Drivers are loving the new Miami Grand Prix track ahead of F1's most anticipated race of the year
- F1 drivers are impressed by the new track for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.
- The race will showcase everything that is great about race at the sport's pinnacle.
MIAMI — We are on the eve of Formula One's most anticipated race of the year, and according to the drivers, the new track in Miami will showcase everything that is great about racing.
The 20 drivers got their first looks at the new Miami International Autodrome on their simulators, and that was enough to leave them impressed, including Williams driver Alex Albon, who praised the variety and challenge of the track.
"It's going to be a challenging one this weekend," Albon told Insider before the first practice session. "We did done a lot of laps, maybe 200, 300 laps on the simulator, and it was tricky, really tricky to drive it. It's very challenging in its own way. [It can be] slow-speed, but technical, and there's a lot of different lines you can do."
AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly was also impressed by the track's mixture of challenges.
"I've tried it, and I must say it looks pretty awesome," Gasly told Motorsport. "I really liked the layout. Quite a lot of high-speed content, quite challenging, unusual type of corners, extremely long corners, very long straights. I think we should have some pretty good American entertainment, good entertainment the whole weekend. So, very excited about it, and the location is unique. So very hyped about the weekend."
Of course, first and foremost, the racers and the fans want to see speed, and they will.
The 3.36-mile track runs counter-clockwise around Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. The cars are expected to average 135 mph through the 19-turn course. But more importantly, they are expected to approach 200 mph on the long straights, making it one of the fastest circuits in F1.
One concern with a May race in Miami is the weather. It will likely be the hottest race of the year so far and humid on top of that.
"It's very hot, very humid," Albon told Insider. "It actually reminds me a bit like Thailand.... It's gonna be a challenging one this weekend."
In addition to speed, there are expected to be three places on the track where it will be advantageous for drivers to overtake cars ahead of them.
"It was nice to see that it seems to be a really good track for overtaking," Bottas told the media. "I think the way the track has been planned, I think, from my side, it looks positive. It should be good racing. Pretty long straights and a couple of really good overtaking opportunities."
The consensus seems to be that the new race and track are a welcome addition to the schedule.
"I'm really hyped for this weekend," McLaren driver Lando Norris said before the race. "New circuits are always something I look forward to, and when you add in the excitement around a US race, particularly in Miami, it's going to be so cool. It's looking fast with some great features, and with the added element of being a street track, it's going to be a fun challenge."