Formula 1 News: Everything is ready for the Miami GP

Miami is quite a young Grand Prix (GP) in the history of F1. However, it brings back epic memories of races and duels.

On May 3, the circus will go back to South Florida, in a race that may already have important implications for the season, because we have a team that is dominating everywhere the drivers race, exploiting the new rules as best as possible. Mercedes has the chance to put his two racers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, once again on the first two steps of the podium. The team is the clear favorite to win the builders’ trophy while the racers’ one, right now, seems only a matter of who wants it more, between the Brit and the Italian.

How does it feel like to race in Miami?

 The Miami International Autodrome, as the racecourse is called, is a 3.363-mile (or 5.412 km) temporary circuit that runs around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL franchise, in Miami Gardens.

It features 19 corners and three long straights, where top speed can easily reach 350 km/h. The 57-lap track has hosted the race since 2022, when Stephen Ross, owner of the Dolphins, decided to make the area a top-notch sports destination offering American football games, soccer matches, tennis challenges, and a Grand Prix. The cool design was created by Apex Circuit Design to create a permanent feel despite its temporary nature. The track loops around the stadium, using its parking lots and access ramps. In a tropical setting, the drivers find themselves in a structure built with 14 million pounds of steel and aluminum, 7 miles of concrete safety barriers, and over 56.000 miles of fiber and cabling.

The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed for the fans, with the recreation of a fake marina built to reflect Miami’s city culture and its relationship with the ocean. It makes for a nice weekend for the circus, allowing staffers and drivers to soak in the sea and in the sun, in a moment where the season is still young, even if several points have already been given, and the worries are still not too heavy

Who can win in South Florida?

As previously stated, right now it takes some courage to say that someone not named Antonelli or Russell can take the win here (or everywhere else, to be honest), because Mercedes is simply too fast for everyone. The team seems to be the only one that mastered the new rules and is putting together a long list of accolades. Both the drivers usually finish first and second in qualifiers, races, and sprint races. The only team that tried to keep up with them, so far, is Ferrari. However, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are always a couple of seconds behind. This amount of time is an eternity in F1.

The forces from last year, McLaren and Red Bull, are not as fast as they should and are losing ground. If the season continues this way, we may have a winner in the builders’ championship by mid-summer and a battle between two drivers that share the paddock to decide the World Champion.

Die-hard fans are checking out the winner predictions while taking advantage of the offers many bookmakers are making available to users: for example, it is possible to claim Coral’s free bet offers to guess the race without having to make an initial deposit. In this way, every bettor can enjoy the carefree spirit of sports betting without taking any other money out of the wallet.

We do expect (and hope!) that someone else will find the way to compete or this season may become very boring, very soon. The new rules were conceived to elevate Grand Prixes’ and offer the audience memorable moments and overtakes. Right now, the product we are watching is the opposite of what we were promised. Obviously, it is too early to judge but there is a clear tendency. As we write this, there are still more than three weeks before the GP, and we can be sure that teams are working to reduce the gap between them and Mercedes. Maybe, starting in Miami, things will change and we will have a true contention.

Here at Autoracing1, we do hope so and are already patiently waiting for the Grand Prix in Miami. Check out our Fan Experience guide while we get closer and closer to the GP.