Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix with a perfect and relentless effort, confirming why he is the current world champion. The Dutchman had started in ninth place, while his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez started in pole position. Verstappen was relentless in his pursuit of Pérez, taking the lead after 47 laps and finishing the race five seconds ahead of his teammate. Despite F1’s hype around the race and its pre-race ceremony, the event turned out to be pedestrian as overtaking proved difficult. Verstappen’s performance and tire control, on the other hand, gave him a key advantage over Pérez, expanding his world championship lead over Pérez to 14 points after five races.
Verstappen Puts on Masterclass to Win Miami Grand Prix
Verstappen delivered a masterclass in pace and tire control at the Miami International Autodrome. He picked off cars one by one, and his surge through the field to second position by lap 15 was the race’s highlight. Despite F1’s struggles with single-stop meetings, which have turned them into processions, Verstappen’s fearsome straight-line speed and DRS advantage allowed him to keep cool control while delivering a sequence of quick laps.
Verstappen reminds everyone that he’s not passing on his F1 crown
Despite his qualifying error, Verstappen’s performance proved why he is the overwhelming favorite to win his third championship this season. The race in Miami was another display of his talent, and he has now extended his advantage over Pérez in the world championship to 14 points after five meetings. Verstappen’s car runs on every type of track and surface and is light years ahead of its competitors. Although Pérez held the lead well into turn one, Verstappen’s engineers’ decision to opt for hard tires proved to be a superb decision, and his pace on the worn rubber was decisive.
Verstappen’s calm and controlled delivery was all too apparent, and he has made some remarkable comeback drives, including from 14th to victory at Spa last year and in Jeddah this season when he took just 25 laps to move from 15th to second. Despite the difficult overtaking at Miami, Verstappen’s performance was impressive, even with the Red Bull’s advantage.
The rest of the field was far behind Verstappen and Pérez, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso taking third and Mercedes’ George Russell grinding out an impressive fourth. Verstappen’s teammate Pérez was in a race of their own at the front of the field, a pattern that is likely to be repeated this season.
Ferrari had a dreadful race, ending fifth with Carlos Sainz and seventh with Charles Leclerc. The monegasque crashed during qualifying and was unable to close the gap to his teammate during the race. Leclerc battled drivers from the midfield throughout the race and was unable to make any kind of progress. Lewis Hamilton finished between both Ferraris after starting in 13th place.
The Alpines had their best race of the season, finishing eighth and ninth respectively. Haas was able to score points in their first home race of the year thanks to Magnussen’s 10th place.
Max Verstappen’s victory in the Miami Grand Prix was a fitting finale to a weekend that served as a timely reminder that he has no intention of relinquishing his Formula One world championship. His unwavering and immaculate execution throughout the race underlined his skill, and he extended his world championship lead over Pérez to 14 points after five meetings. Despite the excitement surrounding the race and its pre-race ceremony, the event was disappointing because overtaking proved too tough.
