08/05/2022
NEWS STORY
An iconic skyline, a rhythm that's going to get you, Art Deco architecture and beautiful people... Miami has it all. However, according to Sergio Perez and his driver colleagues, the surface of its new race track is a joke.
From the outset, the drivers have complained about the fact that going even slightly offline leads to a lack of grip that is likely to make overtaking nigh impossible.
Indeed, despite repairs almost every night of the race weekend, Sergio Perez believes that the standard of the track surface is a joke.
"The surface is a joke," said the Mexican. "The racing is going to be difficult and you're going to have the drivers making mistakes because we've been put into this situation."
"The tarmac is not F1 standard," agrees two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. "There's gravel off-line, it's going to be difficult.
"There's nothing we can do," adds the Spaniard. "This weekend we need to put on the show, but this has to change for next year. It's very difficult to race like this."
"You literally have to just stay on that one line," admits Daniel Ricciardo. "Otherwise, you're not really on the track anymore. So instead of kind of making it a kind of a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit, in a way, like one-dimensional, because you only have kind of option of that one line where a little bit of rubber is building up. So I don't want to lie and say I like the surface.
"I'm totally OK with not having the same thing all twenty-three places we go," he added. "I'm OK to have points of difference to make some circuits unique and have their own character. But in saying that, this isn't a nice surface to drive on. It's not that it's just like, 'oh, it's challenging', it's just you literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise you're not really on the track anymore.
"So instead of making it a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit one dimensional because you only have that one option of that one line where there is a little bit of rubber building up."
"On the racing line it's not bad grip, it's reasonable-ish," agreed McLaren teammate Lando Norris. "It's just very hot, which makes it feel even worse. The fact is just offline it's really, really terrible.
"We come to the races, and there's so many fans here, and everyone expects such an amazing race. So when you come to it, and then they're trying something new with the surface, and something they've not really done before, then I think we end up in a position like we are.
"You don't want everyone to be exactly the same, every track, you like the differences, you like them to be unique. But when there's so much expectation, and you want good racing, and you want us to provide good racing and entertainment and everything, and then there's a surface, which they're trying and they just kind of winging it in a way to see what it's going to be like.
"It's not good enough, because then we can't do what they require, we can't put on a good show. We can't race. It's not our fault, but it's a shame."
Still, there's always the vibe and the Margaritas.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Miami, here.