Drivers fear processional Miami GP due to ‘joke’ surface

Formula 1’s first visit to Miami could turn into a procession rather than a race as the drivers cannot go off the racing line, the track surface branded a “joke”.

This weekend marks Formula 1’s first visit to Miami and while the race has been hyped up, it may turn out to be more of a damp squib than a thriller.

Although the 57-lap grand prix will start with championship leader Charles Leclerc lining up ahead of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen, unless those behind make a move off the line, that may be it.

The reason being any driver going off the racing line will pay a heavy price due to the “not F1 standards” track surface that has absolutely no grip and a lot of rubble to go with it.

Daniel Ricciardo said: “You literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise, you’re not really on the track anymore.

“So instead of kind of making it a kind of a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit, in a way, like one-dimensional, because you only have kind of option of that one line where a little bit of rubber is building up. So I don’t want to lie and say I like the surface.

“This isn’t a nice surface to drive on. It’s not that it’s just like, ‘oh, it’s challenging’, it’s just you literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise you’re not really on the track anymore.

“So instead of making it a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit one dimensional because you only have that one option of that one line where there is a little bit of rubber building up.”

"When they want us to provide good racing and entertainment… then there’s a surface which they’re trying and they just kind of wing it in a way to see what it’s going to be like, it’s not good enough"

Lando Norris is not impressed with the Miami track