What really happened with Miami’s F1 track surface

The unique surface did not win over many fans among the drivers, with some claiming that the racing suffered because it was so dirty offline that they could not risk overtaking moves.

But while things were certainly far from ideal, and improvements will no doubt be sought for F1’s return next year, in the end the race was not as bad as some drivers like Sergio Perez had feared.

In fact, Fernando Alonso actually spotted how much more grip there was than expected at the outside of Turn 1 on the drivers’ parade, prompting his first corner surge. Later on Charles Leclerc was caught out by Max Verstappen being able to brake so late there later on when the Red Bull driver took the lead.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff felt the nature of the surface – and even some repairs that were needed over the weekend – had been good for the spectacle.

“Even the track breaking, Turn 17 for example, gave great racing,” he said. “It was very difficult to brake into Turn 17.

“If you lost the line then you lost a position or two, and it’s clear that the drivers will say: ‘well that’s not optimal.’ But for racing and entertainment it was great stuff. It’s exactly what it should be.

“It’s almost like a trick gravel bed that you need to put in there to make for exciting action. All in all, I would say for a first event, nine out of 10.”

An unusual surface for F1

What stood out for many is that F1’s other new circuits – like Jeddah – have delivered surfaces that have produced great grip and no problems through their inaugural events.

Comparisons with Jeddah need to be cautioned, however, because it is a night race that takes pace in cooler conditions that automatically offer much better surface grip.

Miami’s track temperatures were some of the highest we’ve ever seen in F1, so the feel of it for the drivers was always going to be different.

There were questions prompted though about why Miami had not used the same materials as…