Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver won at the Autodromo Internazionale ahead of World Championship rivals Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in Ferrari.
Mick Schumacher (Haas) had a bad day. The German was in the running for points for a long time, but with a few laps to go he collided with fellow countryman Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) and slipped to the back of the pack. Not even Vettel was able to intervene decisively in the race anymore: the Heppenheimer had to park his car. “I did not see it!” Vettel protested on the box radio. “That was clearly my turn,” Schumacher exclaimed.
Mick’s uncle, Ralf Schumacher, rated the situation as “a bit of a racing accident”. “Mick has to try it there. But you can see he’s hesitating a bit. Maybe he shouldn’t have done it because he could have had the curve. Braking a little later, like he says. But Sebastian has to leave room sometimes. in nothing. Sebastian has to look in the mirror, that’s it. Unfavorable situation, “he said Sky.
Vettel later apologized through Sky to Schumacher. “It’s stupid and bitter for both of us,” said Heppenheimer. “I’m sorry we’re both out, I thought I had the curve, when I saw it it was too late.” Schumacher said it was “a pity, a great pity for both of us”. “I’ll definitely talk to him about it,” he announced.
Race winner Verstappen’s mood was better. “I think I need a drink,” world champion Verstappen told the radio after his second consecutive win. With the victory, the Dutchman reduced the gap to Leclerc in the World Cup to 19 points. “It was very tiring, but I am very happy with this victory,” said Verstappen.
Former world champion Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the Mercedes behind teammate George Russell.
Miami-GP: Die Analyze
Verstappen managed to break through the Ferrari bulwark right from the start. After the red lights went out, the Dutchman came off the mark a little better than Sainz and pushed past the Spaniard on the outside of turn two, which is worth seeing. Behind him, Sergio Perez also attacked the Ferrari driver, but the Mexican was unable to overtake.
There shouldn’t be a long wait in the battle for leadership as well. After just eight laps, Leclerc reported to his garage that the front tires had collapsed, which Verstappen didn’t have to say twice and pushed. In just two laps the Dutchman caught up with the Monegasque and launched his attack. With DRS and visibly more grip, he overtook Leclerc on lap 10 at the start and finished straight and took the lead.
It was also evident later that Red Bull was the fastest racing car. Verstappen managed to gradually increase the lead over Leclerc: after 15 laps, more than five seconds had already been accumulated. Behind the two, Perez also put pressure on Sainz and probably would have overtaken Ferrari as well. However, the Mexican struggled for a few laps with power unit problems, which is why he had to give up.
Even the pit stops have not changed this image. All four of the best drivers chose hard bikes for the second stint and consequently a one-stop strategy. On the harder compound, the Red Bull looked even superior to the red car, which is why Verstappen had no problem defending his lead to the finish.
A final safety car phase – triggered by an accident between Lando Norris (McLaren) and Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) – brought movement back to the field 15 laps before the end of the race. Perez in particular emerged as the beneficiary because he gave him a free stop and the opportunity to attack the Ferraris again.
This was not possible, also because Perez made a mistake in braking at turn one. Despite a final attack from Leclerc, Verstappen defended his place in the sun, followed by Monegasse and team-mate Sainz in second and third place.
Behind Perez were placed George Russell (5th / Mercedes), Lewis Hamilton (6th / Mercedes), Valtteri Bottas (7th / Alfa Romeo), Esteban Ocon (8th / Alpine), Alexander Albon (9th / Williams) and Lance Stroll (10th / Aston Martin) the top ten.
Alonso was subsequently given a time penalty for an accident with Gasly, which is why Vettel’s teammate Stroll slipped into the points in tenth place.
Miami GP: The Tire Strategy
Ferrari’s strategic plan was overturned after a few laps due to Verstappen’s rapid advance. In order to still have a say in the victory, the Scuderia switched to “Plan D”, a one-stop strategy that involves changing the hard tires.
But Red Bull didn’t risk it. Since Leclerc gave the starting signal from the leading group, the Austrians simply copied the Scuderia’s approach and also sent their two drivers Verstappen and Perez on hard for the second stint.
As a result, little movement entered the field. Why the Scuderia didn’t at least send Sainz on an alternative strategy to put at least some pressure on Verstappen can at least be questioned.
Towards the end it was Perez who fitted new tires due to the safety car. However, with fresh means, the advantage over Sainz was less than expected. Perez could only lead a single attack.
Highlight of the race: Aston-Martin-Haas duels
Although there was little movement at the top in terms of duels, Miami International Autodrome fans could see some gripping midfield duels.
By the way, between the two drivers Haas and Aston Martin. Despite the much cooler tires, the former struggled to overtake the green cars. Over and over again Vettel and Stroll thwarted the maneuvers of the Haas pilots and offered some close wheel-to-wheel duels.
All the more tragic that in the end there was a fall between Vettel and Schumacher.
First in the standings: George Russell
Qualifying on Saturday is his responsibility. In Sunday’s race, however, the young man showed all the quality of him. Thanks to good speed and smart strategy, he moved up from twelfth on the grid to fifth. He remains the only driver to score points in every race so far in 2022. Strong performance!
Flop of the race: Aston Martin
The pace of the British during the race was not bad at all, so what happened just before the start of the race is even more bitter. Due to incorrect fuel storage, both Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll had to start from the pit lane. The good starting positions (P10 and P13) were gone. Weak also: Mick Schumacher, who with his fall threw away points considered safe in the World Cup.
Formula 1: The state of the World Championship (after 5 out of 23 races)
| Platz | driver | Squad | Points |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 104 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 85 |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 66 |
| 4 | Giorgio Russel | Mercedes | 59 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 53 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 36 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 35 |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 30 |
| 9 | Stefano Ocon | Alpine | 24 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Alfa Romeo | 15 |
| Platz | Squad | Points |
| 1 | Ferrari | 157 |
| 2 | Red Bull | 151 |
| 3 | Mercedes | 95 |
| 4 | McLaren | 46 |
| 5 | Alfa Romeo | 31 |
| 6 | Alpine | 28 |
| 7 | Alfa Tauri | 16 |
| 8 | Haas | 15 |
| 9 | Aston Martin | 5 |
| 10 | Williams | 2 |
