The Miami Grand Prix said a lot. These are not unpublished considerations, but analyzes made clearer by a very tough race that put the cars and drivers to the test. At the moment there are two ‘guys’ who are racing at a higher level, as it emerges in direct confrontation with their respective teammates, but not only.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in the 57 laps of Miami offered a show of the highest level, a performance that for intensity and speed led them to give everything, as evidenced also by the unprecedented image of an exhausted Max just got off the car.
The world champion celebrated under the checkered flag, author of an impeccable Sunday from the first meters of the race, which is confirmed in great shape two weeks after the victory in Imola.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st position
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Max knew that the start would be crucial in the economy of his Grand Prix, staying behind the two Ferraris would be a problem, because it would allow the leader to take advantage of the first three laps of the race (without DRS) to build a good margin without having to whipping the tires excessively.
At the start the two Ferraris failed to cover the roadway, and Verstappen found the space to join Sainz and place a braking of his that left no way out for Carlos.
Once behind Leclerc, Max tried to put pressure on his opponent, and somewhat surprisingly, the Ferrari number 16 after only 8 laps began to suffer from graining problems, effectively reversing the predictions of the day before, according to the which tire management would have been a weapon in Sainz and Leclerc’s favor. Instead it was Leclerc himself who increased his times and it was all too easy for Verstappen to take the lead.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2nd position, arrives on the podium wearing an American football helmet
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
The subsequent switch to hard tires, and also the safety car that froze the race fifteen from the end, did not put Verstappen and Red Bull in crisis, this time perfect in tire management and always with the life jacket of a top speed. which did not allow Leclerc to try the attack even when he had the DRS available.
Max thus deservedly obtained his third success of the season, the second in a row after the Red Bull double at Imola, reducing the gap that separates him from Leclerc to 19 points.
In the last two races the Dutchman has won 60 points against Leclerc’s 33, a score that has allowed him to make up for a large part of the delay accused in the empty beats in Bahrain and Melbourne.
However, Leclerc and Ferrari leave Miami at the top of the two world rankings, concluding the first cycle of the 2022 world championship at the top. another game will begin, with the cars being ‘revisited’ with the first important technical updates of the season.
Given the very low margins, the values on the field are potentially subject to change, and that is what Ferrari hopes for. The dominant car seen in Melbourne was downsized by the progress confirmed by Red Bull starting from the Imola stage.
Now an answer is awaited, in Maranello they have invested important resources in the ‘Barcelona package’, and after the weekend in Miami it seems to have become a very important step to return to dictate the pace as at the start of the season. The margin built in the first three races of the season begins to taper off.
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