It’s almost time for another race weekend as we head stateside for the Miami Grand Prix. Need to Know is your all-in-one guide for the week ahead with statistics, driving pointers, strategy tips and plenty more. You can also keep track of how fans have voted using our popular F1 Play predictor game.
Another Sprint event, the action around the Miami International Autodrome will begin with Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying on Friday, May 3, followed by the 100-kilometre Sprint and Qualifying for the Grand Prix on Saturday, May 4 and then the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, May 5.
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Vital statistics
- First Grand Prix – 2022
- Track Length – 5.412km
- Lap record – 1m 29.708s, Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 2023
- Most pole positions – Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez (1)
- Most wins – Max Verstappen (2)
- Trivia – The circuit is set in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the NFL’s famous Miami Dolphins franchise
- Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 170 metres
- Overtakes completed in 2023 – 94
- Safety Car probability – 50%
- Virtual Safety Car probability – 50%
- Pit stop time loss – 19.6 seconds (including 2.5s stationary)
FAN VIEW: Intriguing voting so far with Max Verstappen edging the poll – but only just. The flying Dutchman has a touch over a third of votes, but he is only slightly ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin man Fernando Alonso as F1 Play gamers make their picks for south Florida this weekend.
The driver’s verdict
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: Miami is a bit of a mix of a couple of big braking events, which you get on a lot of modern circuits.
That’s Turn 11 and Turn 17, at the end of really long straights, so you’ve got to be good on the brakes. They’re obviously overtaking opportunities but also areas to make mistakes and lock up and blow a lap.
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The first sector is a fast, sweeping set of corners through S-Bends and you’ve got to pick your line, watch the kerbs – that’s important – and if you get fractionally off line you can lose track grip.
The triple apex left-hander, Turns 6-8, is tough on the front-right tyre and a particular problem in the race, and the exit is crucial as it leads onto a long straight.
Miami GP pole-sitters
- 2023 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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Miami GP winners
- 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
FAN VIEW: Reigning world champion Verstappen again has the edge here, but behind him are four drivers all tightly bunched in the F1 Play voting. The Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz together with the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez and McLaren’s Lando Norris are all coming in for significant pre-race support.
Strategy and set-up keys
Pirelli have opted for a mid-range compound selection at this year’s Miami Grand Prix, with the C2 serving as the white-marked hard, the C3 as the yellow-marked medium and the C4 as the red-marked soft.
With the Miami International Autodrome being resurfaced before the 2023 race weekend, it remains very smooth, therefore offering quite low grip, while Pirelli rates the lateral and longitudinal forces involved as ‘medium to low’ on the current calendar.
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Meanwhile, the circuit is not used for any other motorsport events between F1’s visits, leading to significant track evolution across sessions and the potential for graining, particularly with the medium and soft tyres.
As for race strategy, Miami is typically a one-stop encounter, with the hard and medium compounds “the outright favourites” according to Pirelli, amid air temperatures that very often hit 30°C.
FAN VIEW: The usual suspects are expected to be the ones attempting to gatecrash the Red Bull podium party on Sunday evening. As well as the Ferraris and Norris, there are a few nibbles for Alonso and the other McLaren piloted by Oscar Piastri. In reality though, F1 Play gamers expect Red Bull to lock out two spots again.
Current form
Max Verstappen made it five pole positions from five qualifying sessions and four victories from four races in 2024 when F1 returned to China and the Shanghai International Circuit last time out – the dependable Dutchman showing no signs of slowing down.
Ominously for the rest of the grid, the statistics (as highlighted above) are in Verstappen’s favour to continue that triumphant run at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, having won the two Florida events staged so far in 2022 and 2023, despite starting neither of them from the front of the grid.
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On that note, the visit to Miami last season served up team mate Sergio Perez’s most recent pole position, with the Mexican no doubt keen to use those memories for inspiration as he looks to build on an improved level of form so far this season and give Verstappen a headache.
But the likes of McLaren and Ferrari will have the same idea, given the Woking team’s eye-catching display in Shanghai and Leclerc’s previous pole-sitting pedigree in Miami, while Mercedes and Aston Martin are also pushing hard for their first podiums of the year.
Behind, the scrap to top the midfield continues, with Haas edging closer to RB after Nico Hulkenberg’s latest points finish, while Williams, Alpine and Kick Sauber are all still trying to get off the mark following five point-less rounds to kick off their campaigns.
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FAN VIEW: Alonso and his Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll are both expected to be pushing for points again in Miami, while the young Japanese ace Yuki Tsunoda is fancied to impress once more. Williams man Alex Albon has support on F1 Play, too, along with Haas pair Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.
Iconic moment
While only two Miami Grands Prix have been staged to date, fans were treated to plenty of action around the Miami International Autodrome in 2022 and 2023, particularly last year thanks to a Verstappen charge.
After a compromised first Q3 run and subsequent red flag, Verstappen found himself back in ninth for the start of the race, with Perez on pole and seemingly set for a clear run to victory.
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However, Verstappen had other ideas and stormed through the field with a series of smart overtakes (which you can view below), eventually overhauling Perez to take the chequered flag first.
Elsewhere in Miami
Before you head to your next story, there is plenty more happening at the Miami International Autodrome this weekend that’s worth getting up to speed on, from F1 ACADEMY to the F1 Safety Car now being powered by sustainable fuels...
- First up, F1 ACADEMY is back. More than 150 students will visit the campus on Thursday for a series of events, including an F1 ACADEMY Tour, Pit Lane Walk, North Lobby Mural Painting, and workshops. Students from the area will also hear from F1 ACADEMY Managing Director Susie Wolff, the Miami Grand Prix President Tyler Epp, and Lewis Hamilton’s Mission 44.
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Meanwhile, 19 students have been selected from local colleges by the promoter to work from January to May in a unique internship. These students will be working in various departments across the race weekend.
The Miami Grand Prix will also help Make-A-Wish grant six wishes across the weekend. The wish children will have a behind the scenes Paddock tour and watch the F1 race unfold from the Grandstands.
Last but not least, the Official FIA Safety Car and Medical Car of Formula 1 will be powered by sustainable fuel, as the sport continues the journey to 100% sustainable fuels being used by F1 cars from 2026. You can read more on that development by clicking here.
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