After a start of the season in the Middle East, a race down under, and a couple in Asia, the Formula 1 family arrived at Sunny Florida for the Miami Grand Prix!

Miami enjoys a tropical climate with air temperature usually exceeding 25°C, very often hitting 30°C, the record being 33°C. In the first ten days of May, it is usually sunny, but there can be a weather build up leading to showers or thunderstorms one day out of two or three. The wind is a sea breeze with gusts of up to 50 km/h. The average number of days in May when the temperature exceeds 30°C has gone up from 13 days in the Nineties to 23 in the past decade. Last year, the track surface hit 55 °C, one of the highest figures seen all season.

The Miami Grand Prix was the sixth round of the season, the first of three held in the United States of America. Running from May 3 to 5, it was the third edition of this race, which first appeared on the calendar in 2022. The temporary street circuit flowed around the Hard Rock Stadium, a multipurpose venue that is home to the Miami Dolphins American Football team, and that year it also hosted, among other events, the final of football’s Copa America. The Formula 1 team areas were actually located within the facility, creating a truly unique atmosphere for a Grand Prix weekend.

The 5.412 kilometer-long track, which the drivers tackled 57 times on Sunday, featured 19 corners, three straights, three DRS zones, and top speeds could exceed 340 km/h. There were also some elevation changes, the main one being between turns 13 and 16, with the track rising and falling as it went over an exit ramp and under various overpasses. There was an uphill approach to the chicane at turns 14 and 15, with a crest in the middle before the track dropped away on the exit.

This was another Sprint weekend, with only one hour of free practice on Friday morning to try to find the best set-up and evaluate tire behavior. Right from the afternoon of the first day, it was time for Sprint Qualifying to establish the grid for Saturday morning’s Sprint Race. After that, the parc fermé regulations were briefly suspended so that teams could work on the cars for qualifying and then Sunday’s traditional Grand Prix.

FRIDAY

Ferrari celebrated its seventieth year on the North American market with a special livery showcasing shades of Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino blue on the cars, as well as on the mechanics' and drivers' suits and gear.

The Visa Cash App RB F1 Team also unveiled a multi-color livery on their cars.

Being a Sprint weekend, the teams had only one hour of practice to set up the cars for two qualifying runs, a Sprint race, and the Grand Prix. This was a tough task, especially for Charles Leclerc, who managed only three laps before spinning his Ferrari, blocking the racetrack and forcing the first red flag of the weekend.

Anyway, it was Max Verstappen who secured pole position for the Sprint Race. Thus far in 2024, the Dutchman has been the fastest in all grid-deciding contests except for the wet session during the first Sprint Qualifying of the year, when Lando Norris triumphed in the rain in Shanghai. Although Norris set the fastest time of the day in Q2 with a lap of 1:27.597 in his McLaren, Verstappen's pole time of 1:27.641 was only 44 thousandths slower than Norris' best time. Additionally, five of the final ten drivers did not improve their lap times.

Max Verstappen was presented with the Pirelli Sprint Qualifying Award by James White, a lucky American fan chosen by the Miami Grand Prix promoter. Handmade in Italy, the trophy consists of a square of FSC-certified natural rubber enclosed between two pieces of glass. Etched onto the glass are the layout of the Miami International Autodrome and the FSC logo—a stylized tree. Interestingly, the same rubber used in the trophy is part of the raw materials used in manufacturing all Pirelli P Zero Formula 1 tires.

FSC = Forest Management Certification.

SATURDAY

Max Verstappen won the lunchtime challenge by securing victory in the Sprint Race. Five hours later, he was once again on top, this time in qualifying, where he secured his first Miami Grand Prix pole position on his third attempt with a best lap time of 1:27.241 during his first Q3 run.

As was the case in the short race, Max had Charles Leclerc for company on the front row, with Leclerc setting the second quickest time of 1:27.382. Interestingly, the second sector was the deciding factor that separated them, as this was where Verstappen gained his entire 0.141-second advantage. In fact, Leclerc was fastest in the first sector by 0.074 seconds, which was exactly the same margin by which Verstappen led in the third sector.

The second row featured their respective teammates, with Carlos Sainz (3rd, 1:27.455) lining up behind Verstappen, and Sergio Perez (4th, 1:27.460) positioned behind Leclerc

Verstappen was presented with his Pirelli Pole Position Award by film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Bruckheimer is widely recognized for his notable works, including films co-produced with Don Simpson such as Flashdance, Top Gun, and Bad Boys. Since the 2000s, he has also been associated with the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Pearl Harbor, and more recently, Top Gun: Maverick, as well as TV series such as CSI, Cold Case, and Without A Trace. Bruckheimer is one of the producers of the upcoming Formula 1 film, directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt, scheduled for release in 2025.

SUNDAY

Danica Patrick asked Max Verstappen what keeps him motivated. Max responded, 'Be as close as possible to perfection, that is what really motivates me.'

Lando Norris secured his maiden Formula 1 win in Sunday’s third edition of the Miami Grand Prix. Two weeks ago in Shanghai, the McLaren driver achieved his 15th podium finish without a win, setting an outright record. Today, that streak came to an end as Norris became the 114th driver to win at least one Grand Prix. This victory also marked McLaren's 184th win, the team's first since Monza 2021, where Daniel Ricciardo led home team-mate Norris in a one-two finish.

Starting from pole position after topping both the sprint race and qualifying on Saturday at the hot and sticky Miami International Autodrome, Verstappen led the early stages of the 57-lap Grand Prix. However, after Norris assumed the lead during a Safety Car period, Verstappen battled balance issues and couldn’t match Norris’s late-race pace, settling for second place behind the British driver. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the final podium position. Additionally, for the first time this season, an Alpine finished in the points with Esteban Ocon securing tenth place. It’s worth noting that in all three editions of this race, the driver who started from pole took the chequered flag in second place: in 2022, it was Leclerc; last year, Perez; and this time, Verstappen.

Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda delivered one of the drives of the day, steering his VARCB 01 into the points with a season-best seventh-place finish. This followed Daniel Ricciardo’s fourth-place finish in the sprint and completed a strong weekend for the team. Tsunoda’s result also moved him up into the top 10 in the Drivers’ Standings.

It was a busy day for the stewards in Miami. During the race, Kevin Magnussen received a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points for causing a collision with Logan Sargeant, effectively ending the Williams driver’s home race. Additionally, Lance Stroll was penalized with a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Magnussen faced further penalties after the race. He was issued a drive-through penalty for entering the pits during a Safety Car period without changing tires—an incident that the Haas team admitted was their error. Subsequently, this penalty was converted into a 20-second addition to Magnussen’s final race time, dropping him from P18 to P19.

Post-race, Carlos Sainz was also penalized with a five-second time penalty and received one penalty point on his license for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri, forcing Piastri to pit for a front-wing change and dropping him to the back of the field. This penalty led to Sainz's demotion from P4 to P5, promoting Sergio Perez to fourth place.

Excerpts of this article provided by Pirelli S.p.A.

NEXT STOP: IMOLA!