Miami Grand Prix 2024: Let’s not forget Hamilton and Alonso!

On Sunday, 5 May the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix takes place. It's the first GP of the season on American soil. As always, this season, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is tipped to win. However, other contenders could benefit if he makes a mistake. But which one?

Sunday 5 May sees the first Grand Prix of the 2024 F1 season on American soil. It will be the 6th GP of the year, following the one in China. So far, Max Verstappen and the Red Bull team have once again proved themselves on the track, except at the Australian Grand Prix, where the Belgian-Dutch driver retired, leaving Carlos Sainz Jr. (Ferrari) in first place.

The Miami Grand Prix is a technical track with 19 corners. Drivers will have to complete 57 laps of the 5.412 km track, for a total distance of 308 km. The circuit features just three straights – notably in Sector 3 between Turns 16 and 17, Sector 2 between Turns 8 and 11, and Sector 1 between Turns 1 and 19 – zones that will obviously be favored by drivers to carry out their overtaking maneuvers at speeds in excess of 340 km/h.

Verstappen favorite?

At present, the record time on the Miami International Autodrome track is held by Max Verstappen, at 1 min 29 sec and 709 hundredths, a performance that once again places the 2023 world champion in pole position among the favorites. Last year, Verstappen won the race, followed by his team-mate Sergio Pérez of Mexico, who took second place. In other words, Red Bull is confident.

The other teams will have to redouble their strategic intelligence to overcome Verstappen and Red Bull. Max Verstappen already has 110 points from the Chinese Grand Prix. He is followed by Sergio Pérez (85 points), then Charles Leclerc (76 points), Carlos Sainz Jr. (69 points), while Lando Norris completes the top 5 (58 points).

Other options

That said, as we saw in Australia, the Red Bull team could also experience setbacks. In F1, nothing is impossible, and it's important to know the strengths of the other drivers who could claim victory in this race. While Sergio Perez is Red Bull's second strongest asset, there's also Carlos Sainz, who has made an excellent start to the season in his Ferrari, and his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who has shown surprising consistency at every Grand Prix. The Monegasque could well claim, if not first place, at least a podium finish.

And let's not forget veteran Fernando Alonso, who remains a serious contender thanks to his experience and mastery. In fact, he seems to be enjoying a second youth and has plenty of resources to draw on. Last year, he was third in the driver rankings for many months. Finally, the last pawn on whom it could be interesting to bet is none other than Britain's Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver may be going through a rough patch, but his team seems to be resolving the problems encountered at the start of the season one by one, which could lead to a big performance from Hamilton.

In any case, the Miami Grand Prix will be hotly contested once again this year, and any number of surprises are possible. If Verstappen is the favorite, betting on his team-mate Sergio Pérez or Carlos Sainz could also be a winning strategy.