Formula 1 is bringing the heat to Miami.
The inaugural Miami GP is scheduled to get underway this week, and the track lends itself to pure speed: With three DRS zones, F1 drivers are set to hit top speeds of 200 mph numerous times throughout the track.
The Miami GP is one that’s been years in the making, with race organizers originally hoping to get the circuit done through and around Miami, racing along the beachfront. When plans for that fell through, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross secured the race to take place around Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Dolphins, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
While the track, unfortunately, doesn’t run through the stadium or around the famed landscape of South Beach, they tried their best to recreate some Miami scenery with the track features.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Miami International Autodrome:
MORE: Full TV schedule for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix
Formula 1 Miami track map
The official track map features 19 corners and three DRS zones, and sits at a length of just over 3 1/2 miles. The race will go 57 laps.
Get to know the Miami International Autodrome 👀🏎💨 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/pHrcJT8X77
— F1 Miami Grand Prix (@f1miami) April 12, 2022
Formula 1 Miami track details
Named the Miami International Autodrome, the temporary circuit is based in Miami Gardens, Fla., and circles the exterior of Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
Check out the CGI render of a lap around the circuit here:
Some more details on the track:
- 3.363 miles (5.412 KM)
- 19 corners;
- Three DRS zones;
- Expected average speed around 139 mph, with top speeds maxing out around 200 mph on the straight (DRS Zone 1).
Outside of the DRS zones, the track doesn’t look like it will have a lot of opportunities for overtaking, but Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas said, following a simulator test of the circuit, that the track could have plenty of opportunities for overtaking.
We’ll see come Sunday.
In addition to the track itself, it features some other gaudy details, including a makeshift “Yacht Club” (featuring very lifelike looking “water”) with dry-docked boats inside of Turns 6, 7 and 8.
NEW: @craigslatersky experiences the Yacht Club at Miami!! 💧 🛥 #F1 #MiamiGP
— FormulaNerds 🤓🏁 (@Formula_Nerds) May 3, 2022
You can check out further details of the track here:
How much did construction cost?
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross funded the $40 million custom track and contributed to other associated race costs, according to the Miami Herald.
