Miami ePrix: Circuit Presentation and TV Schedule

The fifth ePrix of the first Formula E season takes place this Saturday, March 14, in the streets of Miami, the famous resort city in the southeasternmost part of the United States, in the state of Florida.

The pilots

Three new drivers are joining the ranks of Formula E for this American weekend. First, a well-known figure among French motorsport fans is settling into one of the two seats of the Dragon Racing team. Loic Duval, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Champion in 2013, will indeed participate in his very first ePrix of his driving career. He will replace Oriol Servià, who is becoming the team director.

On the Andretti side, Scott Speed is teamed up with Jean-Eric Vergne to defend the team’s colors. The team thus associates a duo of former Red Bull drivers, with the 32-year-old American having also represented Scuderia Toro Rosso between 2006 and 2007, for a total of 28 Grand Prix races.

But Speed will not be the only former Red Bull team member to line up for the Florida round, as Vitantonio Liuzzi will replace his compatriot Michela Cerruti in the Trulli team, alongside owner-driver Jarno Trulli.

Finally, Charles Pic makes his return to the discipline with the China Racing Formula E Team, replacing Ho-Pin Tung. The former Marussia and Caterham driver had indeed participated in the inaugural race on the Beijing track. In total, a quarter of the grid for this Miami race will be in French colors, with a total of 5 French drivers: Jean-Eric Vergne, Nicolas Prost, Stéphane Sarrazin, and thus Charles Pic and Loïc Duval.

The circuit

The circuit, measuring 2.17 km in length, includes 8 turns in the heart of the Biscayne Bay waterfront. The track consists of a long straight section where the start/finish line is located, and a series of mostly 90-degree turns. Turns 4 and 5 will lead to two straight sections with heavy braking. The pit area will be set up between turns 6 and 7, at the edge of the seafront. The track is situated in the heart of downtown Miami, with the unique feature of circling the American Airlines Arena, which is the venue where the NBA team, the Miami Heat, plays.

The opinion of… Marco Andretti (Team Andretti Formula E):

I previously lived in Miami and I really miss the city. I’m looking forward to going back there and racing in Formula E. There’s no better place for a race! Miami has the best restaurants and shopping, and it will be an amazing atmosphere for Formula E fans! The track layout looks fantastic with its big braking zones, promising us an exciting race! Turns 4, 5, 7, 8 will be the key moments of the circuit for me, as they lead into the main straights. (Editor’s note: Marco Andretti’s opinion was collected before news of his replacement by Scott Speed).

The TV program

In France, the Canal+ group has acquired the rights for the first three seasons of Formula E. It is the CanalSat Sport+ channel that will broadcast all the ePrix live.