By Carlo Platella
There is one symbolic image left over from the 2023 edition of the Miami Grand Prix. In qualifying Charles Leclerc attacks the curbs of the initial snake, but his Ferrari does not properly cushion the descent, bouncing against the ground and then crosses and ends up on the wall. Verstappen’s Red Bull, on the other hand, cuts the curbs with even greater determination but without showing signs of getting upset, and then still maneuvers with agility in the slow central sector. A dynamic emblematic of the rewarding qualities in Florida.
The eternal compromise
On the occasion of the last Miami Grand Prix, on these same pages we wrote that the aerodynamic load had a cost, but not for Red Bull. The Florida route in fact places particular emphasis onaeromechanics, the search for a compromise between the mechanical grip of the suspension and the aerodynamic load with a view to achieving the best lap time. In Miami, the fast corners of the first sector require a high level of aerodynamic load from the bottom, an objective which requires stiffening the suspension to stabilize the ride height during travel. Conversely, the technical second sector, a toboggan made up of changes in slope, hill descents and low-speed hairpin bends, rewards softer mechanics, better suited to optimizing traction and digesting the roughness of the asphalt.
For years now, Red Bull has been making a difference precisely in this aspect, a quality that tends to become more evident in Miami. In 2023, the RB19s of Perez and Verstappen handled the curves of the first sector well, stiff enough to cushion the descent from curbs and stabilize the surface, but not too much to compromise their ride in the slow second sector. An advantage that also brings with it benefits in tire management, without tiring the rear axle in the traction phases when exiting slow corners and with such an advantage in the initial corners that you can lift your foot, taking care of the front tyres. A superiority which on paper promises to be even more evident in the upcoming edition, considering 2024 Red Bull has improved especially in the slow cornerswhere instead Ferrari has lost its luster in favor of other priorities.
The Red Bull window
A varied track like that of Miami requires many set-up compromises, having to sequentially face a large initial serpentine with high-traffic curves and high curbs, a slow central section and the two extensions in the final sector. The difficulty lies in satisfying all the requestswithout the car losing its magical balance between mechanics, aerodynamic load and balance. Something in which Red Bull is the undisputed master, considering how the development of the 2024 car and the Suzuka updates went precisely with a view to expanding its operating window.
The RB20 does not grow in absolute aerodynamic load, but in versatility, leveraging an increasingly wider spectrum of adjustments in which it can express its full potential. A quality that already distinguished the world champions in 2023, but in which Red Bull never stops improving, explaining their dominance at this start of the season. In Jeddah and Melbourne the Ferrari has shown that it can approach the RB20 in terms of absolute potential, with the difficulty rather of expressing it repetitively. Something that Red Bull manages with less difficulty and which proves particularly valuable on intense Sprint weekends, such as the one in Miami.
Low degradation race
With three straights and as many DRS activation zones, the Hard Rock Stadium track is highly sensitive to drag, imposing medium-low load aerodynamic configurations. All this, combined with an asphalt with poor grip, limits the lateral accelerations that can be achieved in corners, among the lowest of the entire start of the championship. Together with the low level of abrasiveness of the road surface, this results in a mix of characteristics that reduces tire degradation experienced in the race. Also for this reason the winning strategy is generally a single stop, allowing you to travel at high speeds. On the other hand, the same characteristics of the road surface limit the temperature of the tire on the flying lap in qualifying, an aspect in which Ferrari continues to struggle.
The compounds chosen by Pirelli for the event are the same as the last edition, namely C2, C3 and C4 which correspond to the intermediate range. No anomalies are reported regarding the static inflation pressures, set at 25 psi and 21 psi for the front and rear respectively. Miami is also a track full of violent braking, classified by Brembo with a severity of 3 out of 5 for the braking system. Of the three braking sections exceeding 4 g of deceleration, the sharp braking at turn 17 at the end of the home straight stands out, with a peak of 4.7 g and almost 150 kg of load on the pedal.
Waiting for McLaren
Red Bull starts as the undisputed favorite for victory at the Hard Rock Stadium, where particular attention will also be paid to McLaren. In Shanghai the Woking team prevailed with Lando Norris in the Ferrari, grabbing second place overall. In Florida we are awaiting the response from the Cavallino, which in all likelihood suffered from ineffective choices regarding the set-up in China, but McLaren will not stand by and watch. The first updates to the floor and bodywork will arrive on the MCL38initially foreseen on the launch version and which will complete the starting base of the English single-seater.
On a low degradation track, Aston Martin and Alonso could worry the trio of leading teams more than usual and not just in qualifying. Mercedes instead it aims to continue the learning path with the W15, taking advantage of a track that will expose all the limits of a car with a particularly narrow operating window. The duel will also be interesting Haas-Racing Bulls for sixth place as manufacturers, both on the track and in the update challenge that is about to get underway.
