“I have complicated my life myself and I have to be the one to solve it,” he said on Saturday Max Verstappen, furious after his mistake in Q3. The champion and current world leader he never gives up and he showed it again this Sunday, by scoring a superb victory at the Miami Grand Prix, fifth round on the calendar. The Dutchman staged an astonishing comeback from the ninth position to take his third victory of the season, ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez and again with Fernando Alonso as a third party.
The Asturian pilot of Aston Martinwho got off the podium for the first time this year in Baku, recovered his privileged position to once again be the best of the rest after a few Red Bull that continue in another dimension. Carlos Sainz, who received a five-second penalty on his pit stop, dropped to fifth position after being overtaken by Russell (Mercedes). Without a doubt, a blow to Ferrari’s morale, aggravated by Leclerc’s seventh place.
The track an unknown
The classification of Miami surprised everyone with its final result. An accident by Leclerc frustrated the second attempt of the pilots in Q3 and allowed Sergio Perez keep the pole and Fernando Alonso to finish second for the second time this season. Carlos Sainz started third on the grid and Verstappen started the race forced to come back from ninth position.
A happy man. A happy team.
???? Alonso and Aston Martin. Aston Martin and Alonso. #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/xUo97EbxPi
— F1 in Movistar Plus+ (@movistar_F1) May 7, 2023
The rain unloaded strongly during the night of Saturday in Miamiturning into new asphalt of the circuit of the Hard Rock Stadium in a skating rink. A factor that could be decisive, especially at the start, with cold tires, with less grip and greater uncertainty in terms of degradation, which, however, was not fulfilled.
Starting second, for the dirty part, Alonso had a disadvantage compared to Sainz, due to the clean area, but the rain that fell hours before the race equalized the conditions. The Asturian came out better than Checo and stopped Carlos but could not complete his attack on the Mexican, who escaped alone.
Max, attack
Verstappen he opted for a different strategy and mounted hard entry tires. In just four laps, he took advantage of the speed of the Red Bull to take out two rivals, Magnussen y Leclerc, which did not put up the expected resistance. The champion had another uncomfortable rival ahead of him, Russell, to access the top five. A quick lap hit Max was inevitably approaching the head of the race.
☝ From the 9th place to the ????????????????????????????????. Mad Max takes the #MiamiGP.
???? Oh. And podium 102 for a certain Fernando Alonso Díaz. pic.twitter.com/02LtUvcm81
— F1 in Movistar Plus+ (@movistar_F1) May 7, 2023
He Mercedeswith vibration problems throughout the weekend, cleared the way for Verstappen’s ride, which also unceremoniously surpassed Gasly and in just ten laps it already appeared in Sainz’s rear-view mirror. Max, turned on after his mistake in the qualy on Saturday after being the fastest since Friday, it was getting dangerously close and Checo changed the pace to try to open up the distance.
Sainz, penalized
Sainz and Alonso They were also easy prey for the Red Bull champion, who finished his comeback by overtaking Fernando after fifteen laps to be less than 4 seconds behind Pérez, who was beginning to suffer degradation with the media. Ferrari tried a undercut on Alonso with a very fast pit stop from Carlos to which Aston Martin did not immediately respond, while the Spaniard returned to the track in heavy traffic and the FIA scored a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
FERNANDO DOES IT AGAIN! ????
P3 in Miami makes it his first podium in the USA since 2012!#MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/7ljKnn5ML7
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) May 7, 2023
Pérez made his stop on lap 21 and Verstappen inherited the leadwhile Alonso, who entered the 25th, secured third position against Sainz due to the penalty, but still maintained a splendid pulse to overtake him on the track. Meanwhile, Leclerc, without rhythm and lost at the bottom of the table, continued without reacting.
Verstappen he made the most of his stint with the hard starting ones and allowed himself to set the fastest lap with 42-lap tires before making his only stop. Russell launched a withering attack on Sainz to try to hunt down Alonso, who gave the British no choice.
Checo regained first place with the stop of Max, who provided the means to face the end of the race and realized the Mexican with nine laps to go to set course for his third victory of the season. Red Bull imposed his law and signed his fourth double of the year, again with Fernando Alonso best of the rest, in third place. Russell left Sainz relegated to fifth position and Leclerc finished seventha balance that they certainly did not expect at Ferrari after returning to the podium in Baku.
Improvements at Imola
Related news
while in miami Ferrari It has been the team that has incorporated the most novelties and practically the only one, Mercedes y Aston Martin They are preparing important developments for the first of the three races on European soil that will come together after the break next weekend, in a real sprint for the teams: Imola (21 mayo), Monaco (28 May) and Barcelona (June 4).
Alonso’s team already warned after the unexpected podium in the opening race of Bahrain, who planned to finish the season with a completely different car from the one that started the World Cup. “Two thirds of the car that will reach the last races will be different, there is a great margin for development”, warned those of Silvertstone. The first significant improvement is expected in the next Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna. Aston Martin finished seventh in the manufacturers last year, so they are entitled by regulation to 37% more time in the wind tunnel and computer than Red Bull. The margin with Ferrari is 25% more. And regarding Mercedes, it is higher than 20%. The next few races will determine how close the gap can be.
2023-05-07 21:12:28
#Verstappen #exhibits #Miami #Alonso #podium #Sainz
