Why do Formula 1 drivers hate the Miami Grand Prix as the sport arrives at the Miami International Autodrome for the latest round of the F1 2025 season? And how can Pirelli save it?
Since it appeared on the calendar in 2022, the street track besides the Hard Rock Stadium has seldom earned praise and has been slammed for its predictable one-stop races, as well as limited chances to overtake.
Aside from DRS into Turn 1 and Turn 11, there are very few opportunities to fit an 800kg Formula 1 car alongside a rival and make a clean pass. For example, Kevin Magnussen tried a move on Logan Sargeant at Turn 2 in 2024 and both quickly found the wall.
Interestingly, despite this advantage when it comes to track position, the pole sitter has never actually taken victory in Florida. Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez were both beaten by Max Verstappen in 2022 and 2023, whilst the Dutchman was beaten by Lando Norris in 2024.
With Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton describing the circuit as towards the bottom of his favourites list, why is the Miami International Autodrome so unpopular? Why do drivers seem to hate the Miami Grand Prix?
Whilst the track faces problems with overtaking opportunities and strategic options, the issues seem to run deeper than just the product on show through the upcoming 57 laps on Sunday, May 4.
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When it appeared on the calendar three years ago, drivers immediately ripped into the asphalt conditions and decried them as falling below the standards expected in Formula 1.
Verstappen, for example, likened Sector 2’s Turn 13-16 sequence to that of a go-kart track with the lack of grip on offer as the track set about with resurfacing throughout the inaugural race.
“From Turn 12, the track is actually no longer made for F1 cars,” Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin’s two-time world champion, said. “In principle, you’re just trying to get through.
“It’s not really a sector where you can put pressure or find a tenth. You’re just driving in the middle of the track, and that’s not very interesting.”
And fundamentally, even the width of the circuit leaves the drivers uncomfortable. Turn 13 and 16 is very narrow, with barely enough room to slot a car through and with concrete barriers it can be far from pleasant with a crash.
Esteban Ocon pulled 51Gs when he hit the wall and had to be taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks, and although he was swiftly cleared and competed in the Grand Prix itself, he described the insufficient safety as “unacceptable”.
Formula 1 drivers hate the Miami Grand Prix: But how can Pirelli save it?
Although Sector 1 earns praise from Ocon and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, the latter praising it for the variability of racing lines on offer and the ability to be aggressive with kerbs, there’s still work to be done.
So how can Pirelli help improve the spectacle of the Miami Grand Prix, and can they make the drivers no longer hate the Miami International Autodrome as Formula 1 returns for the 2025 edition?
The Italian tyre provider will try their hand at promoting a more aggressive strategy when it comes to the race on Sunday by bringing softer tyre compounds to the track, in a bid to do away with one-stoppers.
Pirelli bring tyres ranging from C1 (very hard) through C2, C3, C4, C5 and finally to C6 (very soft), with selections depending on temperatures, track abrasion and the forces the tyre will be subjected to.
Across a weekend, fans can identify the hardest compound by the white stripes, the medium by the yellow stripes and the soft by the red stripes.
Often criticised too cautious, or for misjudging the extent a tyre can be pushed, the Italian provider now seek to refine their judgement and bring wheels that cannot comfortably do the full length of race.
So, for the F1 2025 Miami GP, Pirelli will bring the C3 as the hard, C4 as the medium and C5 as the soft. Tyres will then go one step softer for the Emilia Romagna GP, which should see cooler temperatures.
This should, theoretically, combat the durability of the hard and create two-stop strategies without making pit-stops so common they’re farcical, as discovered at the 2023 Qatar GP.
