The Formula 1 grid returns to the United States this weekend with the Miami Grand Prix, the fourth installment of one of the newest races on the schedule. The Miami Grand Prix has one of the more unique settings on the schedule, as the circuit winds around Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
However, for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls teammates Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, while this may be the fourth installment of the Miami Grand Prix it is each of their debuts at the Miami International Autodrome.
Both young drivers are looking forward to the “atmosphere,” as well as the challenge.
“This weekend will be my first time racing in the United States which means it’s definitely exciting,” said Hadjar in the team’s media preview. “It’s going to be a massive week for our team and I’ve heard the atmosphere is great in Miami, so I’m looking forward to driving this track, as we have good momentum at the moment and I hope this will be another circuit that suits us, with a lot of slow speed corners. It’s going to be very warm and I think we’re going to have a good shot at it.”
“I’m super pumped to be going to Miami. Although I’ve been as a reserve driver, it’s the first time on track for me at the race. The atmosphere looks super cool and exciting, so it’s going to be a great feeling racing for VCARB there,” added Lawson. “It’s a Sprint weekend too and the heat is going to be tough, so I’m doing everything I can to prepare for that while working hard to learn the track. I can’t wait to get out there.“
Tim Goss, the team’s Chief Technical officer, outlined the challenges that the teams and drivers face this week.
“Following a successful return to the top ten and the points for VCARB in Jeddah we arrive in Miami,” began Goss. “We continued to build our understanding of the car in Jeddah and how to extract the best from the setup which culminated in demonstrating that both the drivers and the car have the race pace to compete at the top of the midfield.
“The Miami track is a permanent circuit built on the streets surrounding the iconic Hard Rock Stadium. It is a challenging mix of some fast straights, high speed corners and some tight sections around the stadium. It is a Sprint race weekend with two opportunities to bring back points and is likely to be hot, putting extra demands on the car, the tires and the drivers,” added the VCARB CTO. “We have renewed confidence from our recent performance and will give it our best shot to collect more points in both the Sprint and the race.”
VCARB enters this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix sitting eighth in the standings with eight points on the season, just two points behind seventh-place Aston Martin.
SB Nation will be on the ground for the entire Miami Grand Prix, so check our story stream all week long for full coverage!
