The Miami Grand Prix is set to go down this Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome as the sixth race of the season.
Being a relatively new addition, the race is being held in Miami for the third time since the track’s addition in 2022. For the last two years, the Miami race has stuck to the standard format, with the one-day practice, one-day qualifying, and one-day race format, typically Friday through Sunday.
However, this year, for the first time, the Miami Grand Prix will be following the F1 Sprint weekend format. This is taking the standard race weekend to another level by giving the driver more chances to score points for their teams leading up to the race itself.
The sprint is a 100-kilometer race to the checkered flag finish line, which allows the top eight drivers to get valuable points for themselves and their teams.
Therefore, this year the format for Miami will be a bit different than before. Practice and sprint qualifying will both be taking place on Friday. They will be followed by the sprint event and the regular qualifying event Saturday afternoon.
Then the most important event, the race itself, will take place on Sunday.
Max Verstappen, racing for Red Bull, has won the last two Miami GP’s in 2022, and 2023. Winning four out of the five races, he has an almost perfect track record this season. This makes him the fan favorite, and once again the expected candidate for the pole position.
However, the race game is always unexpected, with split seconds making huge differences. The other popular drivers are the usual podium contenders.
Sergio Perez, also racing for Red Bull, is as always expected to be bringing in some points for the team. He has earned four podium positions in the last five races, with three second-place wins and one third-place placement.
With a big cult-like following, the two drivers for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, are also expected to be bringing in some key points for the team.
Charles Leclerc has been giving steady performances this year, placing in the top five in every single race so far this season. Sainz, meanwhile, looks to be at the top of his game, being the only other driver than Verstappen to have a pole position victory this season so far. He has also been constantly placing high in the top five.
Freshly let go by Ferrari for the next season, Sainz is driving with the intention to prove himself to other teams, as he is on the hunt for a new place to call home.
Taking Carlos’s job is ironically the face of Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, who is having a bad season so far, with zero podiums.
Other potential podium finishers include Lando Norris, racing for McLaren, with three top-five placements this season, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri with two top-five placements so far.
