2023 F1 Miami GP: Top 5 bold predictions

The second edition of the F1 Miami GP has come too early for a few teams and drivers. Reeling and exhausted after the sprint weekend format in Baku, quite a few teams and drivers left Azerbaijan frustrated with how things panned out.

This weekend we will be in Miami, a track that made its debut last season amongst massive fanfare. The second iteration is expected to be more of the same as F1 tries to capture the US market as well as it possibly could.

Having said that, what can we expect on F1's first of three visits to the United States this season? Well, let's take a look!

#1 Max Verstappen wins the 2023 F1 Miami GP

Max Verstappen's loss against Sergio Perez at Baku has been put under the microscope quite a bit and there have been a few that felt the Red Bull driver was a bit distracted in the race weekend.

The gap between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez has been cut to only six points and effectively the driver that comes out on top of these two races will lead the championship.

We all know how good Sergio Perez is but we also know how brilliant Max Verstappen is. For the 2023 F1 Miami GP, we're backing Max Verstappen to put together a statement-making performance where he not only beats his teammate but dominates him to win the race.

#2 The racing would be much better as compared to Baku

The racing or the lack of it at Baku surprised quite a few viewers as traditionally the track has not produced duds. The racing has often been quite interesting and kept the fans engaged. This time around, the two races in Baku this time around were anything but that.

What surprised the fans was the contrast with the race at Albert Park, where wheel-to-wheel racing was markedly better. One of the factors that played a role was the reduced DRS zone in Baku and it was succinctly pointed out by quite a few drivers. FIA should have learned its lesson and even though the initial intention was to reduce the DRS zone for the 2023 F1 Miami GP by 75m, in all likelihood that won't happen.

The racing in Miami last season was decent. Not spectacular, but still decent enough. This weekend as well, expect a return to normalcy as FIA's unnecessary tinkering of the DRS zones will be put on the back burner.

#3 Alpine will have a much better weekend

Alpine has the speed to be a consistent points scorer in races. The team has, however, been unable to hook everything up in the races and secure a strong result. The only time in the first four races where they were able to accomplish that was in Jeddah where they scored points with both drivers.

At the 2023 F1 Miami GP, the weekend is expected to be straightforward and with new upgrades in place and plenty of time to study and analyze them, expect the team to find its sweet spot and score decent points this weekend.

#4 Tire degradation might catch a few teams out

Unlike the races in Baku, Australia, or even Jeddah, where tire degradation has been non-existent, expect the 2023 F1 Miami GP to feature some degradation. The tire temps on a track like this with ambient temperatures expected to be quite high can lend a hand to thermal degradation of the tires.

When that happens, we're heading towards a potential two-stop territory, and in that case, teams like Aston Martin and Red Bull, who tend to look after their tires the best will hold an advantage. Tire degradation has been a variable that hasn't played a major role this season in any which way. This might change at the 2023 F1 Miami GP.

#5 McLaren and AlphaTauri might struggle to replicate Baku's performance

Both McLaren and AlphaTauri were very impressive in Baku and both teams secured points in the race. They were, however, flattered by the kind of troubles both Alpine and Haas faced on Friday. Due to the issues faced by these two teams, those that were potentially contenders for points were anyway wiped out.

At the 2023 F1 Miami GP, that is not going to happen and the race could feature a closer battle in the midfield. To add to this, the characteristics were partly responsible for AlphaTauri's and McLaren's strong performances at Baku. It would be a bit tough to replicate the same performance from both teams at Miami.