F1 drivers hail 'awesome' Miami circuit after simulator runs

Miami’s new circuit has received positive feedback from Formula 1 drivers who have driven the track on the simulator ahead of the venues first grand prix this weekend.

F1 announced last year that Miami would join the calendar as host to a second race in the United States, as part of plans to reach a wider American audience.

The circuit has been built around the renowned Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, featuring 19 turns and an estimated average speed of 139mph.

Asked if he had sampled the Miami International Autodrome on the simulator, AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly said he was encouraged by the circuit’s layout.

“I’ve tried it and I must say it looks pretty awesome,” said Gasly as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“I really liked the layout. Quite a lot of high-speed content, quite challenging, unusual type of corners, extremely long corners, very long straights.

“I think we should have some pretty good American entertainment, good entertainment the whole weekend, so very excited about it, and the location is unique. So very hyped about the weekend.”

Sergio Perez also praised the Miami GP track but raised his concern over limited visibility in the last sector, which is made up of a series of slow corners that leads on to a long back straight.

“I think it’s a good circuit,” Perez said. “I think it has a little bit of a twisty area that is quite difficult to get right, and the visibility can be difficult.

“But I think racing can be good with all those long straights. I just hope the asphalt can be good, and we can have good racing, because when we come to new circuits we find some good surprises.”

Gasly’s AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda also expects the final sector to offer a unique challenge given how tight the