Track specialist Tilke has resurfaced the Hard Rock Stadium track for this year’s Miami Grand Prix after problems with the inaugural event in 2022.
However, the pavement still caused problems for drivers who lacked grip – especially off the track – which led to a number of incidents throughout the weekend.
One factor limiting the grip provided was the decision by Miami race directors not to spray the surface with water – which helps remove a layer of asphalt and oil that exists on the freshly laid asphalt.
But while it took some toll on this weekend, Miami GP managing partner Tom Garfunkel said the move will now pay off as more natural surface aging will make it better over the long run .
“It would have lasted a little longer if it hadn’t been sprayed,” explains Garfinkel.
“It also changes over time. I think this climate of sunshine and humidity and a few other things affect the track, but it should get better with age.”
Although the track surface was difficult for the drivers in practice and qualifying, the race winner Max Verstappen Think it’s good enough for the game.
“I think things have improved over the weekend,” said the Red Bull driver. “I’m a little scared, of course, it’s going to be worse with the rain, but most places are fine.
“It’s a street circuit. You can’t expect it to be great off-line, that’s all. But overall I think it’s a lot more fun to drive compared to last year. I think the tarmac is a lot better. So yeah, this Absolutely no problem. I don’t think it’s a bad track.”
Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43
Photography: Alfa Romeo
Another factor that didn’t help the track surface was the lack of a supporting series, with just one Porsche race alongside F1. This limits the amount of rubber put in place on race weekends to help improve grip.
Asked if Miami was considering more support races in 2024, Garfunkel said: “We’re thinking about it. I think if you get more rubber on the track offline, you’re going to get better at the races.” Racing. It’s just more entertainment, more racing fans. So, if we can do that, it might make sense.”
Garfunkel also thinks Miami’s changes to the configuration of Turn 15/16 are also very effective.
The layout was criticized last year for being too tight and has caused some concern from drivers since Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon Rotate to the wall in that area of the circuit.
The profile of the guardrail and chicane has been revised, which Garfinkel says has been praised by drivers – while several bumps have been removed.
“Last year it was a bit bumpy in places, but the feedback we got from the drivers was that it was much smoother,” he said.
“Then the 15/16 rounds of mitigation actually came after we moved from george russell. We talked to all the drivers, we talked to all the team principals, we talked to the FIA, F1 and everyone has a different opinion about 15/16 and what we should do.
“But the conclusion is really that F1 and the FIA are trying to soften the apex a little bit and lower the curb a little bit.
“It’s smoother there. It’s a harsh corner initially for safety reasons and trying to slow the car down before you go through there.
“This year, we’ve softened that a little bit, and the feedback we’ve had is that they like it more.”
Nyck de Vries has performed much better in Monaco than at previous Grands Prix this season. The Dutch seem to have brought this form to the Spanish country. Around Barcelona, the AlphaTauri drivers had a great time. He started the race in 14th place. In a press conference with GPblog and others, De Vries looked to the future.
Nyck de Vries has performed much better in Monaco than at previous Grands Prix this season. The Dutch seem to have brought this form to the Spanish country. Around Barcelona, the AlphaTauri drivers had a great time. He started the race in 14th place. In a press conference with GPblog and others, De Vries looked to the future.
The Spaniard managed to make the most of improvements to the SF-23 in Barcelona as he became Max Verstappen’s closest challenger to pole.
But while performances at such a circuit where the air is so crucial bodes well for the progress Ferrari has made, Sainz believes the nature of the Barcelona circuit is not actually performing to its best potential.
He believes the high-speed nature of the venue is not particularly suitable for Ferrari, so future venues will have clearer evidence of progress.
“The new kit is mainly about improving low-to-mid speed, and in that area we really feel like a step in the right direction,” he said.
“As I said before the weekend, it’s a step in a different direction. It’s not so much a big upgrade or a big change in our performance as it opens up a different operating range window for the car.
“That’s the main goal of this upgrade, not suddenly half a second faster. I think it’s doing the job, and it’s working well.
“We also want to make the car more predictable, easier to drive, and easier to do laps. Hopefully it will go in that direction, but unfortunately we’ve gone down a route that doesn’t work for us.
“We’ve been really bad at high speed since the start of the season. Since Australia we’ve been struggling with balance and bounce and a lot of things that happen to us at high speed.
“So, we’re just going to focus on that now and see if we can improve it because, as you can see, the low speeds aren’t actually bad at all for us.”
Top three in qualifying Lando Norris, McLaren, pole position Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Sainz believes the fact that he put Ferrari on the front row, while team-mate Charles Leclerc ended up being eliminated in Q1, is further indication of one of his team’s biggest weaknesses – its very narrow operating window, which is It’s all too easy to suddenly lose competitiveness.
“I don’t know exactly what happened to Charles, but it’s been the same story all year,” he said.
“It felt like it was a very narrow window for us; a very narrow car window; and a very tricky car.
“Once the situation gets tricky, it goes in one direction or the other and you’re fighting with a very different balance. It was a good line for me today.
“It turned out not bad, but it was tough because now it looks like the midfield is really starting to get close to us. You have guys like Alpine and even Haas, Lando (Norris) and McLaren showing up. Yes, they join us in the race for second or third place.
“Obviously Red Bull are in a league of their own, but everyone else, it looks really, really nervous.”