Aditya ChaudhuriFormula One heads to the US for the first time this season for the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
We have an exciting weekend lined up for us with more racing action and more points up for grabs with yet another Sprint weekend.
While Max Verstappen and Red Bull look untouchable, we have quite a few storylines in play in the middle and bottom of the grid as well.
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Here are our predictions for the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
Super Max
A two-time winner at the Miami International Autodrome, Max Verstappen has been in the form of his life for the last couple of years and has the strongest machinery under him. It is hard to look past him for the win at the 2024 Miami GP.
Aside from his retirement in Australia, Verstappen has won all other races this season, having been on pole for all of them. He was in prime form in China as he secured a Sprint win with over 13 seconds and won the main race by over 13 seconds as well.
Expect Verstappen to take the Bull by its horn in Miami and pick up yet another win. With another Sprint weekend ahead of us, the Dutchman will have more points to take and a bigger chance to increase his lead in the Drivers’ Standings.
Pole prediction: Max Verstappen / Charles Leclerc
Race prediction: Max Verstappen
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Now or never
Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsports, an F1 seat arguably being the most revered thing in this space.
Given the amount of talent out there and only a limited amount of slots available, the battle for the seats is ever intense. Every year we have discussions about “should xyz driver still be on the grid given that we have abc driver waiting in the wings?”
Every season, every driver is under the microscope, and questions about one’s position in the grid gets brought up at every slip-up.
It has been no different this season, as Daniel Ricciardo, Logan Sargeant, and Lance Stroll have been facing scrutiny, with reports circulating about them potentially getting replaced.
Ricciardo, who was brought back to VCARB (formerly AlphaTauri) mid-season last year, has had a horrible time since his comeback. He has not finished in the points even once and has regularly been outperformed by his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. With the talent pool Red Bull have at their disposal, the questions being raised about Ricciardo’s place on the grid are understandable.
Logan Sargeant, who made his debut in 2023 for Williams, is another one in the critics’ crosshairs. While Williams have had a car far off the points, Sargeant’s teammate, Alex Albon, has time and again taken it to positions where it shouldn’t be, adding further pressure on Sargeant, who has been underperforming not just this season but since last year. With the likes of Haas and Sauber moving up from the bottom of the grid, Williams as a team are under more pressure. Reports suggest we could see another mid-season swap, with Kimi Antonelli set to replace Sargeant, but only time will tell.
Finally, we have Lance Stroll. Some call him a product solely of nepotism, stating that he is only on the grid because his father owns the team, and the 25-year-old has not helped his case with his performances. He has been regularly beaten by his teammates, his last two teammates (Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso) having been quite older than him; at his age Stroll should not be getting beaten as comprehensively as he has been. This year so far has been the same story, with Alonso carrying Aston Martin, having scored 31 of the Silverstone-based side’s 40 points.
These three drivers will be under the pump once again in Miami. Expect them to be driving out of their skins not only for their team but for their F1 careers.
Look out for Aston Martin
It’s been another season of Fernando Alonso carrying Aston Martin on his shoulders. He performed well at the track last season as well, and while the Aston Martin car hasn’t been as strong as it was last year and is yet to score a podium, the British team should be in for a strong weekend in Miami, for tyre degradation is high there and very few drivers better than Alonso at managing tyres are currently on the grid.
While Red Bull are in a league of their own, expect Aston Martin to give the likes of McLaren a run for their money. It wouldn’t be too surprising if we see Alonso on the podium and Aston Martin leave Miami with a good haul of points.
Dark Horses: Aston Martin
Race Details
Circuit: Miami International Autodrome
Venue: Miami Gardens, Florida, USA
Practice Session 1 time: 22:00, May 3
Sprint Qualifying time: 02:00, May 4
Sprint time: 21:00, May 4
Qualifying time: 01:30, May 5
Main race time: 01:30, May 6
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro/FanCode
