The F1 paddock returns from spring break to the Miami Grand Prix, with teams unveiling upgrades that promise to make this one to watch.
As a sprint weekend, from Friday, May 1 at the Miami International Autodrome, the updated machinery will be under immediate scrutiny.
Race weekend schedule (BST)
The cars hit the track for the first time for their one and only practice session on Friday at 17:30, followed by sprint qualifying at 21:30.
Saturday brings the most action, starting with the sprint race at 17:00 before heading into the all-important main qualifying session at 21:00.
Finally, lights out on Sunday is scheduled for 21:00.
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Race preview
Last year’s Miami Grand Prix was a dominant weekend for McLaren, seeing them clinch a 1-2 finish in both the sprint and the main race.
Lando Norris claimed sprint race victory after his maiden win at the track in 2024. Oscar Piastri won the main race.
Third place in the sprint race belonged to Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, whilst the final podium place for the main race was claimed by Mercedes’ George Russell.
With Mercedes dominating the season openers and Ferrari proving to be their closest rivals so far, McLaren have their work cut out for them if they want to deliver in Miami again.
However, McLaren have been rumoured to be bringing a significant upgrade package to the race, as they have in previous years, which has historically brought them great success.
Nevertheless, McLaren won’t be the only team to bring upgrade packages to Miami, with Ferrari almost certainly bringing one too, and other teams likely to do the same, given the significant break.
Top six predictions
Considering what has been said, predicting the results for the Miami Grand Prix is no mean feat, and the race could still be anyone’s game.
That being said, here are my top six predictions for the Miami Grand Prix.
1 – George Russell
Russell will be keen to get one over on his team-mate this time out in his bid for the title, and given his strong performance last year, Russell could very easily take the win.
2 – Kimi Antonelli
Despite the upgrade packages, Mercedes are likely to still be ahead for the time being, and despite a struggle last year for Antonelli, his recent improvements make him a strong contender for second.
3 – Lando Norris
McLaren proved last time out that, when the cars start the race, they have decent performance, and with Norris’ apparent luck and recent historic good performance at this track, he could come out on top of the tough battle for third place.
4 – Charles Leclerc
Ferrari have been a match for Mercedes so far this year, even if they struggled slightly against the McLarens last time out in China. That being said, they won’t be far off the pace, and Leclerc will certainly put up a fight.
5 – Oscar Piastri
As with Norris, in an updated McLaren and following a strong performance last time out, Piastri could be looking racey in Miami. There has been little separating the McLaren pair in recent times, so there could very easily be an inverse in the McLaren positioning.
6 – Lewis Hamilton
The story is very similar to McLaren’s, as with updated machinery, the Ferrari could well be fighting with the Mercedes duo, and with very little separating Hamilton from his team-mate this year, one could very well also swap the positioning of the Ferrari pair.
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The best of the rest
It has been quite clear so far this season that Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren are the distinct top three as it stands, and unless there is an unfortunate situation for one of their drivers, it is likely they will once again prove their status at the top.
7 – Max Verstappen
It is no secret that the Red Bull car simply isn’t up to scratch this year, and Verstappen has been struggling to get to grips with it.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman has a certain touch which will likely put him clear of the best of the rest.
8 – Pierre Gasly
Gasly has had an unbelievable start to the season, being the only driver outside of the top three teams to score points in every race so far.
Gasly also has a decent track record around Miami, given the performance of the cars he has had in those years.
9 – Isack Hadjar
Hadjar has not had the best of starts to his Red Bull career, mostly due to a lack of performance in the car.
However, he hasn’t been too far off the pace of his team-mate, so if Red Bull have figured out some gremlins over the break, he should be able to bag a couple of points.
10 – Oliver Bearman
Bearman has also been a standout driver this year, except for his crash in Japan.
The Haas looks like a strong midfield contender, and with Bearman behind the wheel, there is every chance of another points finish for the Briton.
As the lights go out in Miami, the upgrades will do the talking – but in F1, it’s not just what you bring; it’s how you race it when it matters most.
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SportJustSport writers