Formula 1 makes its first trip to a brand new circuit for the sport, for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.
The Florida City will become the 11th location that has held a race in the United States in Formula 1 history, and a lot of work has gone in to create a new track to host the sport for the first of a 10-year deal.
Though he still has a commanding World Championship lead, Charles Leclerc was reined in by Max Verstappen after the Dutchman earned a sprint and race victory last time out at Imola, while Leclerc was left ruing a costly spin that dropped him out of the top five.
Having appeared to be the dominant team early in the season, Red Bull are now hot on Ferrari’s heels as the fight at the front is now very much a four-way one.
Drivers are looking forward to heading to Miami and fans are ready to see what the race has to offer, so with that in mind, here is everything you need to know ahead of the 2022 Miami Grand Prix.
When is the 2022 Miami Grand Prix?
Friday 6 May
Free practice 1: 2.30pm-3.30pm [7.30pm-8.30pm UK]
Free practice 2: 5.30pm-6.30pm [10.30pm-11.30pm UK]
Saturday 7 May
Free practice 3: 1pm-2pm [6pm-7pm UK]
Qualifying: 4pm [9pm UK]
Sunday 8 May
Race: 3.30pm [8.30pm UK]
Where does the 2022 Miami Grand Prix take place?
The Miami International Autodrome is ready to open its doors for the first time, having been constructed as a purpose-built street circuit around Hard Rock Stadium – home of the NFL team, Miami Dolphins.
Florida’s Turnpike road is a feature of the circuit too, with the track plunging underneath an overpass on the busy highway in the tricky middle sector of the lap.
The race will take place over 57 laps of the brand new 19-turn, 3.363 mi (5.412 km) circuit, with support events set to come in the shape of W Series’ season opener and the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America through the course of the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
The track is yet to be raced on at all, but several drivers have voiced positive opinions about the circuit based on simulation runs they have done in preparation for the weekend.
The circuit has been designed by British-based firm Apex Designs, with the team having run through several iterations of how the circuit could take shape.
It comprises a first sector of relatively open left-right sweeps before turning left at Turn 8 and on a straight with a slight left kink that takes you to the braking zone of Turn 11 – a possible overtaking opportunity.
Circuit designers have emphasised the importance of Turns 11-16 in maximising lap time around the track, with a slow chicane at Turns 14 and 15 coming uphill before a quick plunge down to 16, which then leads on to a long back straight that will provide the best overtaking opportunity of the lap into Turn 17.
Watching drivers tackle a new layout is always interesting, and Miami is no exception.
Where can I watch the 2022 Miami Grand Prix?
Pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports will show the entire race weekend on its dedicated Sky Sports F1 channel. You can also access a live stream of the coverage via Now TV.
Free-to-air broadcaster Channel 4 will show extended highlights from qualifying and the race.
F1 TV Pro viewers can watch all the live action from Imola. Please check to see if F1 TV Pro is available in your country.
Subscribers to F1’s own app can hear radio commentary on the race proper from the BBC and access live data throughout every session.
PlanetF1 will carry live timing and expert commentary on every session of the race weekend, from FP1 on Friday morning to the race on Sunday afternoon.
The Miami Grand Prix will be shown live on TV on the following outlets in other key markets:
United States: ESPN
Canada: RDS (French), TSN (English)
Australia: Fox Sports
France: Canal+
Italy: Sky Sport F1, TV8
Germany: Sky Sport F1, RTL
Spain: DAZN
Netherlands: Viaplay
Brazil: Band
Japan: DAZN
What are the odds for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix?
After their improved pace relative to Ferrari at Imola, Max Verstappen has taken on the pre-race mantle as favourite heading into the weekend
Here are the latest selected prices from Planet Sport Bet:
5/6Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2/1Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
13/2Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
20/1 Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
28/1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
80/1 and bigger the rest
(Odds correct after qualifying)
What is the grid for the Miami Grand Prix?
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.796
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 0.190s
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 0.195s
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull 0.240s
5 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 0.679s
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 0.829s
7 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 0.894s
8 Lando Norris McLaren 0.954s
9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1.136s
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1.880s
11 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1:30.160
12 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.173
13 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1:30.214
14 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 1:30.310
15 Mick Schumacher Haas 1:30.423
16 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:30.975
17 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo 1:31.020
18 Alex Albon Williams 1:31.266
19 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1:31.325
20 Esteban Ocon Alpine No time
What is the weather forecast for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix?
Friday May 6: 29°C, light cloud, 50% chance of rain
Saturday May 7: 31°C, mostly sunny, 20% chance of rain
Sunday May 8: 31°C, sunny, moderate breeze, 20% chance of rain
Directions to the 2022 Miami Grand Prix
Parking gates at the Miami International Autodrome open at 11.30am local time on Friday 6 May and 8.30am on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 May.
‘Park and Shuttle’ and ‘Park and Walk’ passes are available for car parks closer to and further away from the circuit, details of which can be found here – please note, no parking passes can be bought on the day, so advance booking is essential.
You can take the 297 bus route from Miami International Airport to the NW 27 Av and 199 St stop to drop you off in the vicinity of Hard Rock Stadium, with the 99 and 27 bus routes in the city also serving the same stop coming from the west and east.
Tyre choices for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix
We’ve chosen the three compounds in the middle of the range for the inaugural #MiamiGP! 🇺🇸
Here’s everything you need to know 👉 https://t.co/AJV9o5FJ0y#F1 #Fit4F1 #Formula1 #Pirelli #Pirelli150 @F1 pic.twitter.com/bcVHYFjCdZ
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) May 2, 2022
Pirelli have opted to take the three compounds from the middle of their range to Miami – with the C2 (hard), C3 (medium) and C4 (soft) heading with them to the Miami International Autodrome, and Pirelli F1 head Mario Isola explained why.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
What are the latest F1 Championship standings?
Drivers’ Championship
Charles Leclerc – 86 points
Max Verstappen – 59
Sergio Perez – 54
George Russell – 49
Carlos Sainz – 38
Constructors’ Championship
Ferrari – 124 points
Red Bull – 113
Mercedes – 77
McLaren – 46
Alfa Romeo – 25
