By Joe Man
Glitz and glamour were everywhere as massive crowds descended on the Miami International Autodrome. The stars where out in force and nothing was spared to make this one of the biggest weekends on the race calendar. At the end of the day, however, we are all here for one thing, racing! And the venue is here to stay so the question is; was it any good?
Formula 1 has never been more popular. The Netflix show ‘Drive to Survive’ has showcased the sport to a whole new audience and Americans specifically now cannot seem to get enough of it. The drivers where paraded through the streets like gladiators and gods. Yet, when Raceday came, the focus seemed a lot more on the celebrity star power, overshadowing the on track action at times.
For years, Monaco has been the jewel in the crown of the race calendar with the yachts, celebrities, parties and super rich coming out to celebrate the event. Sadly, however, the race itself is dreadful. It’s all about qualifying because it is practically impossible to overtake. Once the glamour has subsided, you wonder what sort of spectacle it truly is! Stunning aesthetically at but not so much when it comes to racing! Aren’t we only here for the racing?
The organisers of the Miami Grand Prix would have been well aware of this. Part of the reason American audiences had never warmed to F1 was for exactly this reason. No one wants to see twenty drivers drive 50 laps in formation. On paper, it looked like this wouldn’t be the case but unfortunately a few mistakes were made and will need addressing to improve the feel of the spectacle. This isn’t Nascar after all.
The number one issue was the track surface. Drivers described it as being like gravel if you moved off the racing line, making overtaking extremely difficult. It was essentially like a wet track with one dry racing line. Leaving that line was too dangerous and risky so overtaking became very difficult, as drivers like Gasly, Bottas and others, found out.
Later, the race found its way back into a bit of a procession and reliant on a safety car to bring some action. Luckily for the circuit designers, the drivers enjoyed the track layout on the whole. I would be very surprised if it isn’t resurfaced before next year to fix the issues, however.
Most of the drivers where also critical of the tracks super tight chicane. It didn’t provide any opportunity for overtaking on entry due to its tight nature. Pierre Gasly even describing it as a Formula E corner!
It is imperative that racing is the spectacle at all events and when something isn’t working it should be changed. Corners like this just don’t work in F1.
Las Vegas in 2023 will be another race where this should be taken into consideration. It will have the reputation of the worlds craziest party with more celebraties and bling than Lewis Hamilton at a fashion show. But the race should be the priority! It should be full of drama, speed and risk. I like Jeddah for that. Max Verstappen’s Qualifying lap in 2021 was breathtaking. He took it to the limit and eventually put it in the wall, but that sums up the sport perfectly! It was everything this great sport should be. Right on the edge!
Driving around trying to protect a tyre in one straight line is not ‘on the edge’!
Audiences love a spectacle and I’m sure it will be put right. Miami showed great promise and should be applauded on a fantastic weekend overall. It’s very hard to get things right first time, so let’s back the FIA for an amazing 2023 race.
Next on the calendar is Spain as the teams head off to Barcelona before that trip to the aforementioned Monaco! Sadly, neither track has a particularly positive reputation for hosting the best races. Hopefully, this year’s 2022 regulations might help Barcelona become a better race. There may not be as much hope, when it comes to Monte Carlo!
With heavier yet smaller cars, the race will ultimately be won and lost during Qualifying on the Saturday. Unfortunately, it feels impossible to change the track with all of it’s incredible history! Maybe they could install rain machines, snow blowers or race go-karts around it! It’s all about racing after all! Silly ideas but I for one would love to see more racing in Monaco.
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 