Miami Preview: Talking points ahead of Round 2

The 2024 F1 ACADEMY season is about to kick up a gear, as the field head to the fast-paced streets of Miami for the second round of the campaign. With most of the drivers tackling a new venue and all looking to climb up the order, there will be lots to keep an eye on this weekend in the United States.Mercedes driver Doriane Pin rocketed her way to back-to-back pole positions and a debut victory last time out in Jeddah. However, it was Alpine’s Abbi Pulling who seized control of the Drivers’ Standings and who’ll be looking to strengthen her hold over it. PULLING LOOKING TO BUILD ON MAIDEN WIN MOMENTUMAlways focusing on the process, Pulling’s reinforced mindset paid dividends as she enters the second round of the season as the driver to beat. Whilst the chase is on to catch up with her in the Drivers’ Standings, she’s not going to make it easy.Solid performances in Qualifying and Race 1 were only bettered by her promotion to the win in Race 2 – her first victory in F1 ACADEMY. She’ll now be eager to stand on the top step of the podium at the track.The Briton could have the edge over her rivals this time around. Alongside her experience racing at the Miami track, the 5.412km technical nature plays to Pulling’s strengths. She’ll be confident that if her and Rodin Motorsport nail their car setup, her prospects are looking bright. PREMA RACING PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFFThe reigning Drivers’ and Teams’ Champions, PREMA Racing, showed they were once again a force to be reckoned with in Jeddah. Pin led the charge and many stood up and took notice of her impressive season opening performances.Running the show in Qualifying, the French driver took both positions in a dominant fashion, by seven and six tenths respectively. Fending off Pulling’s advances in Races 1 and 2, only a post-race penalty for taking the chequered flag twice at full speed cost her a perfect weekend and she’ll be hungry to avenge that immediately in Miami.READ MORE: Weug hails ‘positive test’ after finding keys to unlock pace in ever-changing conditionsMeanwhile, Maya Weug proved how consistency pays off, as her P3 and P2 finishes put her second in the Standings, ahead of Pin. The only rookie in the PREMA trio, Tina Hausmann, also showed her form with P6 in Race 1 yielding an eight-point haul. The Italian outfit are the only team to have their trio inside top nine and lead the Teams’ Standings by 13 points. If they can build on the pace they showed last time out, that points advantage could continue to grow.HOMEGROWN HEROES LOOKING TO IMPRESSThree drivers will be flying the flag for the United States — with Chloe Chambers, Lia Block and Courtney Crone all setting their targets for success on home soil.Finishing fourth in the opening Jeddah race, Chambers knows that a spot on the podium is within touching distance. There’s lots to fill the Haas driver with confidence, with her and Campos Racing’s in-season testing pace giving Team Manager Gabriela Parra cause to aim for victories sooner rather than later.READ MORE: Parra: Campos setting sights on victories after Zandvoort testing 'proves our potential'An unlucky weekend in Jeddah put Block on the verge of points, but a mistake on the penultimate lap of Race 1 left her unable to bring them home when it counted. Considering her quick switch from rally to single seaters, her rate of improvement is even more remarkable and with every lap behind the wheel, Block’s quest for points seems to be not a case of if, but when.Joining the grid as the Miami Wild Card entry with QVC, Crone is looking to put on a show as she soaks up the atmosphere of racing in F1 ACADEMY at a Grand Prix weekend. Admitting to having modest expectations for the weekend ahead, the 23-year-old recognises the difficulty of matching the pace of her more experienced competitors but has shown the work ethic needed to do so.AN UNFAMILIAR VENUETicking off a new location for over two-thirds of the field, Miami International Autodrome is an unknown entity for both drivers and all the teams. With limited data available going into Round 2, making the most out of the two 40-minute Free Practice sessions will be vital. 19 corners are spread around the 5.412km anti-clockwise track, complemented by three straights. With the Hard Rock Stadium situated at the heart of the circuit, the track elevation flows up-and-down, dipping into Turn 13 and rising on the uphill approach to the chicane at Turns 14 and 15.READ MORE: Courtney Crone ‘ready to push when it counts’ on F1 ACADEMY Wild Card debutEight high-speed corners open the lap, before heading into a long straight and a couple of low-speed turns in Sector 2. Three flowing corners round out the lap, with Turn 17 being a prime overtaking opportunity as drivers need to manage their braking after the long straight to avoid either locking up their tyres or failing prey to those behind.Pulling, Chambers, Bianca Bustamante, Emely de Heus and Nerea Martí have all sampled the track before, with Tommy Hi