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Several drivers have been vocal about the issues regarding F1's newest track, the Miami International Autodrome. Since the very first free practice session of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Friday, the drivers have been complaining about their struggles going off the racing line, describing the track surface as a “joke”.
As reported by PlanetF1, McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo claimed that the surface is simply not nice to drive on, saying:
“You literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise, you’re not really on the track anymore. So instead of kind of making it a kind of a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit, in a way, like one-dimensional, because you only have kind of option of that one line where a little bit of rubber is building up. So I don’t want to lie and say I like the surface. This isn’t a nice surface to drive on. It’s not that it’s just like, ‘oh, it’s challenging’, it’s just you literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise you’re not really on the track anymore. So instead of making it a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit one-dimensional because you only have that one option of that one line where there is a little bit of rubber building up.”
Anticipating difficulties in overtaking and racing aggressively, Alpine's Fernando Alonso said:
“It’s still very difficult to go offline. There’s like rubble out of line, so it’s going to be difficult. We said yesterday that the track, the tarmac, is not F1 standards. Nothing we can do. I think this weekend we need to put the show, but this has to change for next year. It’s very difficult to race like this.”
Meanwhile, Ricciardo's teammate Lando Norris added, saying:
“On the racing line it’s not bad grip, is reasonable-ish. I think it’s just very hot, which makes it feel even worse. The fact is just offline it’s really, really terrible. And we come to the races, and there’s so many fans here. And everyone expects such an amazing race. So when you come to it, and then they’re trying something new with the surface, and something they’ve not really done before, then I think we end up in a position like we are. You don’t want everyone to be exactly the same, every track, you like the differences, you like them to be unique.”
Daniel Ricciardo will be starting the F1 Miami Grand Prix from 14th on the grid, while Norris starts P8.
"It’s not good enough" - Lando Norris does not expect the F1 Miami GP to deliver the spectacle promised to fans
The Miami Grand Prix is one of the most hyped-up and anticipated race weekends on the 2022 F1 calendar, with enthusiastic fans. Given the state of the track's surface, however, Lando Norris does not believe that drivers will be able to live up to expectations as pure racing is very difficult on the track.
The Briton said:
“But when there’s so much expectation, and you want good racing, and you want us to provide good racing and entertainment and everything, and then there’s a surface, which they’re trying and they just kind of winging it in a way to see what it’s going to be like. It’s not good enough, because then we can’t do what they require, we can’t put on a good show. We can’t race. It’s not our fault, but it’s a shame.”
With the top two teams locking the front rows, the race is certainly expected to bring significant changes to the championship standings.
