F1 Miami Grand Prix: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Co seek inspiration ahead of New York Red Bulls revenge mission
- Suarez appears in the F1 paddock and plays keepy-uppies with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz
- Uruguayan and his Inter Miami teammates preparing to face New York Red Bulls, aiming to avenge what coach calls ‘our worst match of the past year’
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez was in the paddock at the Miami Grand Prix, drawing a crowd of photographers and TV cameras as he played a friendly football juggling game with Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
The world’s best F1 racing car drivers are in town this weekend, and Suarez and Sainz are both sponsored by Puma and are friends.
And Suarez will be hoping he, Lionel Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami team can draw inspiration from the stardust on show ahead of the grand prix as they prepare for a rematch against a New York Red Bulls side who beat them 4-0 six weeks ago.
“It was a poor game, we have analysed it a lot, independent of the absences, and it was our worst match of the past year,” Inter Miami coach Tata Martino said.
“We expect an equally intense game Saturday, they have all their players also available. It will be a good test for us.”
Miami have not lost a league game since that defeat and are on a three-match winning streak.
Messi is a big reason for the turnaround and for the team’s surge to the top of the Supporters Shield race with 26 points. The Argentine scored five goals over the past three games and added three assists and was named MLS Player of the Month for April.
Martino hints Messi may be deployed in different roles as the season progresses.
“To have Leo in those spaces is good news for us so he doesn’t have to expend so much energy,” Martino said.
“It’s not that he can’t do it, he is moving well on any part of the field, but we should not deny that in addition to being the best football player in the world who creates goals, he’s also a great finisher. So we have to find places for him in different facets of the game.”
