I think Miami is one of those Formula One events that you either love or hate. It’s full of yachts, fake marinas, celebs, glitz and glam. The racing is just an added bonus and a continued trend in the “money is everything” stance that F1 reflects in this day and age. Obviously, as F1 aficionados, we’re here for the racing and, with the second consecutive sprint race weekend, things indeed got a little bit spicy on track!
As we know, in Formula One, Max Verstappen is the one to beat, and this weekend's Sprint Race was no different. Even Adrian Newey’s now confirmed 2025 departure from the Red Bull team didn’t deter the 3x WDC from dominating the race. And, although the racing in the Sprint was pretty sparse at the front of the field, from 4th down, it was a battle field.
Daniel Ricciardo seemed happier in his RB wagon, fighting off a feisty Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari to secure 4th for the team. His best result since 2021. Eyes, however, were more fixated upon the hair-raising battle between Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes and the Haas driver of Kevin Magnussen, with the latter using his extremely defensive ways as his choice of weapon. After cutting chicanes, pushing the Mercedes wide and pushing the battle to the limit, the Dane would find himself with three time penalties. Interestingly, post-race interviews would tell us that K-Mag was using his aggression purposefully to guarantee his teammate; Nico Hulkenberg, a points finish. Whether this was a smart or dangerous team game strategy; I’ll let you decide.
Hamilton would also find himself involved in an incident on lap one, resulting in the DNFs of Lando Norris and Lance Stroll. Fernando Alonso would also come off worse for wears with a puncture. And, although the Mercedes survived the carnage, Hamilton would later be slapped with a Drive Through Penalty for speeding through the pit lane during the Safety Car. It definitely is an interesting weekend for Mercedes. Between poor car performance and incidents, it definitely was one Sprint Race for them to forget.
I always feel, as well, that we’re constantly having to talk about stewarding decisions. Once again, poor showing from this weekend’s stewards saw the lap one Sprint incident get away without any investigation. Why, may I ask? When last time out a similar incident was investigated, with penalties dished out? Questionable decisions were also picked up on throughout the race itself - more on that later. I mean, at least they’re consistent in one thing - being inconsistent.
A fun Sprint Race meant high expectations for the Grand Prix, and boy, it did not disappoint. Something I'd never thought we'd be saying about the Miami Grand Prix, ever.
Drama in the Miami Grand Prix was triggered early on by a slow starting Charles Leclerc who, alongside Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, were nearly taken out at the first corner by the steaming Sergio Perez who locked up going into turn one. But Verstappen, ahead of the pack, was almost oblivious to the on-goings behind him and continued merrily along his way. Oscar Piastri was the big winner at turn one, benefiting from the turn one craziness, running in the top two for the first half of the race.
Despite being a fast runner in Miami, Piastri's luck wasn't on his side. And neither was Sainz's, for that matter of fact. After both loosing out to the mid-race Safety Car, pitting a lap or two before, the duo found themselves providing us with a bulk of the on-track entertainment, as they battled for 4th and 5th position. With a couple of sketchy moments, including an incident between the duo that enraged Sainz after Piastri didn't give the place back, it would all come to a head, with the two colliding and the ultimate demise of Piastri's strong Miami Grand Prix performance as he fell to the back of the pack with a broken front wing. As for Sainz, although free from any damage, he was unable to keep up with teammate Leclerc, instead having to settle for 4th position, with an eventual time penalty dropping him to 5th. Again, were the stewards correct in not investigating the first Sainz/Piastri incident; where other drivers like Lance Stroll got penalised for similar instances? Where they right in slapping Sainz with a five second time penalty? I'll let you decide that one also!
Remember that Safety Car I just mentioned? What would you say if I told you that Magnussen was the cause of that? You'd probably just laugh at this point. Yes, the main Grand Prix was quite reflective of the Haas driver's Sprint Race. However, things got a little more sketchy this time around, with the Dane taking out the Williams of Logan Sargeant midway through the race, resulting in the American driver's retirement at his home race. And, surely Magnussen is now in the running for most penalties received over the course of a race weekend, with a further ten second penalty and post-race drive through penalty added to his race time and the penalties that he received the day before. I've always admired Magnussen's "no bull-sh*t" attitude, but there is a line and this weekend he has well and truly crossed it. He may need to have his wits about him over the course of the remainder of the season as he edges ever more closer to a race ban.
Regardless, Magnussen's reckless driving rewarded fans with something special - a masterclass strategy from McLaren that saw Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen to the finish line, taking his long-awaited first ever F1 win. That's right, McLaren used the "go long" strategy, waiting as long as they could for a Safety Car. It came at the right moment for the Woking-based team, with them taking advantage of what they could. And, if it wasn't written in the stars, Verstappen, who finished an incredible 7+ seconds behind Norris, sustained floor damage after a rare mistake saw him take out the bollard at the chicane. Motorsport always has the element of surprise. That's probably how Alpine felt as their struggles momentarily disappeared, and their first points of the season were scored. Regardless, whether you are a fan of McLaren and Norris or not, what we witnessed in Miami was special, wholesome and a complete masterclass. It was pure racing, up and down the field. It was everything we love about our sport.
And, here we are full circle. Let's reword that first paragraph, shall we?
I think Miami is one of those Formula One events that you either love or hate. It may be full of yachts, fake marinas, celebs, glitz and glam and DRS trains (!) but, maybe the racing isn't just an added bonus after all, and that trend of "money is everything" only reflects part of F1 in this day and age. Obviously, as F1 aficionados, we’re here for the racing and that is what Miami gave us. Miami, you delivered, and I thank you.
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