How the Hard tyre became Verstappen's magic bean around Miami's 'parking lot' track

To the surprise of every Formula 1 driver participating in the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen effortlessly ascended through the grid after starting the race in ninth place.

But it wasn't just race winner Verstappen, though. Lewis Hamilton, who started the race in 13th place, finished in sixth for Mercedes, and Lance Stroll crossed the finish line in 12th, having started in 18th.

These three drivers were among five who had opted to start the race on the Hard compound tyre, and they made up the most positions over the 57-lap race. But why could they gain so many positions compared to those who started on the Mediums?

Managing the grain

The Miami race is staged around the Hard Rock Stadium. However, not every part of the track is on public roads. See, leading up to the race's inclusion on the 2022 F1 calendar, many public representative organisations in Miami weren't too excited about having an F1 race in their city.

Enter Stephen M. Ross, owner of the NFL Miami Dolphins and the Hard Rock Stadium, who availed his premises and the parking lot. Yes, the parking lot!

The 'track' surface immediately posed a challenge to teams and drivers, as the harsher, more coarse nature is less friendly to the tyres. Even with the track being resurfaced for 2023, it was still abrasive, causing severe graining on the tyres.

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This abrasiveness meant that the Soft tyre's performance potential was only good enough for one qualifying lap and virtually useless in the race. Hence the decision to run the two harder compounds in the GP: Medium and Hard.

But even the Medium tyre experienced more aggressive graining - more than teams expected - which