Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix this Sunday, ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez (2nd), who started from pole position, and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin, 3rd). Starting 9th, the Red Bull driver took the lead at the end of the 20th lap and only let go very briefly, during his only pit stop and the lap that followed his return to the track.
The winner of the day made a real show of force on the occasion of his 39th career success, his second on the Miami International Autodrome track. The Dutch driver ultimately left only crumbs to his opponents, including his teammate. Placed on an offbeat strategy, the double world champion led a hellish train to create a significant gap with Sergio Perez, regularly improving the fastest lap in the race.
Thus, when he stopped at the end of the 46th lap, Max Verstappen came out in the wake of the other Red Bull and was able to attack him on the next lap, equipped with softer and above all cooler tires than those of the Mexican pilot. At the finish, Max Verstappen edged Perez for a fourth double in five races this season, further accentuating the dominance of the Red Bull team, which has more than double the points in the constructors’ standings over Aston Martin (224 points against 102). In the drivers’ standings, Max Verstappen regains a bit of air on Perez (119 points against 105).
Mercedes and Russell come back, Ferrari stagnates
Behind the Red Bulls and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, the Mercedes and the Ferraris competed for places of honour. George Russell, who started 6th, crossed the finish line in 4th place, after a skirmish during which he dropped Carlos Sainz. The Spanish Scuderia Ferrari driver fell two places from his starting grid position (3rd), but can be relieved not to have conceded more, after picking up a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
Lewis Hamilton has seen his offbeat strategy pay off. The seven-time world champion had failed the day before in Q2, which had not happened to him since the Emilia-Romagna GP in April 2022, and could not do better than 13th time. This Sunday, the pace of his Mercedes allowed him to gain many positions, moving up to 6th place. He is ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, 7th), who had difficulty getting his hard tires to work well on his second stint.
Alpine erases Baku’s disappointment
After two races without scoring a single point, the two Alpines finished this Miami GP in the Top 10. Pierre Gasly, who started from 5th place, took the checkered flag in 8th position. He is ahead of his teammate Esteban Ocon, 9th. The #31 Alpine rider has been in the lead for a long time, having extended his first stint as much as possible on his hard tyres. Above all, the two blue cars had a weekend without encountering the slightest technical damage, which is a step forward.