FLOYD ON F1: Verstappen looks to be in a league of his own

The 2023 Miami F1 Grand Prix will be in my mind for a long time.

It was a race of many aspects, from the practice sessions through qualifying to the main event on Sunday.
My enthusiasm was not due to all the superfluous “entertainment” or the multiple celebrities, most of them unknown to this aged scribe.

It was rather the spirit and on track action that provided the real entertainment. That of man and machine going head to head.

We witnessed some seriously fast competition, from both champions and young F1 aspirants out to prove they have what it takes.

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Top F1 dogs struggle

We also saw drivers at top level struggling to find pace and grip on the newly resurfaced track. The choice of tyres was difficult.

Even Pirelli’s recommendations appeared to be somewhat debatable as many found, not least reigning champion Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull F1 driver’s unforced error in Q3 meant he had to recover his composure and try again, but it was not to be.

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Leclerc capsizes

Rival Charles Leclerc planted his Ferrari into the barrier causing a red flag situation which resulted in the end of qualifying. Leclerc had experienced a similar incident on the previous day and certainly created extra work for his pit crew.

I ask myself if the Monegasque is pushing too hard, since expensive mistakes and F1 budget caps are the nightmares for team chiefs.

So it was the Red Bull of Sergio Perez and the Alpine of Fernando Alonso on the front row of the grid, with favourite Verstappen back in ninth.

It was obvious he would be out to get back to the sharp end of the field. Indeed he did, with a superb, measured drive that was a joy to watch and a genuine master class.

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Max masterclass

Unlike most of the field Verstappen chose to start the race on the hard compound tyre rather than the grippier, faster medium compound, employed by the majority of the field.

Watching him carve his way through the field and the incredible speed differentiation, particularly when using DRS, was absolutely incredible, on a day when he could do no wrong.

Cornering, whether slow or fast was epic with entry speeds and apex points measured to the millimeter, in a show of unbelievable driving ability.

A late change to the medium tyres dropped him to second position behind team-mate Perez, but it was the Dutchman’s day, sweeping past the Mexican to take the victory and stretch his F1 championship lead.
On this sort of form and the RB19’s winning design one must ask, will anyone be able to prevent a third title?

F1 now moves to to Italy for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on 21 May.