2022 Miami Grand Prix Predictions & Race Preview
Track Preview
The fifth race in Formula 1 2022 season will be held in Miami and will be run on a track designed around “Hard Rock Stadium”. This will be the premiere edition of the Miami Grand Prix. The race was supposed to take place last year, but it was postponed for 12 months.
The contract between Miami Grand Prix and Formula 1 is signed for 10 years. A month ago, it was announced that Las Vegas will host the race from next season, so the United States will have three races per season starting from 2023.
The course length is 5,412 kilometers and the scheduled distance is 57 laps. This track in Miami will have 19 corners and three DRS zones. Because of DRS power, Turns 1, 11, and 17 will be the best overtaking spots. Maximum speed is predicted to be around 320km/h with almost 59% of the lap at full throttle.
Red Bull should be the fastest, but both Ferrari’s is starting from the front row
In the first four races of the season, we had two different winners. Charles Leclerc won the Grand Prix in Bahrain and Australia, while Max Verstappen was first in Jeddah and Imola.
Red Bull had a lot of problems with reliability, so Verstappen had to retire in two races in which he did not win. Because of that, Leclerc already have 27 points more in the championship.
The fact is that Red Bull currently has a better pace than Ferrari and the configuration of the track in Miami should suit them better. It seemed that Verstappen would be in pole position, but due to a mistake in the preparation lap, he didn’t start his final fast lap in time. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz used that and made it an all-Ferrari front row.
IT’S POLE POSITION FOR @Charles_Leclerc AT THE FIRST-EVER #MIAMIGP‼️ pic.twitter.com/YYHFCpb0K6
— F1 Miami Grand Prix (@f1miami) May 7, 2022
Leclerc drove the fastest lap (1:28.796) and his teammate Sainz will be in the front row with him. Red Bull drivers (Verstappen and Perez) will start from the second row and it is realistic that the mentioned four drivers will fight again for the first four positions, just as it has been the case every time so far this season.
As for the rest of the caravan, Lewis Hamilton was sixth in qualifying behind his former teammate Valtteri Bottas. Alpha Tauri had the best qualifying session of the season as Pierre Gasly finished seventh and Yuki Tsunoda ninth.
Prediction
Pick: Carlos Sainz podium (top3) finish – YES
Odds: 1.61
Bookmaker: Bet365
Carlos Sainz didn’t had any luck so far this season. In the last two races, he had to retire and there is no room for error anymore.
He finished second in qualifying, which gives him a great starting position. Two weeks ago, Sainz signed a new two-year contract with Ferrari so big pressure was lifted from him.
If there are no technical problems on his Ferrari, he should reach the podium in this race, and the braver ones can bet that he will end up in the top 2.
Tips & Advices
Pick: Vettel will be higher placed than Stroll
Odds: 2.00
After missing races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due because of coronavirus, Sebastian Vettel is slowly getting in form. He finished in eighth place in Imola and won first points this season.
His teammate Lance Stroll is considered one of the weakest drivers on the grid, but he did a better job than Vettel in qualifying for Miami Grand Prix. Stroll will start from 10th position and Vettel will start from 13th position, but very easily the German can be better placed after the first corner already.
Pick: Under 16.5 Classified Drivers
Odds: 1.72
Since this is the first edition of the Miami Grand Prix, mistakes are possible. Looking at the configuration of the track, there are several critical turns, and it can very easily happen that a couple of drivers finish the race after the first turn.
In the first four races, we didn’t have a lot of incidents in the first corner and maybe it’s the time right now for that to be the case.
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