The F1 Miami race is set to take place this Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome. Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton are the odds-on favorites to win the competition, but they will have to be careful as there could be a reptile invasion on the track.
Apparently, dozens of iguanas have popped up all over the racetrack according to various pilots and F1 specialists. The reason for this being that the Miami International Autodrome has a lot of green surrounding the venue.
βThe owner, Mr. Ross, loves greenery and loves his landscaping,β project manager Sam Worthy explained to Motorsport.com before the track opened last year. βThe stadium itself makes a very concentrated effort to have as much greenery as possible, especially old growth trees.β
F1 Miami with Iguana problems
The iguanas are known for hiding within the walls of the racetrack and have been known to fall from the trees due to temperature drops. βWe certainly donβt want a giant iguana falling on one of the F1 drivers, because that would be a problem,β Worthy said Thursday.
βWe have procedures in place to have the marshals come around and poke into the openings [of the concrete barrier walls] to ensure none are hiding in there or up in the trees. Itβs a pretty unique thing to have to deal withβ Worthy finished as a way to caution and bring calm to the driving teams.
