Miami F1 track surface like driving on intermediate tyres, says Perez

After the asphalt started to break up during the inaugural running of the race last season, F1 organisers tasked Hard Rock Stadium and grand prix managing director Tom Garfinkel with relaying the circuit.

The renowned Tilke company was called to lay the fresh asphalt.

That new surface helped Max Verstappen top FP2 on Friday morning with a lap record. His 1m27.93s effort beat his 2022 pole time by 1.134s, although car development has also contributed to the gain.

Despite the improvement in performance, drivers complained about a lack of grip throughout Friday practice. Perez, who ran to fourth in the second session, likened it to running on intermediate tyres.

The Azerbaijan winner said: “The conditions out there are very low grip, especially in FP1.
“It felt like inter conditions pretty much. We were measuring wet conditions to inter conditions. 

“I think the conditions [are why he is struggling]. Getting a read on these low-grip conditions, especially with the things that we've tried on FP1.”

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing speaks to the media

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz / Motorsport Images

Mercedes driver George Russell, who set the pace in first practice, reckoned the asphalt left Miami as a “true outlier” and unlike anything else on the calendar.

He said: “We’ll go into Sunday a bit of an unknown with the track being resurfaced.

“It's still not performing like any other circuit. So, it's a true outlier here, which is cool in some regards.

Amid complaints over too few overtakes in the opening rounds of the campaign that have left viewers to comment on dull races, drivers have predicted that trend to continue in Miami.

At a track where there were 45 passes last season, drivers have pointed to the lack of grip off the racing line and the Pirelli tyres dropping marbles.

Russell continued: “It can be really difficult to race because you can't drive off-line.

“You’ve seen with a few people, myself included, you put one wheel off and there's no grip whatsoever.”

Drivers do however expect a strong rate of track evolution and for the grip to improve throughout the weekend, but it currently remains “tricky and nasty”, per Nico Hulkenberg, who lost the rear to hit the wall in FP1.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton added: “The grip is really quite low on this new circuit.

“It's interesting to see some of the offs. It is slippery, particularly for the rear end.

“A lot of sliding for a lot of people and including me, and so lots of overheating of the tyres.

“We're just trying to find that balance that keeps the tyres somehow in the right spot, but they're generally always over the peak of the temperatures.”