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The Miami Grand Prix makes
its Formula One debut this weekend, as the Miami International Autodrome
hosts the fifth round of the 2022 World Championship, becoming the USA’s
eleventh different F1 venue. The 5.412km circuit is set in the immense
Hard Rock Stadium complex: a venue familiar with putting on a show,
having hosted no less than six Super Bowls. The track itself features 19
corners and three straights, designed with a street-circuit feel to
encourage thrilling racing.
Across the weekend, Williams Racing will be hosting activities at two
locations in The Magic City for fans to enjoy. At 846 Lincoln Road, the
team’s exclusive Miami collection will be available to shop, alongside
our FW44 show car and Williams Esports Rigs. Fans can also expect
appearances from Nicholas Latifi and Alex Albon, as well as Jost Capito
and Logan Sargeant.
The team will also be at the
W South Beach from 5-8th May, where our spectacular graffiti-livered
FW41 will be on display, designed by contemporary artist, SURGE.
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance:
A new circuit always a presents an exciting challenge to the drivers and
engineers. Although the drivers will learn the circuit very quickly, the
behaviour of the tyres, the initial ageing of the asphalt and the local
conditions will ensure that there is a lot for the engineers to optimise
throughout the weekend.
The Miami International Autodrome is a new circuit, which features
several long straights, two fast corner sequences and one low-speed
twisty section. This is all within a 5.4km anti-clockwise layout. There
will be compromises to be made between the various sections of the track
and so the team will have quite a task to find the best overall lap
time.
Pirelli have provided compounds from the middle of their range, which is
the same as in Imola. These are expected to suit the circuit layout
quite well, although the exact tyre behaviour will depend on the track
temperature and the chosen setup. It is this interaction between setup
and tyre behaviour that will provide the drivers and engineers the
biggest challenge of the weekend.
The weather looks likely to be hot and sunny with a small chance of
thundery showers, and with the key sessions taking place in the mid to
late afternoon, it could be quite punishing for the cars, tyres and
drivers.
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Nicholas Latifi:
I’m looking forward to getting out to Miami and experiencing a brand-new
event. It’s a really exciting weekend for Formula One and to see the
sport go from strength to strength in the US is great. I’ve only
experienced the track on the simulator, but it seems like a good
combination of slow-speed technical sections and more fast and flowing
elements, so it’ll be an interesting challenge.
Alex
Albon:
It’s very exciting to be heading to Miami; it’s a brand-new track and a
home race for Dorilton. I’ve driven the track in the simulator and my
initial feeling is that it’s going to be very technical with a lot of
different style corners. The venue itself looks incredible, and I’m sure
fans are in for a great weekend. |