1 - 3 May 2026
MIAMI GRAND PRIX ROUND 6
Miami International Autodrome
- FP1Fri 1 May16:3017:30
- Sprint QualiFri 1 May20:3021:15
- SprintSat 2 May16:0017:00
- QualifyingSat 2 May20:0021:00
- RaceSun 3 May20:0022:00
SECTORS
TURNS
FIRST GP
2022
LAPS
57
CIRCUIT LENGTH
5.412
DISTANCE
308.326
The Magic city
Known for its white sandy beaches, vibrant art deco and glorious sunshine, Miami became the 11th different US venue to host a Formula 1 race in 2022.
The city itself was a first for McLaren, so we arrived with no prior success to speak of, but we did have previous in Florida. Driving for Cooper, our founder Bruce McLaren clinched his maiden F1 victory at the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring.
That’s no longer the case, however, with Lando Norris notching a historic and emotional maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix win at the Miami International Autodrome in 2024. Oscar followed this up with a second win at the track for McLaren in 2025, marking his third win in as many races.
Described as a temporary circuit with a permanent feel, action takes place over 19-turns on the Hard Rock Stadium-based street circuit in Miami Gardens. The 5.412km course curves around the home of the city’s NFL outfit, the Miami Dolphins.Â
The circuit has a top speed of roughly 340km/h and three DRS zones, which create three possible overtaking opportunities. The first comes at the start of the lap, at Turn 1, following the 400-metre-long pit-straight. The following two are both left-handers, the first at Turn 11 after a DRS straight and the second at Turn 17, which follows the tight and twisting Turns 11-16 sequence, where cars are bunched up ahead of the circuit’s longest straight.Â
The circuit is mainly flat, with only a few elevation changes, such as the uphill approach into the chicane at Turns 14 and 15, before cars head back downhill into Turn 17.Â
Welcome to Miami! 🇺🇸
Get to know
more
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.Â
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.
Stuck for conversation with your F1-loving friends? Spark up a discussion with our F1 icebreaker…
Each of the 118 pit-wall barrier blocks weighs 6.5 tonnes, roughly the same as the combined mass of the Miami Dolphins NFL squad.
Looking back on 2025
