MIAMI.- The Miami Grand Prix will be held in three dates, the sixth round of the 2024 Formula 1 world championship out of a total of 24, and it is most likely that Surfloridans will see a spectacular battle between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.
After three races have been held, the table of drivers and manufacturers is very tight with a fight between the leader Max Verstappen, of Red Bull, with 51 points; Charles Leclerc, of Ferrari; with 47, Sergio Pérez (RB) 46 and Carlos Sainz (F) 40.
At the start of the 2024 season, in Bahrain, three-time champion Verstappen and Pérez occupied the first two places, in that order, and Carlos Sainz third place. That podium was repeated in Saudi Arabia, but with LeClerc instead of Sainz in third place.
The big surprise came at the Australian Grand Prix when Verstappen, with 21 podiums in 22 races and 19 victories last season, abandoned due to a brake problem in his car and the Spanish Sainz took the victory followed by Leclerc and In third place was the British Lando Norris.
That victory was fundamental for the Prancing Horse team and its team leader Frederic Vasseur assured that they found the formula to be competitive against the Red Bulls, who until before Australia seemed unbeatable.
“The result (in Australia) gave us confidence because we can put Red Bull under pressure,” said Vasseur. “And when they are under pressure they can make mistakes, so we have to continue in that direction.”
The resurrection of Ferrari is positive for Formula 1. In 2023, Red Bull won 21 of the 22 races and that took away the excitement of the championship. Now, the start has been more even and the Italian team is very motivated to fight for first place and not console itself with being second.
“We've built our confidence over the last month and this is a continuation of what happened in the latter part of last year's season,” Vasseur said. “In Australia we align the stars, but this is not going to be possible on all dates.”
Vasseur believes that Ferrari has finally found the car that can perform throughout the season.
“We have taken a step forward,” said the Ferrari team leader. “We are much better than last year, we are more consistent, the car seems easier to drive, to follow the driver's instructions and, consequently, easier to develop. I think that is the biggest step we have taken compared to last year.”
In any case it won't be plain sailing for Ferrari. During 2023, Red Bull engineers focused on preparing their cars for the 2024 season and despite this they won all but one of the races for which they were only preparing.
Now they have lost one only on the third round of the season, however in 2023 they lost their first and only time in September in the Singapore Grand Prix won by Sainz on the fifteenth round of the world championship.
After the previous race of this campaign, on March 24 in Australia, the cars will roar again on April 7 at the Japanese Grand Prix. Immediately afterwards, the fifth date of the season will take place in China and from there the circus will cross the seas for the Miami Grand Prix.
Among the great attractions announced for the big day from May 3 to 5 on the Hard Rock Stadium road course is Marc Anthony, who will perform the United States National Anthem before the race; Grammy Award-winning superstar Ed Sheeran will be one of the artists performing at this event and DJ John Summit will make fans dance.
The framework is prepared to be completed with the battle that the Red Bulls, the Ferraris and the other cars that will fight to shine in South Florida can offer.
Upcoming races, including Miami:
Date Place
04/05-07 Japanese GP
04/19-21 Chinese GP
05/03-05 Miami GP
05/17-19 Italian GP
05/24-26 Monaco GP
Positions
Teams Points
1 Red Bull Racing 97
2 Ferrari 93
3 McLaren 55
4 Mercedes Benz 26
5 Aston Martin 25
6 Vis Cash App RB 6
7 Haas F1 Team 4
8 Williams 0
9 Kick Sauber 0
10 Alpine 10
Drivers Team Points
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 51
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 47
3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 46
4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 40
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 28
6 Lando Norris McLaren 27
7 George Russell Mercedes 18
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 16
9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 9
10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 8
