Motor Racing
Miami Grand Prix preview
Having raced around the Shanghai International circuit for the first time in five years two weeks ago, the grid take to the Miami International Autodrome for the third year running, with Max Verstappen the sole victor around the track since this race’s inception in 2022.
The last F1 race saw Max Verstappen top the podium in typical fashion, but it was Lando Norris who stole the show picking up P2 ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. This was Lando Norris’ first P2 of the season and after his performance around the Shanghai circuit, he’ll be full of confidence in himself and the car ahead of the test in Miami.
We preview the Miami Grand Prix below.
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Miami International Autodrome overview
The Miami Grand Prix is the first of three trips the drivers take to the US across the F1 calendar, with the weather being the main steer on how the race turns out. Miami is known for its unpredictable climate and one could only imagine that the grid will be hoping for lashings of sunshine all weekend.
Due to the nature of the track, we expect that plenty of the teams will opt for lower downforce setups to best make use of the long, flat-out sections. There are certain parts of the track however that the drivers must be wary of, such as the quick corners that can get a bit bumpy which Charles Leclerc found out the hard way in last year’s qualifying.
Last year only saw 20 pit stops, which means most, if not all, will go for a similar one-stop strategy again this time around. As always though, tyre wear is a massive player in what can win, or lose you a race.
This is one of the more exciting circuits for F1 fans due to the speedy nature of the track and we can expect plenty of overtakes with three DRS zones. Last year there were 62 on-track overtakes in the Grand Prix alone which will allow drivers to make up some valuable places should they struggle in the qualifying rounds.
Teams to look out for
Aston Martin
As predicted in our last blog, the Chinese Grand Prix was all about Fernando Alonso for the Aston Martin team. Despite their strategy being slightly off, Alonso managed to push his car to the maximum and reaped the rewards as a result. Alonso is 8/1 to get a place on the podium in the Sprint Race.
Lance Stroll on the other hand had another nightmare race, back ending Daniel Ricciardo under the safety car which left his chances of scoring any points close to nil and put him out of contention for the top 10.
Mercedes
The Chinese Grand Prix Sprint race saw Lewis Hamilton properly back in action as he finished second, showing that he may have found something positive in this year’s Mercedes car. However, in the main race everything fell apart and George Russell got lucky with the damage Oscar Piastri’s car picked up in the race which allowed him to keep the Australian at bay.
Miami could be a tough race for the Mercedes car as they lack considerable pace on the straights which counts for everything around this circuit. If you’re looking for value here, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz and George Russell all to finish in the top six is EVS.
McLaren
McLaren had a fantastic race as Lando Norris managed a P2 finish leaving their main competition, the Ferraris, in the dust. The cars looked very strong around Shanghai and Norris had a better pace than the Ferraris all the way around so they’ll be hoping the momentum pushes them forward here.
However, despite a strong race last time out, this is a track that might suit the Ferrari car that slight bit better due to their straight-line speed. That said, Norris is a 16/1 shot to top the podium, and should Max Verstappen put a single foot wrong, the door could be open for this McLaren driver in hot form.
Ferrari
The Chinese Grand Prix was one of Ferrari’s worst performances to date, by their standards. Getting beaten for pace by the McLaren cars must’ve been a tough pill to swallow but as previously mentioned, this track should tip the scales in their favour.
The edge that they have over the rest of the grid regarding tyre wear should pay dividends and both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are 18/1 apiece to pick up first place in Miami. Leclerc will more than likely build on the successes he had in Shanghai in both the Sprint Race and the Grand Prix, and will be hunting down Pérez for the podium.
Red Bull
Shockingly, Max Verstappen won another Grand Prix! In typical fashion, Verstappen put on a class display in Shanghai and looked head and shoulders above the rest. This undoubtedly warrants his incredibly slim price of 1/7 to pick up his third consecutive win here.
Sergio Pérez will be wanting to forget Shanghai and get back to P2 on the podium in Miami. Should all go to plan, we can see Red Bull completely dominating the field leaving just the third place on the podium up for grabs.
