend (from May 6 to May 8) Formula One is back. And this time it is at a brand new venue, on a brand new circuit, in a brand new city. Miami! Yes the long-awaited Miami Grand Prix is finally here. Back in September, Formula One announced that the race will be taking place this spring and we simply cannot wait any longer. Here is what you need to know ahead of the race.
When?
The weekend will go back to the regular pattern. It will start on Friday, May 6, with the first two practices. Don’t forget the time difference. This is not Europe. Practice 1 will be from 7.30 (GMT) and the second from 10.30 (GMT). Practice 3, on Saturday May 7 will be from 7pm (GMT). While last weekend featured a sprint race, that will not be the case this time round. The normal qualifying session is set for 9pm (GMT).
Yes, those are rather late, but is it better to have a late race weekend rather than a very early one like in Australia in early April?
Finally the race will be on Sunday at 8.30 (GMT), or 3.30pm (ET). A late night for F1 fans. But the race is sure to be worth it.
What does the track look like?
Get ready to be wowed. Because the track, also known as the Miami International Autodrome, will feature some impressive features. The track is built around the city’s Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. The 5.41km track will feature 19 corners and three possible DRS zones.
There will even be a fake marina, with fake water, inside turn 7. It is currently the source of lots of laughs in the F1 community.
The track is built as a street city circuit, like the Melbourne Park track, with possible speeds of up to 320 km/h. This will certainly bring the action. Will Max Verstappen lap Lewis Hamilton in those DRS zones like he did in Imola? Tune in on Sunday night to find out.
Who is bringing upgrades?
Mercedes have been really struggling these past few weekends. Indeed, Hamilton passed the finish line in 13th place last weekend in Imola. Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principle, even had to apologise for the ‘underivable car‘ over the radio.
It is clear that Mercedes will be looking to find a way to stop the porpoising, as it seems to be the main cause of struggle on the W13. George Russell, Mercedes rookie, said that ‘the bouncing really takes your breath away’ and that ‘It’s the most extreme [I’ve] ever felt it.’
Mercedes will be looking to bring major upgrades to fix their issues and hopefully put them back in the running for the championship. How long until they give up and start focusing on the 2023 car? Whatever happens in Miami could make or break their season.
With these new cars, it cannot be denied that everyone suffers from the porpoising. But it seems that Mercedes is really struggling.
Ferrari, on the other hand, finds itself at the front of the pack fighting for a world championship. They will be opting to change the downforce configuration because of the long straights on the track. Miami is built as a high speed circuit.
They are saving a major pack of upgrades to their F1-75 for later as the car is running so well.
What will we see?
Hopefully we will see another impressive battle between Red Bull and Ferrari like we have seen this season. Last time in Imola it was a 1-2 for Red Bull, with another DNF for Carlos Sainz.
We can only hope that this weekend will end Sainz’s streaks of DNFs. Especially since he has signed a two year extension with Ferrari. We can expect that Charles Leclerc will be eager to step back on he podium after a silly mistake in Imola.
Unfortunately there is not much to say for Mercedes. They have become a midfield team this season. Both the drivers were eliminated from the Qualifying session in Q2 while their rivals moved on ahead. All we can hope is that they figure out how to reduce the porpoising that has been holding them back.
Hopefully we will be seeing both McLarens fighting at the front again. Indeed, Lando Norris showed how far the team had come since the first race in Bahrain, by stepping on the third step of the Imola podium. Ricciardo had an unfortunate incident with Sainz at the start which did not let him move up the field. However, both the papaya cars had good pace throughout Qualifying and the Sprint race.
Whatever happens, it is sure to be an exciting weekend.