Magic Alonso in Magic CityMagic Alonso in Magic City
2023 season
Fernando secured his fourth podium of the year with a comfortable, controlled drive to third in Miami, while Lance made up six places from his starting position with some exciting overtakes towards the end of the race.
The Debrief by Aramco
Hear from Fernando, Lance, Team Principal Mike Krack and Performance Director Tom McCullough as they share their thoughts throughout the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
Need to know: Miami
- Sectors
- Turns
- DRS
Fernando Alonso
"It's good to be back in Miami! It's a great place to visit for Formula One and we're excited for our first Grand Prix of the year in the U.S.A. I have always enjoyed visiting this country and I enjoy the approach and passion for sports there. We are fresh from an intense weekend in Baku that saw us score 22 points as a team and finishing just one second away from another podium on Sunday. The car performed well despite having limited time to setup.
"The circuit there is a fast one, with lots of sweeping corners and long straights. It'll be interesting to see if the resurfacing has had an impact on the track and we'll get plenty of time to assess this on Friday. Our performance in Baku was encouraging and I hope to see similar results in Miami. We will be aiming to outscore our closest rivals again and put on a good show for the fans there."
Lance Stroll
"It's great to be in Miami and to be getting straight back behind the wheel after a busy weekend in Azerbaijan. It's always incredible to see just how much the sport's popularity has grown in the US and I love seeing the grandstands packed full of fans. Hopefully we can put on a good show for them!
"I have mixed emotions from last year; I had to start from the pits due to an issue before the race, but managed to fight back through the field and finished in tenth which was a pretty good result. The track itself is fast but hard: how a street circuit should be.
"You need to take some risks but you can get punished for overstepping the mark. That's how I like it, though! As always, we'll be pushing hard this weekend to ensure we come away from the double-header knowing we made the most of every possible opportunity to score points.
Insight and Speed
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How does resurfacing the track influence a Grand Prix weekend?
Just like the roads we drive on, racetracks require maintenance and care – and that sometimes extends as far as a complete resurfacing. How often a circuit is resurfaced depends on multiple factors, such as climate, geography or the quality of the existing surface.
The resurfacing of Miami International Autodrome means any rubber that would have been embedded into the track surface from last year's event will have disappeared and likely impact the level of grip. Everything starts from zero, again, and the change in grip level can influence braking distances, racing lines and more.
Rain can be more challenging to deal with on a new surface, with tracks even slipperier than normal, and a priority for teams will be to closely assess how the track evolves during the weekend, how abrasive the circuit is and the nuances that come with a resurface.
While all 5.412km of the Miami International Autodrome have been resurfaced, some circuits, such as the Baku City Circuit F1 raced at last weekend, may only be partially resurfaced and adjusting to both the old and new asphalt is another factor for teams and drivers to consider.
Unlocking the Lap
Turns Six, Seven and Eight are a tricky combination of consecutive left-handers that flow into each other. Getting braking right on entry for this sequence is difficult, and the exit is just as important with a long, full-throttle run spanning all the way to Turn 13.
Turn 13 might not look like much on paper, but it is deceptively tricky. It is slightly uphill, awkwardly cambered, and leads into a very tight, slow chicane. Large amounts of time can be lost in this sequence, which is far from ideal, as the longest straight on the circuit is shortly after this area of the track.
At the end of the long straight is Turn 17. Cars will decelerate from 325 to 67 km/h in under 100 metres in this heavy braking zone. The corner opens up on exit, and defending out of it is far from easy through Turns 18 and 19 and down the start-finish straight, especially with a DRS zone aiding overtaking into Turn One.
Cloud Report
Miami may be synonymous with sunshine, but the weather can change quickly in the region, which will make the race all the trickier to plan for. NetApp is our global hybrid cloud storage partner, with solutions that perform across a diverse environment allowing us to gain insights on weather-related data as well as telemetry data. Together, we explore how weather can affect track conditions this weekend.
This event takes place early in Miami's summer, and that summer brings regular rain. Early forecasts indicate that rain could influence the weekend. Thunderstorms can also play a role in this tropical part of the world and can quickly lead to red flag situations.
When it is not raining in Miami, it is hot and humid, which brings its own challenges for the teams, drivers and cars. Keeping the cars cool during the race, particularly during Safety Car periods, will prove to be a challenge.
High track surface temperatures also make managing the tyre temperatures tricky. The surface and core temperatures of the tyres both need to be looked after, otherwise degradation increases quickly and it can become very challenging to bring the tyres back into the correct window.
XPerience Points
In Formula One, you're constantly learning. Every lap, every mile, every second, is an opportunity to further your understanding and, ultimately, discover ways to unlock performance. In partnership with XP Inc., here are some of the key points heading into the Miami Grand Prix.
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