The Miami Grand Prix will make its Formula 1 debut this weekend as the Miami International Autodrome will host the fifth round of the 2022 World Championship and become the US’s eleventh different F1 venue.
The 5.412km circuit is set in the immense Hard Rock Stadium complex, a venue known for staging a show, and has hosted no fewer than six Super Bowls. The track itself has 19 bends and three straights, designed with a street course feel to encourage exciting racing.
Williams Racing on the way to Miami Grand Prix with good feeling
Over the weekend, Williams Racing hosts activities at two locations in The Magic City for fans to enjoy. At 846 Lincoln Road, the team’s exclusive Miami collection will be on sale, alongside our FW44 show car and Williams Esports Rigs. Fans can also expect appearances from Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon, as well as Jost Capito and Logan Sargeant.
The team will also be at W South Beach May 5-8, where the spectacular graffiti-covered FW41 designed by contemporary artist SURGE will be on display.
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: A new track is always an exciting challenge for the drivers and engineers. Although the drivers learn the track very quickly, the behaviour, the initial aging of the asphalt and the local conditions will allow the engineers to optimize a lot throughout the weekend.
The Miami International Autodrome is a new circuit with several long straights, two high-speed corner sets and a low-speed twisty section. All this within a 5.4 km counterclockwise layout. Compromises will have to be made between the different sections of the track and so the team will have quite a task to find the best overall lap time.
Pirelli has supplied compounds from the middle of their range, the same as in Imola. These are expected to suit the track layout, although the exact tire behavior will depend on track temperature and the setup chosen. It is this interaction between set-up and tire behavior that will present the biggest challenge of the weekend to the drivers and engineers.
The weather is likely to look warm and sunny with a slight chance of thunderstorms, and as the main sessions take place in the mid to late afternoon, it could be quite tough on the cars, tires and drivers.
Nicholas Latifi: Looking forward to going to Miami and experiencing a brand new event. It’s a very exciting weekend for Formula 1 and it’s great to see the sport getting stronger in the US. I’ve only experienced the track on the simulator, but it seems like a good combination of slow technical sections and more fast and fluid elements, so it’s going to be an interesting challenge.
Alex Albon: It’s very exciting to go to Miami; it’s a brand new track and home race for Dorilton. I drove the track in the simulator and my first feeling is that it is going to be very technical with a lot of different style angles. The venue itself looks fantastic and I’m sure fans will have a great weekend.