Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing speaks to reporters at the Miami Grand Prix on Thursday at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Greg Nash/UPI | License Photo
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., May 7 (UPI) — Max Verstappen’s seat was already hot, with Sergio “Checo” Perez closing the points gap, but temperatures will rise even more when Formula 1 drivers battle each other in the Florida heat Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix.
Green lights will start the second edition of the event at 3:30 p.m. EDT at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Fla. The race will air on ABC and ESPN+.
Verstappen, the two-time defending Formula 1 champion, won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix and is a heavy favorite to repeat. Perez, his Red Bull Racing teammate, most likely will be his toughest competition.
“It’s very tough and very humid,” Verstappen said. “I do feel it’s maybe a little bit colder [than last year]. It’s still warm. We’ll see once we sit in the cars. I expect it to be a tough weekend.”
Formula 1 cars, which reached up to 215 mph last year in Miami Gardens, will fly around the 3.3-mile track 57 times in the 191-mile race. Track temperatures are expected to be upwards of 120 degrees as drivers navigate 19 turns while flanked by screaming fans and dancing royal palm tree leaves.
Dozens of celebrities will be amongst the crowd of nearly a quarter million fans expected to attend. Drivers practiced Friday and Saturday afternoon, but needed extra preparation for the steamy cockpits they’ll inhabit Sunday.
Several competitors called the Miami Grand Prix one of the “most challenging” races of the season because of how overheating can hinder focus and energy.
“It looks quite quite fun on paper and in the simulator,” said Nico Hulkenberg of Haas Ferrari, the only American Formula 1 team. “It felt nice. It’s got a good flow to it. I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting sweaty.”
Drivers prepared for the furnace-like conditions by running, cycling and participating in other cardiovascular exercises, in addition to using racing simulators. But even after that training, several drivers believe their cars just aren’t fast enough to overtake the current standings leaders.
Verstappen won, while Perez placed second, in the first race of the season March 5 in Bahrain. Perez followed with a win, with Verstappen placing second March 19 in Saudi Arabia. Verstappen won again April 2 in Australia.
Perez then claimed his second victory, with Verstappen placing second, on April 30 in Azerbaijan. The win cut Verstappen’s first-place lead to six points.
“I think we want to focus on trying to make our cars better and faster and trying to stay ahead of everyone else,” Verstappen said of his relationship with Perez. “That’s the main objective, and then the rest we will do on the track.”
The winner of each Formula 1 race receives 25 points. Second- and third-place earn 18 and 15 points, respectively. Fourth- and fifth-place drivers receive 12 and 10 points, respectively. Other drivers in the Top 10 receive from eight points to one point, based on how high they finish. The bottom 10 finishers do not earn points.
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is in third place with 60 points, 27 shy of Perez and 33 behind Verstappen. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, is in fourth. Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and George Russell are in sixth and seventh, respectively.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Hulkenberg round out the Top-10 drivers in the standings.
“We have four teams that are considerably ahead of where we are,” said Norris, who sits in ninth. “Every now and then, we can maybe get close, but when it comes to the race and they’re in another league compared to us.
“We’re fighting for ninth and 10th for the minute, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but the small points will add up.”
Twenty-three races are on the Formula 1 schedule. The circuit will be in Italy from May 19 to 21 and return to the United States from Oct. 20 to 22 for the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
The first Las Vegas Grand Prix will be held Nov. 18.
