Pre Race
Miami means action!
After a two-week break following the season’s first triple-header, Nico Hulkenberg is back on track as the sixth round of the 2025 championship takes place this weekend. This time, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber heads to the Sunshine State for the second Sprint event of the 2025 Formula One season – with the Miami Grand Prix shaping up to be yet another high-intensity weekend!
“It’s great to be back in Miami. I have enjoyed racing here over the past few years. There’s a special atmosphere around this unique venue all weekend long, which makes it even more exciting. I like the rhythm of the circuit, and Sprint weekends here are always extra spicy – there’s no easing into it: you jump straight into qualifying mode after just one practice session, so it’s key to get the car in a good place right from the start,” said Nico Hulkenberg.
And judging by his pace so far, the weekend looks promising for Hulkenberg. The German driver narrowly missed out on SQ3 with an impressive showing in Sprint Qualifying and will line up P11 for Saturday’s race.
While Friday saw the weekend’s only practice session and Sprint Qualifying, both the Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying will take place on Saturday at 12:00 and 16:00 local time (GMT -4). Sunday’s 57-lap Miami Grand Prix will get underway at 16:00 local time.
Three Facts About Miami:
- With the Hard Rock Stadium at its epicentre, the Miami International Autodrome is a thrilling street circuit featuring 19 corners, three straights, three DRS zones, and top speeds of over 350 km/h!
- Action? Yes! Based on previous races, the Miami Grand Prix has a 67 percent probability of a Safety Car…
- The track was originally planned to run around the Port of Miami, but those plans were scrapped due to construction and development issues. Instead, a circuit was built around the Hard Rock Stadium – where the former greenfield now serves as a hospitality area for teams and drivers!
Qualifying
Saturday’s part of the Miami Grand Prix did not evolve ideally for Nico Hulkenberg who finished 9th in the Sprint Race – missing out on a point by just one position – while the Sauber driver did not come close enough to reach Q2 in Qualifying.
“I didn’t meet my expectations for both the Sprint and qualifying. In the Sprint, I lost ground on the first lap, which made it very difficult to recover in such a short event,” Nico said.
“Turning to the qualifying session, Q2 would have been possible; however, on my last lap, the rear of my car snapped a bit at the exit of Turn One, and I lost two to three tenths of a second. Now we have to look ahead and prepare for the race,” the German added.
Give it a biiiig push, Nico! All fingers crossed 🙅♂️ Sunday’s 57-lap Miami Grand Prix will get underway at 16:00 local time.
Want to follow live? Watch every session on the official Formula 1 App 📱👈
Race Day
“Another step forward”
No points for Nico Hulkenberg, who finished 14th in the Miami Grand Prix – a weekend that didn’t unfold the way the German ace had hoped. However, despite the disappointing result, the Sauber driver – who managed to stay out of trouble during a chaotic start and ran a clean race at the fast and thrilling street circuit – remains confident and optimistic.
“It was a pretty clean race and felt like one of the better ones this year. Unlike most of the other cars, I was on a reverse strategy, starting on hard tyres to allow for a long first stint. We didn’t take the opportunity to pit under the first Virtual Safety Car, which is something we need to review with the team,” Nico said.
“Still, it feels like we’ve taken another step forward this weekend. With a bit more performance and improved car balance, we believe we can get closer to fighting for points. With those improvements in mind, we’re now looking forward to starting the European part of the season.”
Promising words from our Admin By Request ambassador! We can’t wait to see Nico and the rest of the Formula 1 field back in their cars. The next race is in two weeks’ time – the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, May 16–18 🇮🇹 🚀
