MIAMI, Florida — Grand Prix Sundays have no shortage of storylines, and today’s Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix is no exception. There are fascinating talking points up and down the grid to watch for when the lights go out later today, and after thousands of fans and almost as many celebrities descend on Miami International Autodrome around Hard Rock Stadium, 20 drivers will do their best to write new, thrilling chapters for us all.
But here are three key storylines to watch for today’s Miami Grand Prix.
What happens at Turn 1?
The first turn has been a big talking point in the last two race events.
First was the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and a battle into Turn 1 between pole-sitter Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who came off the line in P2. Piastri got a very good start and pulled alongside Verstappen on the inside heading into the left-handed Turn 1. Verstappen, rather than conceding the position, stayed on his line and went off the track, straight through Turn 2, in an attempt to argue that Piastri forced him off the line.
But as set forth by former driver and current analyst for F1TV Jolyon Palmer, under FIA official guidelines since Piastri “had his front wheels alongside Max’s on the entry and through the corner, he, as the attacking driver, was allowed to use all of the road and have an entitlement to the corner.”
Red Bull was not willing to swap positions, and Verstappen was ultimately given a five-second penalty. Serving that penalty opened the door for Piastri to win the Grand Prix.
You can see that incident from both onboards here:
Then came the start of the F1 Sprint race here yesterday, in wet conditions. Again Piastri came off the line in P2, this time battling with Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli into the first turn:
Antonelli was clearly frustrated at the moment, and later in the race when he learned that no action would be taken against Piastri by race officials, the 18-year-old simply replied: “Good to know.”
Today we get another fascinating matchup into Turn 1: With pole-sitter Verstappen starting up front, and Lando Norris just behind him in P2. With Antonelli sitting third and Piastri fourth, it will be a fascinating dash into Turn 1 today. And let’s not forget last season’s United States Grand Prix, when it was Verstappen putting pressure on pole-sitter Norris from P2 into the first turn, which opened the door for Charles Leclerc to take the lead on the opening lap.
Is a big day coming for Williams?
After Saturday’s Grand Prix qualifying session, both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alexander Albon were in high spirits.
With good reason.
Sainz qualified sixth, and Albon seventh, putting both Williams drivers ahead of the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Speaking with the media, including SB Nation, after qualifying Sainz marveled at being just “three-tenths” off pole position in his sixth race with the team, and how the circuit in Miami might suit the FW47.
As for Albon, he began qualifying shortly after receiving word of a penalty handed down from the F1 Sprint race which dropped him out of the points. Despite the disappointing start, the driver “rose to the challenge” to deliver a command performance in qualifying.
“Today was disappointing. It’s hard to go into a Qualifying session straight after receiving a penalty in a really strong Sprint race. You try to shake it off and go again but it’s difficult,” said Albon. “I think I did it though! I rose to the challenge, I’m pleased with P7 and having both cars in Q3 is great for the team. Our pace is super strong and this will help us a lot tomorrow. We can do a good job in the race, we just need to keep it clean.”
Team Principal James Vowles hailed the “rewarding” result as well as the resilience of the entire team.
What I love about this team is that even when we are kicked down, we come back stronger. It was great to see the whole team fired up and wanting to show the world that we have a fast car this weekend. It was a perfectly executed Qualifying and the result is an incredibly rewarding one. We’ve got a good car for the race tomorrow – we have to acknowledge that there are fast cars behind us – but our job is to get two cars in the points.”
Given what they have shown so far, and the pace of the FW47 here in Miami, they look well on their way to doing just that.
A weather surprise?
The final big talking point as Sunday begins?
What does the weather have in store for us today?
Rainy conditions contributed to a chaotic F1 Sprint race, that included Leclerc crashing on the reconnaissance lap, and more weather is in the forecast for Sunday. As of late Saturday night, the Accuweather forecast read as follows:
Many of the drivers, such as Fernando Alonso and Nico Hülkenberg, talked about how the weather could up the chaos factor in the Grand Prix, creating opportunities for drivers starting at the back of the grid.
Will that truly be the case today?