NEW TIMES ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT MIAMI RACE WEEK 2025 GUIDE 10 May 1-7, 2025 FERNANDO ALONSO » Aston Martin “It’s an incredible weekend, not only on the track—also the paddock, the facilities. Probably last year for me it was the best grand prix of the season. On track, the very slow part of the track—from Turns 12 to 15—is probably not really made for these F1 cars. You just try to survive that sector. It’s not really a sector where you can push or find a tenth of a second or something. It’s just you go in the middle of the track, so that’s maybe not super interesting.” ESTEBAN OCON » Haas “The circuit layout is really interesting. It’s very hot, which makes it difficult, with quite poor grip, but otherwise the first sector is mega, with all of the right/left corners. It reminds me of Silverstone at times, but with a different character. If it was 20 degrees cooler, it would be super nice and flowy! Also, it’s the first home race of the season for Haas and the first for me with the team. It will be exciting to see how the weekend goes. I hope we can have a decent one.” LANDO NORRIS » McLaren “I like Miami itself, but the track is just alright. There are others I prefer. Suzuka is one of my favorites, along with Silverstone and Austin. However, I obviously have a single, very good memory of Miami! So I look forward to it. Two years ago, I think we were out in Q1 and we were last. One year later we improved dramatically, and I scored my first win! Hopefully this time around we can actually go into it with the expectation of being in the hunt for the win.” WHILE THE FULL DAY-GLO, SUNSHINE AND SHOWBIZ MIAMI EXPERIENCE has quickly made the Sunshine State’s grand prix one of the F1 calendar’s standout events, the circuit itself hasn’t always been embraced with the same enthusiasm. Criticized in its first year after the track surface broke up, and for the troublesome Turn 14/15 that caught out a number of drivers, changes were made for 2023. The fully resurfaced track was dubbed an improvement and subtle tweaks to the chicane were well received. Aside from moving the pit entry and shifting a couple of access gates, little has been done since, and for this year the track remains as it was in 2024. So, with three editions already in the books and no new complicating factors this year, what do the sport’s drivers now think of the challenge the Miami GP presents? From the glowing to the gloomy, here are their thoughts … THE DRIVERS’ GUIDE TO MIAMI What’s it like to pilot an F1 car around the Miami International Autodrome? Who better to tell us than some of the sport’s top drivers. PIERRE GASLY » Alpine “The track is cool. First you have a sort of high- speed section. You can really push the edge in terms of lines, and how much curb usage you have through that first part of the lap. And the second bit is quite technical. It’s not very usual type of corners—even the curbs you’re taking through that second sector are just a bit different than what we’re used to. So it’s not the most exciting for racing, but in terms of driving, it’s definitely nice.” ALEX ALBON » Williams “It’s an awkward track with awkward corners! It’s quite unique because it breaks up the rhythm so much. You’ve got a very flowing Sector 1, which then turns into this stop-start Sector 2. Sector 3 … there’s really not much to it. The tarmac is odd, and the track is very hot. Weirdly, it’s quite a physical track, considering it’s so simple in this layout. I think that in terms of a street track, I know there were a lot of restrictions on what they could do outside of the permits that they were allowed to build.” NICO HULKENBERG » Sauber “I’ve always liked it. I enjoy racing there. And the whole Miami vibe—the package, the place— it’s pretty cool. It definitely feels special. So I look forward to that one. Sector 1 is a bit more high speed and very flowing. But I also don’t mind Sector 2, the slower-speed bit. The more technical side is good.” Lando Norris Pierre Gasly F1 JUSTIN HYNES Fernando Alonso M I A M I RACE W E E K
