Norris, Perez concerned about ‘bad’ racing in Miami

Lando Norris and Sergio Perez are worried that the lack of grip off-line will prohibit hard racing in Miami at the weekend.

Several drivers fell victim to spins throughout free practice when they went wayward from the racing line,including Perez himself in FP2at the ever-tightening apex at Turn 8.

But several drivers complained at the absence of grip altogether when moving off-line, which could ultimately scupper overtaking opportunities for the teams come race day.

With that,McLarendriver Norris explained that there are tough elements to the track to get used to and, while he enjoys the layout as a whole, the slippery areas away from the racing line won’t promote good racing on Sunday.

“It is extremely tricky. It is very bumpy in some areas which is not quite what we were expecting,” Norris said, as per Formula1.com.

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“I think everyone was expecting it to be very smooth and beautiful but it’s not.

“The surface is very tricky as well because you go off-line anywhere and it is pretty much game over and you end up in the wall, so it’s punishing, let’s say.

“That is why you have seen quite a few people ending up in the barriers. I feel like it isn’t going to be great for racing now. That is the negatives, but the positives are it is still a good track.”

Perezechoed the sentiments of Norris separately, while adding that everyone will be experiencing the same issues in trying to find ways to pass at the weekend.

The 1.2km back straight heading down to Turn 17 will be the most likely overtaking place, but the lack of grip away from the racing line could potentially see drivers move to a dirty part of the track that may compromise their braking while trying to overtake.

“I am really disappointed there is no grip off-line,” theRed Bulldriver said. “It’s a shame because I think the racing will be bad due to that. As soon as you try to go off-line, there is no grip.

“It’s wet on that side. It feels very gravelly. Racing will be hard. I think it’s going to be an interesting race. We are all in the same boat. We don’t know exactly where we are.”