The person in charge of Miami F1 invited the famous track design company Tilke to rebuild the Hard Rock Stadium venue, which is the determination to solve this year’s problems.

However, with F1’s return to American circuits, the same complaints have returned as drivers bemoan the uniqueness of the road surface.

Sergio Perez said the grip on Friday was very low, almost in the medium tire range, and many riders were really struggling with how dirty things were once they were only a few centimeters off the line.

Mercedes driver George Russell said after qualifying that he felt the track conditions had not improved.

“There hasn’t been any improvement from last year,” he said. “On the line, it has good grip, but once you let one wheel loose, there’s no grip. So overtaking is really challenging.”

F1 tire supplier Pirelli is perhaps best placed to judge the interaction between track surface and tyres, and its F1 boss Mario Isola explained the findings this weekend.

Pirelli conducts a detailed analysis of all circuits on the Wednesday before each weekend, and its early conclusion is that the level of grip on the track is not bad.

“If we talk about the roughness we measured, we found that the microscopic roughness is much lower,” he said.

“Last year it was nothing like any other track, much higher, a little bit more macro roughness.

“So we’re expecting a similar grip level to last year. Grip is on the lower side, but more or less as expected.”

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14

Photography: Andy Horn / motorsport pictures

However, the reality of tire grip is that, in addition to estimates of mechanical grip from the nature of the stones used, bonded grip also needs to be considered.

It has to do with how the tire’s chemicals react with the surface — which can be bad on new sites, since the bitumen used to lay the asphalt often results in oil spills. Nowhere do these oils provide nearly the same grip as rough.

However, this lack of grip is quickly improved as cars on the track shed this surface layer – such was the grip uptick that took place Friday-Saturday in Miami.

“Grip has increased by about 10 percent, which is to be expected,” Isola said.

However, the increase in grip poses its own problems, as the improvement is only on the track – meaning that the contrast between on-line and off-line becomes even greater.

“The point is that they cleaned up the racing line, there was more grip on the racing line, but not outside the racing line,” Isola added.

“So once you get a little bit beyond the racing line, it’s snappy and unmanageable. It’s dusty and doesn’t have very good grip.

“I believe that’s probably why we’re seeing some bugs, we’re seeing some drivers having trouble controlling their cars.”

Incidents like Charles Leclerc’s, where small mistakes that force drivers off the track lead to bigger moments, are the results. It’s unclear whether a dirty run off the line will affect overtaking opportunities in the race itself.

water spray problem

Isola believes the situation could improve if there is more support activity and if the track is better cleared before the weekend.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Alexander Trienitz / motorsport pictures

Russell agrees, because he thinks Miami missed a trick by not putting more effort into aging the pitch.

“I don’t think the track is jet blasted like all the other tracks,” Russell said. “Generally speaking, the track designers or whoever is at the track has done a fantastic job when it comes to taking off the tarmac.

“When we went to Melbourne, Jeddah, even Baku, the grip was very high and the grip off the line was strong. It created a good car and driver confidence.

“I think we had a bad experience here last year because we were too aggressive with jet blasting. But now I think it went the other way and the result is the same.”

Isola explained that the water spray circuit offers benefits in terms of grip because it removes the top layer of asphalt.

“Over the last few years, when they decided to redo the circuit, they used this high-pressure water jetting treatment,” he said.

“The main mechanism is that this high-pressure water is removing the top layer of asphalt. So, it’s like artificially accelerated aging. That would expose the stones for proper mechanical grip, but it’s not happening here. They’re cleaning the track… And it’s too mild.”

Miami F1 managing partner Tom Garfunkel explained in an interview with Autosport on Sunday morning that the track has avoided full water blasts due to problems last year when it took too much asphalt.

“I think maybe too much of the top was removed last year and I think that’s part of our problem,” he said. “So, we’ve been deep-cleaning with a brush. We’re not just bragging.

“Maybe part of the challenge is that we only have one brace series, so there’s not enough rubber down. I joke that I’d love to see the riders get off the line during practice and put some rubber on the secondary line.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523

Photography: Alexander Trinitz

“But it was a green track. From practice to qualifying, you saw how the track changed and the speed increased a lot, and I think that’s going to happen in today’s race. From the start of the race to the end of the race, The track will change a lot, but it will be cleaned up and blown away. It’s just that I think it’s a lot cleaner than last year.”

Like other recently resurfaced venues, it will evolve over time – which should mean that by the time the Miami Grand Prix arrives in 2024, it will be more firmly established.

Isola added: “Because of the weather conditions, the rain and the sun, it will age. If you have a proper track where they race every Sunday, the asphalt will age a lot more, but it will still improve. “

While things may not look much better this time around, next year could be an entirely different story.