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F1 is heading to Florida, United States, in three weeks for the inaugural F1 Miami Grand Prix. The team behind the newly designed semi-permanent street circuit says it will be one of the best circuits on this season’s calendar.
According to Charles Metcalfe, an engineer for Apex Design, the company that designed the circuit, the new Miami GP circuit was designed with racing as the primary focus. He hopes that teams and drivers will find it challenging when they arrive at the venue in a few weeks. Speaking to the Motorsport Network, Metcalfe said:
“Racing comes first and foremost in our company’s design philosophy. Our ethos is to challenge all of the F1 teams, their cars, their race engineers and, of course, their drivers. So we focus on corner sequences, a dynamic range of corners – from fast-speed to low-speed – and to achieve this we do a lot of simulation work and intentionally ensure there are different corner sequences in a lap which flatter different vehicle set ups.”
Built around the Hard Rock Stadium and its parking areas, the Miami GP circuit was reportedly designed in such a way as to make it a challenge for teams while setting up their cars. According to Metcalfe, the venue also incorporates several sequences of high speed, very high speed, and low speed corners to encourage closer racing and provide overtaking opportunities. He added, saying:
“We’re seeking to challenge the race engineers and their vehicle setups as much as possible. It’s notionally a street track with some really challenging corners, so you’d expect high downforce, but we have some really long straights and some high-speed corner sequences too that would favour a lower drag setup. There will definitely be a compromise here between downforce levels, and it’ll be interesting to see the top speed differentials between the teams. We want to see a big mix to make the racing as exciting as possible.”
F1 Miami GP circuit was designed with on-track spectators in mind
Apart from focussing on on-track action, circuit designers for the Miami GP track reportedly also worked on ensuring that the venue would be as spectator-friendly as possible.
Given that the event sold out within hours after the tickets were put on sale, the design team was keen to ensure that spectators who attended the event were as close to the action as possible. Speaking to the Motorsport Network, Metcalfe said:
“Right from the initial master planning phase, we laid out some concepts of what we want from a racing perspective and we’ll consider how that can be integrated as an event for the spectators, how it can work well for the teams and F1. It’s a big balance, so that leads to an iterative process where you go back and forth with all the features of the circuit and venue, just to nail that optimal approach and solution.”
The F1 Miami GP is scheduled from May 6 to 8 but is currently facing a legal battle aiming for its cancelation from local residents.
