Verstappen Takes Victory as Chaos Ensues Behind
Whilst their was chaos in the mid-pack, it was Max Verstappen who still “cruised” home to take victory in the Miami Sprint. Charles Leclerc took home a great second place for Ferrari whilst Sergio Perez rounded out the Top 3.
What a Mess!
Max Verstappen got a good start to remain in the lead whilst Daniel Ricciardo was able to jump past Sergio Perez. Behind all of this, Fernando Alonso drove into his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll before Lewis Hamilton bulldozed into both of the Aston’s and they went into the helpless Lando Norris. This meant that both Lando and Lance had to retire from the Sprint, and I feel very sorry for both of them. It’s also worth mentioning that George Russell lost a bunch of places after having to take avoiding action. After a Safety Car period, the racing originally came from Checo Perez clearing Danny Ric for P3 before it became heavily focused on the fight between Kevin Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton. These two had multiple incidents, with K-Mag stepping over the line on more than 3 occasions. This ultimately helped Yuki Tsunoda to score the final point of the Sprint, whilst his Visa Cash App RB teammate Daniel Ricciardo managed to hold off Carlos Sainz to take a fabulous P4!
The Highs and Lows of the Sprint
Amazingly, I’ve given out four 10’s for today’s Sprint and the first one is obviously for Max Verstappen. Even when he’s not happy, he still manages to win! The second driver I’ve given a perfect 10 to is Charles Leclerc and that is simply because Charles got the maximum out of his Ferrari to finish best of the rest! The third driver I’ve given out maximum points to is Daniel Ricciardo, and wow, P4 in a VCARB is a special, special result! And the final driver I’ve given a 10 to is Nico Hulkenberg as he managed to take a brilliant P7 for Haas! I also thought both Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly had great days respectively whilst Sergio Perez and Logan Sargeant also deserve shout-outs!
In terms of the lowest possible grade, I’ve given out three 1’s and the first one is for Lewis Hamilton. This might seem harsh, but Lewis was wreckless into Turn 1, taking two cars of the Sprint, and he then managed to get a 20-second time penalty for speeding in the Pitlane following the Safety Car that he brought out in the first place! The second driver I’ve given a 1 to is Fernando Alonso, and my main reason for this is Fernando hit into his Aston Martin teammate, which as we all know is a big no-no. Also, Alonso couldn’t even overtake Ocon which is a big worry! And the final driver I’ve given the lowest possible grade to is Kevin Magnussen because I’m a bit sick now of this “F1 Game” type driving. Like, it’s really not on! I also want to quickly mention Esteban Ocon as he had a pretty bad day, starting pre-race when he hit into Charles Leclerc in the Pitlane!
Overall Sprint Race Results and My Ratings
Max Verstappen: 10
Charles Leclerc: 10
Sergio Perez: 8
Daniel Ricciardo: 10
Carlos Sainz: 7
Oscar Piastri: 7
Nico Hulkenberg: 10
Yuki Tsunoda: 9
Pierre Gasly: 9
Logan Sargeant: 8
Zhou Guanyu: 7
George Russell: 4
Alex Albon: 5
Valtteri Bottas: 5
Esteban Ocon: 2
Lewis Hamilton: 1
Fernando Alonso: 1
Kevin Magnussen: 1
Lance Stroll: - (DNF)
Lando Norris: - (DNF)
My Predictions for Miami Qualifying
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Lando Norris
Sergio Perez
Carlos Sainz