For round 5 of the 2023 championship season, Formula 1 has headed toward the Sunshine State of America to host the Miami GP. The first race at the Miami International Autodrome was held in 2022 with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sealing the victory.
The event organizers have signed a ten-year contract with Formula 1 to hose the race every year. Miami GP also marks the first race to be held in the US in the 2023 calendar.
Miami GP Statistics
| First Race | 2022 |
| Track Length | 5.412km |
| Lap Record | 1:31.361; Max Verstappen, Red Bull (2022) |
| Pole Positions | Charles Leclerc (1) |
| Wins | Max Verstappen (1) |
| Overtakes in 2022 | 110 |
| Probability of Safety Car | 100% |
| Probability of Virtual Safety Car | 100% |
| Time loss during the pit stop | 20.18 seconds |
| Trivia | Miami is the 11th different venue to host the race in the US and the 77th different venue to host an F1 race. |
Key Specifications of the Track
Former F1 driver explained on F1’s official website that the Miami International Autodrome features a mix of significant braking events. These events are most dominant on Turns 11 and 17, ending in a long straight.
The track layout also offers good overtaking opportunities combined with areas that are prone to lead drivers into making mistakes by locking up. Sector 1 of the track is fast and presents a sweeping set of corners circling around the S-shaped bends on the track.
Therefore, the drivers need to pick a racing line. They also need to be careful about the curbs on the track as even a minor mistake would lead the cars into losing grip of the track. The dust on the new surface also plays a massive role in leading a driver to lose the grip of the track.
Furthermore, the triple apex left-hander from Turn 6 to Turn 8 presents quite a difficulty for the drivers. The turns put a lot of pressure on the front-right tire of the car as it exits into a long straight.
DRS Zones
Ahead of the 2023 season, a few changes to the DRS zones had been announced. Heading to the Miami GP, the activation point of the DRS zones has been moved further up the road.
As Motorsport explained, the first DRS zone has been reduced by 75 meters on Turn 11 after being pushed back 30m after Turn 9 to 105m after the corner.
The second DRS zone has also been shortened by 75 meters and will now start 525m after Turn 16 instead of the initial 450m. Moreover, the third DRS zone has been left untouched.
What would be the preferred strategy and setup for the teams?
Former Aston Martin strategist, Bernie Collins has explained that since only one race has been held at this track, the teams do not have enough data to draw any concrete conclusions about the strategy.
Although, in 2022 the top running teams chose to race with medium-hard tires and a one-stop strategy. When a late safety car hit the track most of the drivers decided to stay out as overtaking was found to be quite difficult. Furthermore, a fresh tire advantage also did not turn out to be strong enough for the drivers to reclaim track positions.
After the race, issues with the track surface being too soft emerged, and therefore for the 2023 season, resurfacing has been done. This resurfacing could significantly impact tire degradation and the strategy of the race in the upcoming weekend.
However, Friday practice sessions will provide plenty of learning opportunities for the drivers and the teams will also be able to collect some useful data for the next time out in Miami. Going ahead this weekend, the weekend will also feature Pirelli’s C2, C3, and C4 compound tires as most of the difficulties emerged from the hot temperature of the track in 2022.
