The Miami International Autodrome, a temporary circuit built for the Miami Grand Prix, featured a mix of varied mid- and high-speed corners, a long straight and a very tight section under a bridge. The 5.41km layout didn’t produce a great show, in part due to the lack of grip outside of the race line. Nonetheless, the track drew modest praise from drivers, who only pointed to the raised chicane at turns 14 and 15.
During the weekend, the second sector (where the chicane is located) was described as « Mickey Mouse » or of « Formula E chicane » by the pilots. Charles Leclerc, who started the race from pole but was then overtaken by Verstappen in the first stint, was one of the few drivers who really enjoyed the challenge of this chicane. The Monegasque nevertheless recognized that a modification of the route could be beneficial for the show.
« I think I’m the only driver on the grid who really liked that chicane. I enjoyed it »he shared. « But on the other hand, I agree that for the show, I believe that we can do something better because it was difficult to follow each other on this part. For the visibility also, it’s enough hard once you have a car in front because you have to be very precise on the curbs. It makes following even harder, but other than that I really enjoyed it. »
The other drivers, precisely, share the opinion of the championship leader: the chicane must be modified. After the Grand Prix, winner Max Verstappen shared his wish to see the routine revamped for next year, saying he nearly got knocked out during practice bouncing off the curbs. « I think at the track level we can improve a few areas »said the reigning World Champion. « The 14-15 chicane is a bit of a tricky sequence. I think if I had been behind the wheel of a karting it would be a nice chicane to take, but not in an F1 like the ones we have at the moment. «
Fernando Alonso in the Miami chicane.
« I remember in the four laps I did on Friday, I almost knocked myself out because I hit the first curb and my head bounced left and right at least five, six times, but really violently. It’s because the car is so long, so wide, so rigid and so heavy that this little vibrator is not made for it, to be honest. Maybe we already have to change the arrangement of the vibrators, so that it’s a little more gradual ramp and it’s a little nicer to go through. Maybe that would already help. But yeah, it’s so slow, I think our cars would be much better if the chaining was a bit smoother. »
Carlos Sainz, who finished third on Sunday, felt it was necessary « a little bit of luck » to pass the curbs of the chicane. With little clearance at the next corner, the Spaniard agreed a slow chicane was needed there on the circuit, but said the drivers were already discussing changes with F1 to build a better corner.
« When you go over these curbs with this generation of cars, which are wide and heavy, it almost feels like it takes a bit of luck to negotiate them well, and it’s often at an odd angle where the car bounces a lot, but sometimes it sticks to the ground and you win a tenth or two. It’s a chicane that’s not natural. I think it’s always necessary because there’s not a lot of space here and you have to be pretty slow going into 16 because there’s no release. So we need something slow, tight. It’s just the nature of the two curves, it’s the way they fit together is a problem. It’s a new circuit, you’re still going to go through these learning phases and we’re already in contact with the FOM, with Ross [Brawn] and his team to sort this out and put together a better section. »
