The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix roared back into action this past weekend, marking the sport’s return after an unanticipated five-week hiatus in the 2024 season. Held at a temporary street circuit encircling Hard Rock Stadium, the event embodied the Liberty Media era of F1—a high-octane spectacle blending elite hospitality, sky-high ticket prices, and a marketing blitz tailored to Miami’s glamorous image.
While the original vision of racing across a bridge over Biscayne Bay was scrapped due to local opposition, the sport pivoted to embrace the city’s vibrant pastel aesthetic and star-studded reputation, aiming to recreate the allure of a modern-day Monaco.
Energy regulation tweaks introduced weeks earlier took center stage in Miami. The sport had adjusted the energy regeneration and deployment limits of the new hybrid power units, which now contribute nearly half of a car’s power output. Early-season races had been chaotic, with energy limitations forcing drivers to conserve power during qualifying and leading to unpredictable, multi-position swaps—dubbed "yo-yo racing" by critics.
The revised rules, which capped energy harvesting from the V6 engine to charge the battery while on the move, were designed to curb extreme speed gaps like the one that triggered Oliver Bearman’s crash in Japan. This weekend, energy management was notably less of an issue, aided by Miami’s circuit layout featuring numerous braking zones that facilitate the now-allowed 7 MJ of energy regeneration per lap.
Related articles
Honda’s hybrid future starts with new Accord and RDX prototypes
Honda revealed prototypes of two new hybrid models, an Accord sedan and the Acura RDX SUV, during its annual business briefing this week, built on a p...
Accelerating Chipmaking Innovation for the Energy-Efficient AI Era
This sponsored article is brought to you by Applied Materials.At pivotal moments in history, progress has required more than individual brilliance. Th...
The newest AI boom pitch: Host a mini data center at your home
Data centers may be coming to your neighborhood as side installations associated with new homes—and in exchange would offer subsidized electricity and...
OpenADR and Matter are collaborating to let your smart home talk to the grid
This should make it easier to connect appliances to demand response programs.
F1 set for another engine tweak in 2027, and what's this about V8s?
Formula 1's on-track racing might look a bit different in 2026 than it did in 2006 or 1986, but it's reassuring to know that the sport's off-track act...
Matter and OpenADR team up to connect smart homes to the grid
Smart energy management just took a step closer to becoming simpler. This week, the organizations behind Matter, the smart-home interoperability stand...
Is your Porsche Taycan too slow at the Nürbugring? You need this Manthey Kit.
Porsche is known for building cars that really are extremely good right out of the box. Yes, they tend to be more expensive than the other German luxu...
In motorsport, there's nowhere to hide as AI becomes new CFD tool
Since the introduction of wings to racing cars halfway through the 1960s, airflow has been everything in racing. Until that point, the focus was on ma...