Miami GP: Red Bull claim their 26th double and Alonso lands a podium
Red Bull claims another double at Miami, USA, leading the race from start to finish. Checo Perez started the race in pole position while teammate Max Verstappen started in P9.
The Dutch world champion completed a series of brilliant overtakes to cash in a P1 podium spot. His hard-to-medium tire strategy outperformed every car on the grid.
Fernando Alonso, who finished in a comfortable P3 podium finish, told the press he expected Verstappen to be right behind his Aston Martin by lap 25.
Max overtook the Spaniard on lap 14, his Red Bull is simply superior to any other car, they are in a league of their own!
Compared to Baku, there was more action on the tarmac and the pit lane. Nevertheless, plenty of DRS trains kept drivers in the P5-P10 range locked in a stale "cha-cha train".
In Baku, Checo Perez became the first F1 driver to claim a P1 victory twice at Baku (his first victory was in 2017). This week, it was Max's turn to make a statement, winning Miami GP titles for the 4th time.
Aston Martin outperformed its closest competitors leaving Sainz (Ferrari) and Russell (Mercedes) 15 seconds behind Alonsos AM23. Another P3 for the veteran driver, who looks happier every race!
Alonso timed his pit stop to perfection, dummying Sainz into an early stop in an attempt to undercut the Aston Martin driver.
Upon pitting, Alonso did exit the pit lane behind Sainz, but due to fresher tiers, he was overtaken in less than 3 laps.
Alono's P4 finish at Baku left him with a bitter-sweet feeling. Nevertheless, he recovered his podium from Ferrari
Ferrari is once again with their back against the wall. After their humble P3 finish at Baku, the Italian team has dropped back to the mid-grid section.
Both Sainz (P4) and Leclerc (P7) lacked pace and one could visibly see the F1-75 struggling behind the Aston and Mercedes. The situation in the paddock seems rather fragile for the Italians.
Red Bulls have given their drivers full freedom, in many instances allowing in-fighting. While thrilling for spectators, the two drivers run a risk of causing an unnecessary accident.
The Austrian team is in a division of its own so they can expect both drivers to deliver a competitive yet clean race.
Checo Perez lost the Drivers Championship lead to his teammate Max Verstappen who now leads with 119 points. Checo sits right behind the reigning world champions with 105 points. Finally, Fernando Alonso is comfortably 3rd with 75 points!
The three drivers have been sharing podiums since the start of the year. There seems to be good chemistry between the three, often joking with each other in the paddocks. It is always lovely to see great athletes demonstrate such good sportsmanship.
More racing coming May 19th-21st, at the Emilia-Romagna race track, in Italy. Drivers have 11 days to prepare their race strategies for another thrilling GP! Will this mark Ferraris's comeback?