The third Miami Grand Prix in Formula 1 was an exciting event, with Lando Norris emerging as the surprise winner. However, it is important to consider the performances of other drivers throughout the weekend. Ben Anderson, filling in for Edd Straw, provides his analysis on the best-performing drivers. The rankings are based on various factors, including pace, racecraft, consistency, and the ability to maximize the car’s potential.
Arthur Piastri’s performance stood out due to his clean and efficient driving, even with a McLaren that lacked upgraded parts. He consistently matched Norris’s pace in qualifying and displayed impressive moves during the race. Anderson argues that Piastri was the more consistent and slightly more impressive McLaren driver in Miami.
Charles Leclerc had a strong weekend overall, recovering well from a small mistake in FP1. He extracted the maximum from the Ferrari in both qualifying sessions and the sprint race. Anderson believes Leclerc’s third-place finish, without the advantage of the safety car timing, was a slight overachievement.
While Norris had a superb final stint after the safety car restart, Anderson feels that he slightly underdelivered earlier in the weekend. Despite driving a heavily upgraded McLaren, Norris had to work hard to secure a podium finish. Anderson acknowledges Norris’s supreme final stint but believes his overall performance was not complete.
Max Verstappen dominated the race weekend, despite not being entirely comfortable in the car and making small mistakes. Verstappen faced challenges with the car’s balance in qualifying but was not beaten by any other driver. However, the safety car intervention and track position changes cost him the opportunity to fully utilize the hard tires. Anderson recognizes that it was not Verstappen’s best or cleanest weekend but acknowledges his strength.
Yuki Tsunoda continues to impress as he positions himself at the forefront of the midfield drivers. He took advantage of Mercedes and Aston Martin’s mistakes and outpaced faster cars. Tsunoda’s only misstep was going out early in SQ2. Anderson commends his strong performance in picking off inherently faster cars.
Lewis Hamilton had a difficult weekend, but there were moments when he showcased his exceptional skills. He struggled to find grip on the tires over a stint but had impressive laps in qualifying and during the race. Despite hitting Alonso in the sprint and receiving a speeding penalty, Hamilton had a good performance in the grand prix itself.
Esteban Ocon had a solid race, battling with his teammate and other drivers. He engaged in wheel-to-wheel battles and won on-track skirmishes. However, his pace fell away towards the end of the race, causing him to lose positions.
Pierre Gasly had a decent weekend, making good use of the upgraded Alpine chassis and floor. He outperformed his teammate in the sprint race but was trapped in a DRS train during the grand prix, preventing him from achieving a better result.
Carlos Sainz showed strong pace until a late-race battle with Piastri affected his performance. Sainz had the potential to finish on the podium but lost his composure during the battle. Anderson acknowledges his strong pace but believes he let Piastri get into his head.
Sergio Perez had a relatively ineffective weekend, with his best move being a decisive overtake on Daniel Ricciardo in the sprint race. Perez allowed both Ferraris to overtake him in qualifying and had a disappointing pace during the final stint of the race.
Nico Hulkenberg initially showed promise, contending for a top position. However, his race unraveled after an unsuccessful pitstop and a subsequent drop in pace. Despite his outstanding underlying pace, Hulkenberg’s race was disappointing.
Fernando Alonso had a more subdued weekend than usual, struggling with setup changes. However, he salvaged two points by making a one-stop strategy work and overtaking his teammate in the final stint.
George Russell had a challenging weekend, losing ground at the start of the races and struggling to extract grip from the tires. Despite these difficulties, Russell retained a slight edge in qualifying pace over Hamilton.
Daniel Ricciardo had a poor weekend overall, failing to make progress and relying on incidents in front of him for any advancements.
Lance Stroll had a decent performance in qualifying but made mistakes during the grand prix. He overtook Alex Albon’s Williams illegally, undoing his own result.
Logan Sargeant had a commendable performance, driving cleanly and making fewer mistakes than his teammate. However, his race was cut short due to an incident caused by Kevin Magnussen.
Zhou Guanyu did well to beat his teammate in qualifying and the sprint race. However, he underperformed in grand prix qualifying and struggled during the final stint of the race.
Alex Albon faced difficulties due to track conditions and limitations of the Williams car. He made efforts to make something happen but was unable to achieve a miracle result.
Valtteri Bottas had a subdued performance, possibly affected by recent changes within the team. He struggled to match his teammate’s pace and regressed during the race.
Kevin Magnussen had a challenging weekend, receiving multiple penalties and struggling to extract pace from the Haas car. His performance was disappointing overall.
In conclusion, the Miami Grand Prix showcased impressive performances from various drivers, with Lando Norris emerging as the winner. Each driver faced their own challenges and displayed varying levels of skill and consistency throughout the weekend.