2022 Miami Grand Prix - Preview

THE TYRES ON TRACK 

• For the very first visit to the eagerly-anticipated Miami street circuit, Pirelli has chosen the three tyres in the middle of the range: P Zero White hard is the C2, P Zero Yellow medium is the C3, and P Zero Red soft is the C4. This combination is the most commonly-used one all year, and also the most versatile.
• The 5.41-kilometre Miami International Autodrome is set in the Hard Rock Stadium Complex in Miami Gardens – the home of the Miami Dolphins – with 19 corners, three straights, elevation changes and a chicane. Top speeds are expected to be in the region of 320kph with an average of around 223kph and drivers on full throttle for approximately 58% of the lap. Turns 11 and 17 are the two main overtaking opportunities, with three DRS zones.
• With the 11th venue to host a grand prix in the USA being brand new to everyone, Pirelli has had to rely on simulation data to come up with the tyre nominations. This information indicates that the tyres in the middle of the range will be most suited to the 57-lap race, with smooth asphalt that offers reasonable grip and the forces at work on the tyres being about average for the season.
• The brand new asphalt is likely to lead to a high degree of track evolution, especially at the start of the weekend, with the Porsche Challenge and W Series as support events. The weather could be unpredictable, with ambient temperatures of around 20 degrees and quite a high risk of rain and wind on the Florida coast at this time of year.

“There’s been a huge buzz of excitement around the first Miami Grand Prix, where the track has some similarities to Jeddah, although there are some parts that are slower and more technical than Saudi Arabia: especially the section from Turns 11 to 16. The rest is a very quick layout, running anti-clockwise, which puts the emphasis on the tyres on the right hand side of the car. We’re expecting the usual rapid track evolution and a smooth surface with the new asphalt, but the track has been jet-washed at high pressure, which means that it should offer quite good grip from the beginning. Because it’s a fast track the cars are likely to run a low to medium downforce set-up, which could lead to a bit of sliding in the high-speed corners on the hard compounds in particular. For any new track our choice tends to be on the conservative side, so it will be interest to confront the simulations with real data.”

• FORMULA 1 IN-SEASON TESTING
  Pirelli’s Formula 1 in-season testing programme for next year’s tyres got underway at Imola, with Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, Alpine and Ferrari trying out next year’s slick tyre prototypes in warm and dry weather.
   
•  PIRELLI HOT LAPS
  The Pirelli Hot Laps programme returns in Miami, with several lucky guests getting the chance to be driven round the circuit in road-going examples of the cars produced by Formula 1 manufacturers. Several F1 drivers take the wheel, including Nico Hulkenberg for Aston Martin.
   
• POP-UP P ZERO WORLD
  Pirelli will launch a pop-up P Zero World boutique on Lincoln Road near Miami Beach to celebrate the Grand Prix, replicating the high-end permanent facilities already seen in Los Angeles. Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola will attend the opening party on the Thursday before the race.
   
• WRC
  Rally Croatia, round three of the Pirelli-equipped World Rally Championship, was won by series leader Kalle Rovanpera for Toyota. With conditions that were initially damp, Pirelli’s Cinturato RW rain tyres were initially run, before the drivers switched to the soft P Zero asphalt tyres as the roads dried out. The Junior championship category, for drivers aged under 28, was won by another Finn, Lauri Joona in Croatia, who now jointly leads the standings with Jon Armstrong.
   
• GT
  The GT World Challenge Sprint Cup got underway at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit last weekend, part of the GT World Challenge. Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy won the event overall in a Mercedes to lead the driver’s standings, while Valentino Rossi scored his first points by finishing eighth in an Audi.