Race Week in Miami
It's Race Weekend in Miami, Florida, USA!
Miami GP History
The Miami Grand Prix first occurred during the 2022 season at the Miami International Autodrome. Red Bull holds the record for the most wins in Miami, with Max Verstappen securing two victories. The 2024 Grand Prix was a fantastic race, marking Lando Norris's first victory for McLaren. The Miami Grand Prix has also signed a ten-year deal to remain on the F1 calendar until 2032.
About the Track: The Miami International Autodrome broke ground in 2021 and officially opened on May 7, 2022. Designed by Apex Circuit Design, the circuit is built around the famous Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Open tennis tournament. The stadium has hosted six Super Bowls, two World Series, and four college football championships. The Formula 1 circuit features 19 turns and spans 5.412 km (3.363 miles), with the race consisting of 57 laps.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
The Miami GP is the second Sprint race of six this season. The Sprint race weekend format includes:
Friday: Free Practice session/ Sprint Qualifying.
Saturday: Sprint / Grand Prix Qualifying.
Sunday: Grand Prix
MCLAREN:
McLaren SHOULD dominate the weekend if everything goes as planned. McLaren has a commanding lead in the constructors’ title, winning four of the first five races. While everyone might have expected Lando to be the top dog at McLaren, Oscar Piastri has jumped ahead in the driver's championship with three of the four wins for McLaren this season. Expect fireworks from McLaren in Miami. Oscar: “I am the Captain now.”
Mercedes: Collectively, Mercedes has been the second-best team on the grid, finding themselves in second place in the constructors’ title. George is driving incredibly well, and rookie Kimi is following right in the wake of big bro George. Consistency has been on the side of Mercedes so far this season; with a touch of luck, George gets a win sooner than later. Kimi is settling in nicely, and the team is doing great. Mercedes needs a little magic, and it is competing for race wins.
Red Bull: It was unclear how the Red Bull would stack up to the other cars on the grid, but Max has clearly shown that the RB is fast. Typically an excellent track for Max, in 2024, Max set the pole in the sprint and main race, won the sprint race, and was just edged out by Lando for the victory. The bigger story right now is the second car for Red Bull, with Yuki struggling to get to grips with the car. No doubt, Max will be in the fight; Yuki did have a seventh place in the 2024 race for VCARB, tying his season-best finish for the team. Red Bull needs to get both cars scoring points consistently to keep their position in the constructors' standings; you can't be competitive with one car.
Ferrari: This could be a strong weekend for Ferrari; the team had a third-place podium with Leclerc and a fifth-place finish for Carlos Sainz. Leclerc walked away with a double podium weekend in the sprint and main race. This has also been a strong circuit for Lewis. Hopefully, the pieces will come together for the Ferrari team, and both cars will find their way to the front. After the baby blue drop last season, I would also expect a superb livery from the team.
Williams: The Williams team finds themselves in fifth place in the constructors’ championship after five races. The team had their second double points finish after the eighth and ninth place finishes in Jeddah, and the team is hitting its stride. While I will miss my Florida native, Logan Sargeant, driving for Williams in Miami, this is a good circuit for Carlos Sainz, and Albon is driving at his peak right now. A points haul in the sprint or main race is achievable for Williams, so keep the pedal down and open up the constructor's margin to Haas.
Haas: It could be a coin flip weekend for Haas, whether it's a points or no-points weekend. Haas has been steady, Ocon has had some great finishes, and Ollie has had a tremendous first full season with three of five race-point finishes and a best finish of eighth place. Ocon did finish in the points during the 2024 Miami GP with Alpine, but this will be the first time Bearman races in Miami.
Aston Martin: Hot take: Alonso gets his first points of the season in Miami. Alonso is on a points streak in Miami with Aston Martin, including a podium in 2023. Lance Stroll is currently in tenth place in the driver standings with all Aston Martin's 10 points of the season, but has been on a three-race pointless streak. It could be a surprising weekend for Aston Martin. There is a possible rain race, so the opportunity may be there to make something special happen.
VCARB: VCARB is my sleeper team of the weekend. Ricciardo had a banger weekend with his 4th place sprint race finish, and Yuki had a 7th place race finish; it was a great weekend last year. The only thing is that neither current driver has driven Miami in a Formula 1 car; this is a new track for the drivers, but an excellent track for the team. It's an interesting combo that could play out well for the team. Let's see how the chips fall; the Miami VCARB livery is usually beautiful, one of the best liveries of all season for all the cars.
Alpine: Alpine scored points in 2024 with Esteban Ocon; Gasly just missed out. Both cars showed pace all weekend last year, having relatively good qualifying sessions. This will be Jack Doohan's first race in Miami, so the pressure is on him to have a standout weekend. Gasly appears to be hitting a stride in his season. I expect Alpine to be right around the points cusp, higher with some weather strategy.
Kick-Sauber: Sauber has hit a rough patch in the last few races. It does not directly reflect the drivers, but the car has struggled to compete. Nico is driving incredibly well, and Bortleto is one of the most promising rookies this season. With weather potentially in play, anything goes on a weekend like that. With Nico's experience and Gabriel's wizardry, Stake can walk away with some points.
