John N
Bringing that F1 HEAT to Miami 🔥
You ready, @f1miami? 😏#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/AIjpKwqY13
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 2, 2022
Ahead of what promises to be a spectacular weekend, we look at some talking points making the headlines at the Miami Grand Prix billed to take place at the Miami International Autodrome, Florida, United States, from May 6th -8th, 2022.
- F1 makes an inaugural visit to Miami.
𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗶 🇺🇸 Welcome to Race Week 👋 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/FN4RbHabKg
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 2, 2022
It might have been years in the works, but the inaugural Miami Grand Prix is finally upon us, and it’s doing all it can be to be one of the highlights of the year.
Miami will become the 11th venue in the United States to host a World Championship F1 race, and it’s bringing its unique approach, as it is determined to put on a show and display the best of what the city has to offer. But for many fans worldwide, there will be a particular focus on one specific offering.
- A Brand New Autodrome To Race
The challenge provided by the Miami International Autodrome will be one of the most intriguing aspects of the weekend for both those at the track and those following from elsewhere.
As a brand new venue that was only recently completed, teams have limited data to feed into their simulators, so while the drivers can get a feel for the layout ahead of the race weekend, all of the little nuances and characteristics that make a track a more extensive test will have to be discovered during Friday practice.
One thing is for sure; this track is going to be FAST. After Turn 1, some long, sweeping corners eventually loop around onto a massive straight – although there are a few kinks at Turn 9 and Turn 10 – that should set up plenty of overtaking opportunities into Turn 11.
The following section is tighter and twistier (which will mean getting the set-up right isn’t a simple task) before another very long straight and big stop into the Turn 17 hairpin. That’s set to be another overtaking opportunity towards the end of the lap – as Turn 1 is at the start of it – and means this is a street circuit that should be conducive to good racing and a thrilling prospect over a flat-out qualifying lap.
- A Ferrari Response
As we move from Imola to Miami, F1’s newest venue and one of its most iconic, the narrative around Ferrari’s top two drivers has wholly changed. A week ago in Imola, Charles Leclerc appeared to have a commanding lead in the Drivers’ Championship, and the Scuderia looked like the team to beat at the season’s first European race. At the same time, Red Bull needed a good weekend after the disappointment of Max Verstappen’s retirement in Australia (and a double retirement in Bahrain).
And a good weekend is what they got. As Ferrari faltered – Carlos Sainz crashing out of qualifying, being taken out of the main race and Leclerc spinning late on – Red Bull took full advantage to secure a points haul that was just one point away from the maximum on offer over the Sprint weekend, with the team scoring 58 out of a possible 59.
Ferrari, by contrast, ended up with just 20 points. Twelve of those came in the Sprint, with Leclerc limited to eight points for sixth place after his late spin on Sunday and seeing his championship lead cut to 27 points by Verstappen.
So now it’s Ferrari who will want to recover from a tough weekend and get back to the sort of form that saw Leclerc dominate in Melbourne. This season looks like it will ebb and flow between the top two teams is fascinating.
- Is Mercedes bringing more upgrades?
At the moment, it’s only the top two teams because Mercedes are still struggling to get the most out of their car due to the bouncing – or porpoising – they are suffering. Many teams have to compensate for the aerodynamic phenomenon by running their cars higher than they’d like, but Mercedes believe they are being hit more than most.
But all is not lost, as Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin has hinted Miami could be the venue where further upgrades are introduced that could start to address the problem.
“Being realistic, we think this will be something we approach in steps rather than one big moment where the whole thing vanishes,” Shovlin said. “But we are seeing encouraging signs … we are hoping to bring parts to the car soon, maybe even Miami, where we can hopefully see progress on this issue.”
- An epic fight for points
Something that has been hurting Mercedes, even more this year has been the competitiveness of the midfield. All ten teams have now scored points after both Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll finished in the top 10 for Aston Martin at Imola, and that only leaves Mick Schumacher and Nicholas Latifi as drivers who haven’t picked up points in 2022.
The close nature of all of the teams behind Red Bull and Ferrari means any one of McLaren, Mercedes, Alpine, Alfa Romeo, or even Haas has a chance of being the best of the rest on any given weekend. In contrast, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, and Williams have shown themselves capable of scoring.
So if a team struggles in qualifying at a circuit, even if they are out of position – as Mercedes felt they were in Imola – they will find it tough to climb through against many relatively closely matched cars.
For every team to arrive at a track with at least some form of realistic hope of scoring points is great for their motivation but also a positive for the fans who don’t know what the pecking order is going to be but can look forward to their team having a shot at the top 10.
