John N
After much fanfare and hype, F1 cars finally took to the circuit for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for the free sessions.
One that was without incidences; From George Russell and the Mercedes having a more positive weekend than other Grand Prix weekends to Max Verstappen retiring early due to a mechanical failure and Valteri Bottas crashing into the wall, and Carlos Sainz also leaving early due to a crash into the wall.
Here are five things we learned in Miami Gardens…
1. Potentially exciting times for Mercedes
There was plenty of activity outside Mercedes in Miami as photographers jostled to get snaps of an updated W13 that featured a new low-downforce rear wing, a revised front wing with eye-catching endplates, and a modified beam wing.
The team was playing down their expectations for the suite of new parts, which have been in the pipeline for months, but their pace on track looked strong as George Russell topped the times in second practice.
The low downforce nature of the track will have reduced the porpoising that has afflicted them all season. And the hottest conditions of the year helped ease their pain, getting the tires up to temperature for a single lap.
Nonetheless, Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who ended up fourth fastest in FP2, were unsure how much they had closed the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari.
Our data puts them third in both qualifying and race pace simulations, with both drivers achieving their ideal lap – made up of their best mini-sectors. However, it is believed the Silver Arrows were running low power modes and are, in fact, closer to the leading two teams.
2. Reliability issues for Redbull
Red Bull’s highs of two victories in 2022, one of which formed a one-two, have been tapered by reliability issues, which yielded a double DNF in race one and another retirement for Max Verstappen in Australia gremlins struck again for the reigning world champion in Miami.
Verstappen managed just a handful of laps in FP1, spending most of the session in the garage as they looked to cure an overheating gearbox. The team ultimately changed it as a precaution for FP2, which cost him more session time, but when he headed out on track, a hydraulics issue saw him lose steering, forcing him back to the pits. He did not set a lap time.
There was better news on the other side of the garage, with Sergio Perez third fastest in FP2 – and of the laps that Verstappen did complete, he was up to speed and pushing towards the limit very quickly. Our data shows they are just a fraction of the best qualifying simulations and second overall in the race pace rankings behind Ferrari.
Red Bull will likely adjust their third practice program to include more mileage for Verstappen to build up more confidence on a track he doesn’t know and try out the trio of tire compounds.
3. Mixed fortunes for Ferrari
On the one hand, Ferrari should be pleased with the speed of the F1-75 in Miami, with Charles Leclerc second quickest in second practice. The championship leader would have been top of the pile had he put all of his best mini-sectors together.
But it was less good on the other side of the garage, as Carlos Sainz crashed early when running the softs in FP2 – having showed very strong pace on the medium tires. There was quite a bit of damage, while the Spaniard was robbed of crucial mileage and a chance to do long runs.
Our data shows they are the quickest in both qualifying and race simulations. Better still, it is believed they were running their engines on a very low power mode, so there should be plenty more to come.
Leclerc was pretty happy with the car but feels there’s so much more they can do overnight to dial it in. Despite the crash, Sainz was upbeat, as he knows he has the pace around Miami, but he’s proved in the past that he can recover after a series of frustrating results.
4. McLaren with more to come
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo were in good spirits after Friday running, as while they weren’t spectacular, they did find a direction late in the day that they feel will put them in a good position for the rest of the weekend.
Having struggled with their brakes in Bahrain testing, McLaren has diligently worked to understand their problems and quickly found a fix. Strong performance in Australia, and Imola proves they will be a potent midfield force this year.
They were fifth in both qualifying and race simulations and struggled in the slow-speed corners. Still, it is anticipated they were running a different program on Friday and will be in contention for strong points come Sunday.
5. Alfa Romeo and Alpine look strong
There’s a feeling inside Alfa Romeo that they should have scored significantly more points in the opening four races but have been undone by bad luck, errors and unreliability. And there was more frustration on Friday in Miami as Valtteri Bottas lost the car in FP1 and spun rearwards into the barriers. He then spent FP2 watching from the sidelines while they fixed the car.
Our data shows they are eighth in the qualifying simulations and sixth in the race pace charts. But paddock insiders believe they are more competitive than that in both categories. Rookie Zhou Guanyu did an intense job throughout practice, gathering crucial long-run data. The set-up direction the team made on his car for FP2 proved to be the right one, according to Bottas.
They face intense competition from Alpine, who took a more aggressive approach to Friday practice – and it seems to have paid off, with both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon excited by their relative competitiveness on low fuel.
It’s been a race pace where Alpine has found the going tough so far this year, the blue cars struggling to stop the tires overheating after a series of laps – but there were encouraging signs in Miami, with our data suggesting there are fourth fastest in that ranking.
