Formula 1
FULL BLOWN RED BULL DOMINATION AND NO CHAOS! FERNANDO CONTINUES HIS RUN OF PODIUMS AND FERRARI SEEM TO BE FALLING APART.
Verstappen produced an incredible drive as he managed his tyres superbly and cruised to victory at the Miami Grand Prix, finishing more than five seconds ahead of Oracle Red Bull Racing team-mate Sergio Pérez.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 07: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin AMR23 Mercedesduring the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 07, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
The two-time world champion started Sunday’s race in ninth position but made all of his overtakes look easy as he stayed on hard tyres for 46 laps. Then, just two laps after coming into the pits, Verstappen moved past Pérez into first place and powered to his third win of the season – extending his championship lead to 14 points.
“I stayed out of trouble at the beginning, had a clean race, picked off the cars one by one and I could stay out really long on the hard tyres,” said Verstappen. “I think that’s where we made the difference today and then a good little battle with Checo at the end.”
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 07: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 07, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
Pérez had started the race from pole position but was unable to match the pace of Verstappen in the latter part of the race and had to settle for second. However, the Mexican driver has enjoyed an impressive start to the season and sits second in the driver standings.
“It is a well-deserved win for Max who had tremendous pace on the hard tyres,” said Pérez. “I think I have to analyse what went wrong today because I simply didn’t have the pace.”
Podium, Portrait, TS-Live, Miami International Autodrome, GP2305a, F1, GP
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin F1 Team, 3rd position, kisses his trophy on the podium.
Fernando Alonso
“I had a bit of a lonely afternoon out there, but I enjoyed my race. There was nothing I could really do against Max [Verstappen] and Sergio [Perez] but, happily, there was no pressure today from behind, so we’ll take this result. We’ve taken four podium finishes from the first five races – and only missed out on a podium in Baku by eight tenths of a second – so it’s been a fantastic start to our season. One day, when there’s an opportunity to win, we need to make sure we’re in the best position to capitalize. And that’s exactly what we’re doing right now.”
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 07: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates with the Red Bull Racing team after the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 07, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
Max Verstappen: “Today was a good day, I stayed out of trouble at the beginning and I had a smooth race, I picked the cars off one by one. I had a good stint on the hard tyres which I think was integral to the win today. I had a good battle with Checo towards the end there too. I of course had the advantage with the new tyres but I think that’s what we like to see, we are free to race. Yesterday was a bit of a setback, today we kept it calm and clean, and winning the race from P9 was very satisfying.”
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 07: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing walks out onto the grid prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 07, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
Sergio Perez: “Well done to Max, he had a tremendous race and deserved to win, I am really happy for him. It is not always nice when you lead the race and end up second, certainly I didn’t have the pace of Max and it is something we are going to analyse to see how we can do better. When I saw how strong Max was coming through the field and I was struggling a bit, I thought ‘this isn’t looking too good’.
It would have been a gamble on strategy to start on the hard tyre from pole position. Of course, I wanted to win but I knew early on the race was looking tricky for us. This is one to learn from because clearly Max had the fastest pace. I think the performance Max showed today was not reachable for me, so I have to understand why. I think some was tyre related but equally, overall, he was the stronger driver today. There was maybe a bit more we could have done; it is a bit of a shame really but in general, on a tough weekend P2 is not a bad result. We will review the weekend. I want to get back strong for Imola and get back to our normal level.”