The Formula One circus is back stateside, as it visits Miami this weekend for an action-packed extravaganza. The inaugural event last year made headlines for its wild and wacky welcome to the sport, and 2023 looks to be no exception. With one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar and a U.S. driver finally on the grid after a seven-year wait, here’s your guide to everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, which officially kicks off Sunday at 3:30 p.m. local time.
Can defending champ Verstappen repeat?
Although the Scuderia Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. locked out the front row here last year, as the pair had the fastest times in the qualifying format that determines the starting grid, Red Bull should be the strongest team in Miami. Max Verstappen comfortably won the event last year, and the Dutchman currently leads the Drivers’ Championship with 93 points. You should also keep an eye on Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez. He’s won just as many races this year as Max (two) and is known for dominating street circuits like the Miami International Autodrome.
Despite Ferrari’s better results of late, with Leclerc grabbing his and the team’s first podium and pole position of 2023 at the Azerbaijan GP last weekend, there’s more competition for the iconic Italian team than in previous years.
John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports
When he’s not fueling the fire about Taylor Swift dating rumors, Fernando Alonso is also sitting at the top of the field. The two-time Formula One champion is having the “comebacks of all comebacks,” as Aston Martin took a huge step forward in development this season. The Spaniard took consecutive third-place finishes in the first three races this year, and fans are desperate for him to make it to win No. 33, especially as the 10-year anniversary of his last of his 32 Formula One victories approaches. Could Miami be the place?
Elsewhere on the grid, Lewis Hamilton continues to impress in his Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 car. Although still not back to his winning ways, the seven-time champion picked up some silverware in Australia last month after a second-place finish. His teammate, George Russell, also delivered a decent performance here last season and gave fans a great source of drama last weekend when he butted heads with Verstappen after the two made contact during the F1 Sprint event.
How will drivers handle the challenging conditions?
We might all fancy ourselves as racing drivers in our road cars from time to time, but make no mistake about how demanding these Formula One cars are to drive. The championship introduced a new set of regulations last season, and, although some have nailed the changes better than others, these cars are still a beast to drive.
Last season, we saw two big shunts around the Miami International Autodrome—that’s the official circuit name, by the way—at the Turn 14–15 chicane. One driver, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, hit the wall so hard that it set off a sensor in his car, which recorded the impact as a whopping 51G. He was fine after medical checks, but it just proves that this track can catch out even the most experienced on the grid.
If you know anything about Florida, it’s that the weather can get very hot and humid. Expect conditions to be typical this weekend, with sun in the forecast and temperatures set to hit 88°F (31°C) and a chance of rain during qualifying as well as toward the end of the Grand Prix. Last season, drivers were visibly exhausted getting out of their cars because of the conditions—even race winner Verstappen had to sit down for a quick rest before making his way to the podium.
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Will it be a happy homecoming for U.S. driver Logan Sargeant?
Remember the name: Logan Sargeant. The 22-year-old is driving for the historic Williams team this weekend, marking the first American racing driver in Formula One since 2015. With such a huge growth of F1 fans spawning in the States—thanks to the great racing on track and series like Netflix’s Drive To Survive off track—Sargeant will be kept busy during his home race.
Although Formula 1 is hosting three races in the U.S. this year—Austin in October and a new race in Las Vegas ahead of Thanksgiving in November— this Miami event really is one that is close to home for Sargeant. Born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he grew up 20 minutes from the track in Miami.
“I've probably had 100 ticket requests,” Sargeant says. “I think people need to realize how difficult they are to get! But the Miami Grand Prix gave me 25 grandstand tickets for friends to watch the race, which is cool. To be able to give those to some of my Day 1 friends will be nice.”
Is this Miami circuit ready for the spotlight in 2023?
Getting a circuit prepared and suitable to host a Formula One event is no easy task. As well as complying with the necessary safety standards, you also have to make sure the hundreds of thousands of fans have the resources and infrastructure they need. Last year, one quirky addition to the circuit made headlines last year for being rather unusual.
With iconic circuits like Monaco known for having their own harbors surrounding the track, organizers for the Miami GP also wanted to have their own place for boats to anchor up and watch the racing spectacle. Sounds like a great plan on paper, but the reality was very different. During last year’s GP, instead of having a deep pool of water, the boats were instead placed on trailers and sat on top of a piece of vinyl made to look like real water from afar. It went viral and looks set to return for 2023.
Me after paying $2,000 for a standing ticket #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/wGQqhV5bQs
— Matt (@mattamys) May 2, 2022
Will Red Bull break the curse?
Oracle Red Bull Racing is on a roll at the moment, winning all the first four races of the season thanks to reigning champion Verstappen and his teammate Perez.
Ahead of the weekend in Miami, the team encouraged people from all over the world to create their own livery for their car to be displayed at each of the three U.S. races. However, there’s an unusual coincidence that when teams run a special livery, they normally end up having an uncharacteristically bad weekend.
Designed by you, the fans 💪 Unveiling our livery for the #MiamiGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/44zHvTj0o0
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 3, 2023
Red Bull will be hoping that isn’t the case and that the unique livery won’t impact their recent run of form as Verstappen hunts down his second consecutive victory at the Miami track.
