Norris Claims First Win
Red Bull Surprisingly Vulnerable
Miami is not my favourite circuit in America, but it did serve up a race that was entertaining. More on-track action was had than usual, and the safety car timing combined with an off-the-pace Verstappen/Red Bull which saw Norris claim a first victory that has been a long time coming.
Norris Wins in Miami
Norris had an interesting weekend. He looked like he might have had the pace for pole in the sprint, yet only started 9th before being taken out at the first corner. Come qualifying proper, he ended up a more respectable 5th but it still looked like the race might be a Red Bull-Ferrari affair.
When a McLaren got a stroke of luck early on, it fell to Piastri. Leclerc had a bad start and was due to end up behind both his teammate and Perez, when the Mexican locked up and carried straight on, necessitating avoiding action from Sainz and enabling the Monegasque to hold onto his place. It also allowed Piastri to slip through.
Verstappen led but could not build an enormous gap. On pace, Norris looked good, as did his team mate, but passing was very difficult. One-by-one the top drivers pitted, with Norris (whose tyres were holding on nicely) staying out just in case. And then the safety car appeared.
Of the leading men, only Norris had yet to pit and his cheap stop meant he could retain the lead but Verstappen would be right behind him.
The Briton botched the restart and Verstappen was within touching distance. Yet Norris’ fresher tyres and the poor grip of the Red Bull gave the McLaren man the chance to survive the initial challenge and then inexorably pull away from Verstappen. In the latter stage of the race, Norris was simply faster, lap after lap, and was never again under threat from the reigning champion.
His first win has been a long time coming, and if he had a stroke of luck then the opportunity to take advantage of it, and to seal the win, was born of Norris’ own excellent pace.
Red Bull — Low Grip and Outpaced
Red Bull have been in the news a lot this season, often for off-track reasons. Allegations against Horner have not led to anything in themselves, but the loss of Adrian Newey (often seen as the best designer in the sport’s history) is a hefty blow. He is likely to end up at Ferrari, with Aston Martin another possibility, if he chooses to stay in F1.
The first race after this surprise departure emerged was a bad one for Red Bull. The dominance Verstappen has enjoyed at other tracks (although not in Australia) was absent and he was in a serious battle for the win.
It would’ve been interesting to see if he could have held onto the lead, as passing was quite difficult, but in the end lack of grip meant he finished just a couple of seconds ahead of Leclerc, while Norris was over seven seconds clear of the Dutchman.
In Australia, the other race Verstappen failed to win, the Dutchman had a DNF. However, the Red Bull had also looked relatively weak there, with Perez only managing 5th (and in Miami the Mexican was 4th). The two men remain 1–2 in the title race, although Perez is now only 5 points clear of Leclerc on 98 (Norris and Sainz are both on 83).
I’d still be surprised if someone other than Verstappen takes the title this year but the Red Bull has been shown to be more liable to slow weekends than in 2023. In just half a dozen races, the car has had iffy weekends twice, once of which included a DNF due to a reliability failure.
If Ferrari and McLaren can maintain their development perhaps we might just see a genuine title race. I suspect things will be much closer than last year but would be surprised if Verstappen were truly challenged.
Alpine Score
At the back end of the grid it’s mostly been Tsunoda (who finished 7th) and Hulkenberg snaffling the points but Miami also saw a first point for Alpine, courtesy of Ocon. The Frenchman benefited from Piastri suffering a collision with Sainz and having to pit while the field was still bunched up post-safety car.
Given how dire the Alpine was at the start of the season and how much Tsunoda and Hulkenberg have been there to hoover up any lower points positions, this is a nice moment for the team. It puts Alpine 8th, as neither Sauber nor Williams have scored as yet.
I’m mildly surprised Albon is still on zero, he’s gotten close with a pair of 11th finishes and a 12th but there’s no points for that.
Richard
