F1 Academy Preview: Miami

Meghana Sree
May 2
3 min read

Written by Meghana Sree

Back for Round 3, F1 Academy will race around the high-energy track of the Miami International Autodrome, with a frenzy of excitement accompanying the weekend.

Following a dramatic weekend in Jeddah, which saw Maya Weug take lead of the Drivers’ Championship for the first time in her career, Miami will see the battle resume between our top three championship contenders — Weug, Doriane Pin and Chloe Chambers.

Track Preview

The Miami International Autodrome, first inaugurated in 2022, will undoubtedly provide a unique challenge to the drivers, much different from China and Jeddah previously.

A purpose-built 5.412 km (3.363 mi) track that flows around Hard Rock Stadium, the circuit offers 19 turns and plenty of overtaking opportunities. Turns 8 and 17 have especially proven to be good spots for wheel-to-wheel action in Formula One, and will likely be key opportunities for F1 Academy drivers to capitalise on their chances.

Last Time Out

Jeddah threw many obstacles at the drivers, with the heat and the high-speed high-risk nature of the track being predominant talking points.

Over the course of the weekend, it became clear that consistency would be rewarded as Weug positioned herself at the top after Race 2, and clinched a podium in Race 1 — lifting her to the lead of the championship.

Jeddah also revealed that Pin has work to do to improve her performance, and while her motivation is as strong as ever, she admitted that she needs to “come back stronger” in Miami. The Mercedes driver will undoubtedly be eager to redeem herself this weekend, hoping to take back her lead in the standings.

The Championship

The crucial take away from Jeddah was Weug’s lead in the championship: the Ferrari driver now has a seven-point advantage over Pin.

Pin, who finished with a double podium in Miami last year, has to both hunt ahead and look out for Chambers who is just five points behind her.

Miami will be a turning point for this season as the weekend will either see Weug extend her lead, or Pin or Chambers leap to the top.

Over in the Teams’ Championship, MP Motorsport finds themselves just one point behind Campos Racing in the lead after Weug’s stellar finishes, Alba Larsen’s consistent performance, and Joanne Ciconte’s first F1 Academy points.

Campos Racing will be watching their backs while encouraging their drivers to stay ahead of their rivals to cling on to the championship lead.

Key Stories

Apart from the both the tightly competitive championships, this round’s Wildcard Driver is one to look out for.

Ava Dobson will step into the No.90 Morgan Stanley car, operated by Hitech TGR. This also marks Morgan Stanley joining F1 Academy as its first official financial services partner.

Dobson, the 16-year-old from Milwaukee, is a recipient of the Parella Motorsports Holdings Powering Diversity Scholarship and began her open-wheel racing career in the 2023 Formula 4 US Championship.

Currently she has secured a full-season campaign in the GB4 Championship, and has managed to score points in the first two rounds at Donington Park and Silverstone.

Another highlight of this round is the media attention that the series enjoys, racing alongside F1.

Part of this off-track action was the official release date announcement of F1 Academy’s first ever Netflix docu-series, F1: The Academy. Set to drop on 28th May 2025, the series celebrated its premiere ahead of the Miami racing weekend on Thursday, with plenty of F1 drivers and personalities stopping by to support the launch.

Finally, Miami will be a unique challenge as it’s the first round that will jump straight into the racing weekend, without any form of testing prior. Although it’s a less daunting challenge than Jeddah, it will nevertheless be a trial for the rookies to adapt and maintain their pace throughout the weekend.

With both championships on the line and plenty of action to go around, Miami is a round you won’t want to miss.