Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix
Location: Miami, Fla.
Course: Miami International Autodrome
Course Length: 5.41km
Laps: 57
Miami Grand Prix Preview
McLaren has maintained its dominance and speed advantage through the early portions of the season, though Oscar Piastri surprisingly has the upper hand over Lando Norris. Norris will look to regain the momentum in the early chase for the Drivers Championship as he returns to the course where he earned his first F1 victory almost exactly one year ago.
The hierarchy remains unclear behind McLaren, but we've seen a few drivers emerge from the top teams to consistently fight for podium finishes and even wins in Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
That parity continues into the midfield. It's still early, but a fun battle has emerged between Williams and Haas for fifth in the constructor standings. Both consistently execute well and make strong strategy calls to contend for points. Over time, Williams should gain an advantage due to its strong driver pairing, but neither team has separated itself yet.
Key Stats at Miami International Autodrome
- Races: 3
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 2
- Winners from top-10 starters: 3
Previous Race Winners
2024 – Lando Norris
2023- Max Verstappen
2022 Max Verstappen
Miami International Autodrome Track Preview
Miami is still one of the newer circuits to F1 but both drivers and fans have gained some familiarity with the layout. The defining features three fairly long straights that conclude in sharp turns at Turns 1, 11 and 17, which are both passing zones and opportunities for drivers to make significant mistakes.
There are also some unique factors to the race. For the second straight year, Miami is the site of a sprint race. That means only one practice session occurs before the sprint shootout, sprint race and traditional qualifying.
In addition, teams have been supplied with a softer set of tires for this year relative to past races. Between that and the anticipation of very high temperatures (83 degrees on race day), we could see some teams try two-step strategies for the first time.
DraftKings Value Picks (Based on $50k Salary Cap)
Tier 1 Values
Oscar Piastri - $13,000
Lando Norris- $12,600
Max Verstappen- $12,000
Tier 2 Values
George Russell - $10,800
Charles Leclerc- $10,400
Tier 3 Values
Kimi Antonelli- $7,800
Alex Albon -$5,400
Pierre Gasly-$5,200
Tier 4 Values
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $5,000
Isack Hadjar - $4,400
Nico Hulkenberg-$4,200
Oliver Bearman - $4,000
Esteban Ocon - $3,800
Formula 1 DFS Picks for Miami Grand Prix
Captain – Charles Leclerc - $15,600
George Russell- $10,800
Pierre Gasly - $5,200
Isack Hadjar - $4,400
Esteban Ocon- $3,800
Constructor- Ferrari - $10,000
Pricing has gotten very tight, leaving two pretty clear choices for builds. The first is picking the preferred option between Norris and Piastri and then stacking them with another elite constructor. Norris is the cheaper of the two, but stacking he and McLaren together leaves only $4,025 average salary per remaining slot. Only six drivers have a salary below that mark, leaving a very narrow window to build that way.
The preferable option is likely to find a spot to pay down and build a more balanced lineup. One way is to build through one of the other top contending teams, as done in the sample lineup. Leclerc and Russell are my top choices because they have an advantage over their teammate but both drivers should score points for the constructor.
Another alternative would be to pay down only at constructor, meaning pairing Norris or Piastri with Williams. Due to the quality of the Williams driver lineup, they should most consistently have two drivers in the points among teams in the midfield.
As for the midfield, prioritizing drivers likely to pick up the five DK points by beating their opponent makes sense. Those drivers would be Gasly, Hadjar, and Hulkenberg. Both Haas drivers are decent options. Ocon is the boom-bust option (nine or more points in three races but four fewer in the other two), while Bearman has provided a steady five to seven points.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the Miami Grand Prix
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:00 AM ET Saturday
Sprint Race Winner - Kimi Antonelli (+225)
Race Winner - Lando Norris (+175)
Podium Finish – George Russell (+175), Charles Leclerc (+500)
Top-10 Finish – Isack Hadjar (-130), Yuki Tsunoda (+145)
Antonelli was a surprise pole winner for the sprint but still has more favorable odds than Piastri. In a traditional race, I'd back Piastri to find a way to win. However, with only 19 laps, Antonelli's biggest problem will be staying ahead on the opening turn.
My other favorite bets include the podium and top-10 finishers. Mercedes looks to have the upper hand over Ferrari early on in the weekend, but things change rapidly and Leclerc provides strong value. Russell is certainly the safer option.
Tsunoda could be a big riser after qualifying. His sprint qualifying was poor, but the performance was blamed on miscommunication. He's reached Q3 in two of three races. If he does so again, his price won't be +145 to score points.
Hadjar has hung around the points all season and was quick in sprint qualifying, which bodes well for the rest of the weekend.
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