After a weekend in the Land of Fire, we’re off to the Magic City. So, replace those fiery Azerbaijan-inspired fits with some sparkly Miami numbers.  

We’ve entered the month of May and after solely standalone races so far this season, we’ve finally got our first double-header. With seven races this month across McLaren Racing, including the Monaco E-Prix, the Monaco Grand Prix, and the Indianapolis 500, it will come as no surprise that this is our favourite time of year.  

As we start hanging up the Month of May decorations and put on some festive music, you can read through our preview for Miami, presented by OKX. It contains all of the key circuit info, some fascinating stats, an outfit guide, and of course, some words of wisdom from Lando, Oscar and Team Principal Andrea Stella.  

Critical info

Round	5
Where	Miami International Autodrome
When	5 - 7 May
Lights out	15:30 local / 20:30 MTC
Follow	The website and the McLaren App for LIVE commentary and team radio

"Miami, it’s good to be back Stateside! The US races are always exciting, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Papaya fans out in full force to create an amazing atmosphere this weekend.  

“The car felt good in Baku, our new upgrades seem to be a step in the right direction, and we achieved the best we could under the circumstances. It’s now time to continue improving race-by-race and finish the double-header on a positive by getting the most we can out of the MCL60 and trying to secure more points for the team.” 

"I’m looking forward to racing in Miami, it’s a new track for me and the atmosphere should be electric with our passionate US fans! It’s another circuit on the calendar that has challenging features, but I’ve prepared well by working hard in the sim. 

“Despite illness, it was great to get into Q3 for the second time this season in Baku. We worked hard throughout the weekend and the new parts made the car feel good. In the race, it was disappointing to miss out on points by one position, but I'm determined to finish the double-header in Miami with another strong showing.” 

The Magic City 

If you thought the Miami International Autodrome was a permanent track, then the designers have done their jobs right. It’s actually temporary street circuit, but it was designed to feel like a permanent, purpose-built track.  

Why not just build a permanent track, then? Well, partly because it is set in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, which is home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and so a permanent circuit would rather get in the way of their fixtures. 

The result is a hybrid, not quite a street circuit, not quite a permanent track, that is comparable to Australia’s Albert Park Circuit, with a variety of sections and multiple action points. Having trialled a mammoth 75 different layouts in various locations for the Miami Grand Prix, F1 settled on the circuit we saw last year, which bends its way around the Hard Rock Stadium at speeds of up to 340km/h.  

Turns 1, 11 and 17 proved best for making a move in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, but overtakes needed to be timed well to come off, as battling turned out to be trickier than anticipated. That’s not to say that there wasn’t any close racing, though, with cars getting bunched up between Turns 11 and 16 – it’s just that actually getting passed at the Turn 17 proved to be easier said than done. 

Last time out  

Lando added two more points to his championship tally in one of F1’s quieter races at the Baku City Circuit. Not for the first time this season, it felt like a case of what could have been, with an ill-timed Safety Car deployed just one lap after Lando had pitted for Hards and only two laps after Oscar’s stop. Several drivers around us still needed to change tyres, so they benefitted from the Safety Car.  

On the other side of the garage, Oscar will have been frustrated not to add more points to his championship tally, but he still managed to pull off P11 in the race, despite feeling unwell all weekend – a mighty impressive effort from the rookie.  

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked the debut of our first upgrades of the 2023 campaign, with a newly installed aero package finally bearing fruit and providing us with a timely injection of pace. More improvements are planned, and they won’t truly be fully felt until later in the year, but it was a positive start, with lots learned. 

Setting the scene  

Where to begin? As grand prix settings go, few, if any, are more vibrant than the Magic City.  

Summer is a year-long event in Miami, with the sun almost always blazing down on a city brimming with colour. From the most glorious white sandy beaches to the neon lights illuminating the famous Miami Tower and the stunning Art Deco district, it’s a city bursting with colourful character.  

Looking for some Miami-inspired dishes to try out? The city’s Cuban heritage means you’re not short of options. A traditional Cuban sandwich would be a great accompaniment to the grand prix, or if you’re after an evening meal, look no further than a Churrasco steak.  

"We left Baku with two points gained on genuine performance merit and pleased with the delivery of the upgrades we fitted. A lot of hard work has been done by the team back at the factory and at the track to make sure this important first step of our plan to upgrade the MCL60 was achieved in time. We head to Miami now to finish the first double-header of the season. We will continue to put in maximum effort to secure a positive result at the Miami International Autodrome this weekend.  

“Miami is another interesting circuit, with hot conditions and risk of rain. It will be the first time for Oscar racing the circuit, but he has prepared extremely well by working hard in the simulator. We know there is a lot of work to do to improve our performance, but we head to America with the aim of delivering another clean race weekend and earning championship points.” 

Set your alarms 

Free Practice 1	11:00 ET / 19:00 BST / 04:00 AET
Free Practice 2	14:30 ET / 22:30 BST / 07:30 AET
Free Practice 3	09:30 ET / 17:30 BST / 02:30 AET
Qualifying	13:00 PT / 21:00 BST / 06:00 AET
Race	12:30 PT / 20:30 BST / 05:30 AET

Stat pack

• The Miami International Autodrome is the 11th venue in the USA to host a round of the Formula 1 World Championship 

• Bruce McLaren took his first F1 victory in Florida, although not in Miami, but at the Sebring International Raceway  

• James Hunt, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, Niki Lauda and John Watson have all won for McLaren in America  

• The circuit is 5.41km long, with 19 corners  

• Each of the 118 pit-wall barrier blocks weighs 6.5 tonnes, which is the same as the combined mass of the Miami Dolphins NFL squad 

The fit: Miami vibes

This is the final boarding call for passengers on the Miami hype express. Please proceed to the McLaren Store immediately. The final fit checks are being completed, and the captain will order for the doors to close.  

For regular readers of our previews, you’ll have already seen us calling out our Mitchell & Ness Miami range, but we’d hate for you to miss it, so we’re giving the sports-themed drop another shout-out, for those who may have missed our Azerbaijan preview.   

The legendary Mitchell & Ness have knocked it out of the park with their latest McLaren drop, releasing a range of Miami-inspired sportswear that includes baseball and basketball jerseys and some distinctly floral Miami shorts and some streetwear-style tees.