Miami Grand Prix could be a LOTTERY as F1 tyre chief reveals rain fears

The Bahrain GP kicks off the eagerly-awaited 2023 F1 season — Photo: © LAT Images

Miami Grand Prix

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Miami Grand Prix could be a LOTTERY as F1 tyre chief reveals rain fears

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Saturday 6 May 2023 09:57

Sunday's Miami Grand Prix could become a lottery if the potential for rain spices up proceedings at F1's biggest race of the year so far.

The weather in south Florida was perfect on Friday as free practice got under way, but the forecast for Sunday is very different with a much higher chance of rain.

F1 tyre chief Mario Isola - Motorsport Director for Pirelli - says the teams arrived in south Florida already with a "massive unknown" about the surface on the Miami International Autodrome track. And rain would completely throw any plans out of the window.

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He told Italian TV: ”If it rains on Sunday, the race will be a surprise. In the case of rain, it will become very slippery and with little grip. If we see a storm like the one here a couple of weeks ago, it will be hard to see them driving.

"With the data we have and without the rain, the race can do with just one stop and hard-medium tyres.”

Which teams are adapting best in Miami?

Isola elaborated on how the track is evolving after the initial practice sessions on Friday, and pinpointed which teams have adapted the best.

“We arrived in Miami with a massive unknown on the track," he said.

"There is a bit of graning in the soft and almost nothing in the medium. The track continues to evolve, and the drivers go faster and faster during free practice. This new asphalt does not favour overtaking because it remains very dirty on the sides. They also shortened the Pit lane, and the pit stop could be less, making the race more competitive.

”Red Bull-Aston Martin and Mercedes have figured out how to use the tires; for this, they are faster in the race. But Ferrari is struggling a little bit more. They went in two different directions.”