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Formula 1 takes on a new challenge on Sunday with the Miami Grand Prix.
The 20 drivers in the field will attack a 3.5-mile course set up around Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
The track may be new to the F1 circuit, but the storylines attached to the race are not.
Ferrari and Red Bull are expected to be in a battle for first place and the podium spots once again. All four cars from the two manufacturers landed in the top qualifying spots.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz landed the first two spots on the grid. The Ferraris barely beat out the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
The top four starters had six-hundredths of a second between them in their best lap times in the final round of Saturday’s qualifying.
Ferrari and Red Bull have the power to outclass the rest of the field, but they need some finesse from their drivers around the circuit to win.
The Miami circuit leaves little room for error. One bad turn, or a bump into the barrier could end a driver’s day quickly.
Miami Grand Prix Info
Date: Sunday, May 8
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ESPN.com and ESPN app
Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Charles Leclerc (-140; bet $140 to win $100)
Max Verstappen (+165; bet $100 to win $165)
Carlos Sainz (+750)
Sergio Perez (+2200)
Lewis Hamilton (+3500)
George Russell (+8000)
Lando Norris (+8000)
Valtteri Bottas (+8000)
Top Storylines
How Will Miami Circuit Drive Over Full Race?
The Miami circuit brings a brand-new challenge to the 20-driver field.
It could be the great equalizer for the other eight teams looking to chase down Ferrari and Red Bull, or it may be mastered by the two teams that have separation in the standings.
The returns from qualifying suggest that a handful of other contenders could emerge to challenge the Ferrari and Red Bull racers.
Charles Leclerc’s pole-winning time was 1.2 seconds faster than the best lap of Yuki Tsunoda, who begins the race in ninth.
The top eight drivers on the grid laid down top lap times within a second of Leclerc’s 1:28.796 in the third qualifying session.
Ferrari and Red Bull could display more power on Sunday, but for now, it looks like there is not a wide gap in lap times.
That could make for an exciting first few laps off the grid before the championship leaders gain separation from the pack.
The design of the Miami course could pose some challenges as well as the race goes on. There are a few sets of winding turns that lead into DRS (drag reduction system) zones and can aid passing throughout the course.
None of the drivers were thrown off guard by the course design in practice and qualifying, but it could become more of a storyline in the early laps as they get used to racing head-to-head on a new circuit.
Can Anyone Break the Ferrari & Red Bull Dominance At Top?
Ferrari and Red Bull alternated victories in the first four races of the season.
Leclerc won the opening race of the season in Bahrain and he took first in Australia, while Verstappen won in Saudi Arabia and at Imola in Italy last race out.
Leclerc and Carlos Sainz produced an all-Ferrari front row in qualifying. Verstappen and Sergio Perez will not be far behind them on the all-Red Bull second row.
George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris all landed podium finishes behind the Ferrari and Red Bull drivers in the first four faces, but no other team cracked the top two.
Hamilton is lurking on the starting grid in sixth. A fast start for him could lead to some early passes and a potential run at the top two.
Hamilton has gone through some struggles in his Mercedes. He produced a season-worst 13th place finish two weeks ago at Imola.
Russell has been the more consistent Mercedes driver. He is the only F1 driver with four top-five finishes this season.
Russell must work up from the 12th position and he may need a different pit strategy to undercut the leaders and land on the podium.
McLaren is the only other manufacturer to produce a podium finish. Norris is in better form than teammate Daniel Ricciardo and he could be a driver to watch from eighth, if he gets around Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas on the start.
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