The sixth round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship season is once again following the sprint format, with a single practice session and a 100km race on Saturday before the main event’s qualifying. This race is the first of three Grand Prix events to be held in the United States this year.
Max Verstappen, the current leader in the championship, won the sprint race in China last month and arrives in Florida with four victories out of five races. He holds a 25-point advantage over his teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen, a 26-year-old driver from the Netherlands, previously triumphed at the Hard Rock Stadium in 2022 and managed to secure another victory from ninth place in May of last year. This result was a major disappointment for Perez, who started the race from pole position with hopes of taking the overall lead but ultimately finished in second place.
Verstappen expressed optimism about the upcoming race, stating, “It should normally be a good race for us. It’s usually a bit more straightforward in terms of strategy, but it’s always a challenging track. I’m excited for it. The weekend there is always quite intense and busy.”
Verstappen’s pole position in all five races this season sets him apart as the only driver in the 21st century to achieve this feat. The last driver to secure the first six poles of a season was the legendary Alain Prost in 1993 with Williams. Verstappen also holds an impressive streak of six consecutive Grand Prix victories in the United States.
In a setback for Red Bull off the track, the team announced that Adrian Newey, their highly regarded designer with numerous championship titles, will be departing next year. Although Newey will step back from Formula One design responsibilities, he will continue to attend specific races until the end of the current season.
McLaren, whose driver Lando Norris finished second in China, and Ferrari are expected to compete for the position of the best non-Red Bull team in Miami. However, Mercedes is introducing a significant upgrade for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
James Allison, the technical director of Mercedes, emphasized the challenge of adapting to the unique demands of the Miami circuit compared to China. He stated, “Our challenge will be to ensure that we don’t try to replicate what we did in China, as Miami is a completely different challenge that requires a different approach to car setup.”
During the sprint race in China, seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton finished second but had a disappointing qualifying session for the main race, starting from 18th position and ultimately finishing ninth.
Among the drivers in the race, Logan Sargeant from Williams is the only local representative. However, his team is still searching for their first point of the season. Alpine, owned by Renault, and Sauber, based in Switzerland, have also yet to score any points this year.
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