The Formula 1 season reaches the Sunshine State that is Florida for the Miami Grand Prix, and Motorsport Week has got you covered for all the big talking points ahead of this weekend’s action.
Oscar Piastri arrives in Miami leading the championship by a slender 10-point margin. His team-mate Lando Norris scored his first F1 win there last year, and he needs to bounce back to recapture his credentials as a championship favourite.
Can Norris rediscover his mojo in Miami?
Norris appears to be currently fighting two battles: firstly, his MCL39, and secondly, himself.
A mental struggle that stems from his inability to yet become accustomed to his car, Norris is falling behind team-mate Piastri.
Jeddah saw Norris find more pace and would’ve been likely on for a battle for the victory but his qualifying crash ended that chance.
Miami was the scene of his long-awaited first F1 GP win last year, and perhaps drawing on that experience could help Norris claw his way back into contention.
The Sprint format gives Norris multiple chances to prove himself, or for things to go awry.
How will Red Bull fare at the F1 Miami GP?
It’s all been up-and-down with Red Bull this year, one race is good, the next is so bad that Max Verstappen is conceding defeat in the title race.
There is newfound stability in Yuki Tsunoda’s presence as he has been able to extract more from the RB21 than Liam Lawson, but still needs to get closer to Verstappen to appease those at Milton Keynes.
The sensitivity of the car is primarily down to circuits – it was faster in Jeddah and in Suzuka, but elsewhere, it has been struggling, with Verstappen’s brilliance only able to see it in the points.
The first sector of the Miami International Autodrome is fast, which might suit the car, but the tighter and twistier areas might see it struggle over one lap and in race pace as well.
Moreover, Helmut Marko has warned the Miami heat will work against Red Bull.
Will Hamilton get on top of his issues at Ferrari?
Lewis Hamilton’s honeymoon phase with Ferrari ended pretty much once the Australian Grand Prix began.
It was briefly reignited in China with his Sprint win, but in full Grands Prix, the highly anticipated union between driver and team has so far been underwhelming.
Hamilton says he needs to adapt his driving style for the car, team-mate Charles Leclerc, who has been able to find more from the SF-25, says that the setup can eradicate those problems.
What must Hamilton do to show the world the Hamilton we all know?
Will Piastri’s run continue?
Piastri’s season is going from strength to strength.
Three wins now under his belt, Piastri leads the Drivers’ standings and looks every bit a World Champion in terms of performance and mentality, aided by his McLaren, which Norris is desperately struggling with.
If Piastri can get the best out of his car in qualifying, then he is again in a very good position to extend his championship lead.
Can this year’s F1 Miami GP present more entertainment?
Overtaking is at a premium in Miami, making it a potentially mundane race.
The current weather forecast suggests chaos in the form of some storms, but if it is dry, Pirelli has gone softer on its compounds in order to eradicate the problem of the race being too much of a procession.
The venue is a spectacle, no doubt, but if F1 fans really want bang for its buck – particularly given some of the costs that higher-end tickets will set you back by – then Miami has to prove that it is capable of hosting a race with entertainment aplenty.
A Sprint weekend can only do so much.
READ MORE – How Lando Norris plans to get over McLaren issues in Miami
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