Race Week in Miami
2024 Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix
It's race week in the United States. This week, F1 stops at Miami International Autodrome in sunny Miami, Florida.
Miami GP History: Making its debut on the F1 calendar in 2022, the Miami Grand Prix is a temporary circuit Set in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the NFL's Miami Dolphins. In 2018, a proposal for the Miami Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship was submitted to the city of Miami. 2019 was proposed as the race's first date and location around Port Miami. However, due to complications arising from PortMiami's construction and development plans, a proposal was submitted for a 2021 race at the famous Hard Rock Stadium, having hosted six Super Bowls, the World Series, the BCS national championship, Wrestlemania, the Orange Bowl, and the Miami Open Tennis Tournament.
About the Track: In April 2021, the Miami-Gardens Commissioners voted to approve the deal, and the Miami Grand Prix was formally announced. Under the expert guidance of Apex Circuit Design, a renowned UK-based engineering firm, construction commenced on the 19-corner,3.363 mi (5.412 km) long circuit around Hard Rock Stadium. The pit buildings began construction in September 2021, and the permanent features of the track were finished in early 2022. In September 2021, the circuit was to be officially named the Miami International Autodrome.
Weekend Highlights:
Second Sprint Race of the season. There are six Sprint Race format weekends on the 2024 calendar. Following the Chinese Grand Prix, the Miami Grand Prix is the only back-to-back Sprint weekend on the calendar.
Friday: 60-minute Free Practice session/ Sprint Qualifying.
Saturday: Sprint / Qualifying (for the Grand Prix).
Sunday: Grand Prix
Home race for Logan Sargeant.
Born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Logan began his racing career in karting around the Miami, Florida area. Logan later moved to Europe in hopes of driving in the European Formulas series, and later on to F3, F2, and eventually F1. Logan is making his second start at his home Miami Grand Prix.
McLaren is Cruising. Fresh off a second-place podium finish for Lando Norris in the Chinese GP, Mclaren is clearly taking third place in constructors championship points behind RB and Ferrari. It has outperformed Mercedes and Aston Martin. McLaren looks strong and shows no signs of slowing down. Having started off the 2023 season much slower than the 2024 season, Mclaren did not have a great Miami GP last year; I think they will have much better results this year.
Red Bull is full throttle. Max Verstappen is a back-to-back winner of the Miami GP, winning both the 2022 and 2023 races. Red Bull finished 1st and 2nd in the 2023 Miami GP, and the team will be looking to return to the top steps of the podium again this weekend.
Haas is a strong mid-pack contender. In a somewhat surprising outcome after ousting team principal Guenther Steiner, Haas has been extremely competitive during the 2024 season, scoring points in almost every single race. Kevin Magnussen finished in 10th place during the 2023 Miami GP. Can Nico and Kevin continue the points haul for 2024 this weekend?
What team is in the hot seat the most? Williams, Sauber, and Alpine still need to score points. Can any of these teams break the pointless streak?
Williams needs a strong weekend. Big crashes, damaged cars, and no points differ from what we expected to see after Williams's surge in 2023. Albon finished 9th in the points at the 2022 Miami GP. With recent speculation about Logan Sargeant being replaced before the end of the 2024 season, can Logan surprise the F1 world and have a points finish at his home GP?
VCARB is coming off a double DNF in the Chinese GP, and the team will be looking to bounce back with a strong showing at the Miami GP. Daniel Ricciardo showed a significant improvement in pace with a new chassis in Shanghai but was involved in a crash with Lance Stroll, resulting in his second back-to-back DNF.
Alpine showed improvement during the Chinese GP, with Ocon's 11th-place finish and Gasly's 13th-place finish. After a double-point finish in the 2023 Miami GP, finishing 8th and 9th, Alpine has yet to crack the top 10 in 2024.
