Can the Miami GP circuit give us a good race?

It was only last week when Formula 1 announced they were adding Miami to the calendar. The first race will kick off next year, and we have a general idea of its layout. The question now is this, does it have the potential to give the fans an exciting and entertaining race? To answer that question, let's take a virtual tour of the track

Upon first impressions, the track seems a little narrow. We reckon overtaking will be tough like in most street circuits. The first series of corners consist of a sharp right-hander, followed by a series of S-bends. The first potential overtaking spot we see is a sharp left before heading into more S-bends. With not much in the way of runoff zones, it might get a little dicey there.

It seems that Miami will have one of the fastest straights in next year's calendar. Like most tracks with a long straight, there is a hairpin right at the end, creating another potential overtaking opportunity. After that, it's long, sweeping switchbacks followed by a chicane that reminds us of the notorious Singapore Sling from the early 2010s. The middle section of the track gets rather narrow again and the field zooms off to another long straight.

Unsurprisingly, there is another hairpin at the end of that long straight. Past that, it's the penultimate series of corners with sausage kerbs that threaten to throw off the drivers. The last turn is a gentle right-hander towards the finish line. In some ways, the track reminds us of Singapore, Baku, Sochi, and Valencia. Singapore and Baku have given us several exciting races over the years. However, Valencia and Sochi are not exactly loved by Formula 1 fans, particularly the latter.

There have been mixed reactions about the track so far. Some say it's too narrow, while others say it presents limited overtaking opportunities. However, you have to remember that next year's cars will run with less downforce and have larger rims, making it more tricky to handle but more entertaining for us to watch. Of course, we will reserve our judgment until we see the cars on track next year.