The Miami Grand Prix starting grid had multiple drivers out of place from the expected positions. However, this made for an exciting race, with Verstappen slicing through the field from P9. Sainz managed to show the raw pace of the Ferrari but fell short with high tyre degradation and a penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

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Red Bull Dominance

Red Bull’s pace was clear from the first practice session of the race weekend. However, a small error by Max Verstappen saw him start P9 on the grid. The dominant pace of Red Bull was on full display as Max made his way through the field.

The Dutch took the lead when his teammate Sergio Perez had to pit and change to hard tyres. The two-time world champion managed to maintain a great pace on his old tyres, building a massive offset for the last 10 laps of the race. This saw him transition to medium tyres and overtake Perez for the lead of the race with ease.

Haas’ Surprise Performance

Haas managed to shock the paddock with incredible pace. For most of the race, Haas was challenging teams usually faster than the US outfit. Magnussen and Leclerc changed position regularly for around 10 laps, highlighting how Haas has improved their car over the last year.

Magnussen finished the race in P10, while Hulkenberg finished in P15. However, the end result doesn’t truly reflect how close Haas was to a double-points finish.

A Tale of Two Aston Martins

Fernando Alonso had an impressive race, starting in P2 and finishing the race in P3. While Alonso did fight with Sainz for a while, Sainz fell back due to the drop off in performance from his Pirelli rubber. This saw Alonso run his own race for the majority of the Grand Prix.

On the other hand, Stroll had a very eventful race, fighting with Mercedes, Haas, and even AlphaTauri. Stroll qualified at the bottom of the grid and managed to make up a few spots throughout the race to finish P12.

Mercedes’ Charge

Mercedes had one of the worst qualifying sessions in recent memory. Hamilton qualified P13, the lowest position ever for the seven-time World Champion on US soil. However, he managed to work his way up the field to finish P6.

Russell also had an impressive race and managed to overtake the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to finish in P4. While Mercedes was noticeably slower than Alonso in his Aston Martin, the team can take comfort in the fact that their car had better race pace than the Ferraris.

You can read our detailed account of the race at this link.