Max Verstappen was back on it in Miami after a low-key performance in Baku a few days ago, threatening to reassert his title credentials around a slippery Miami circuit.
The Dutchman was in a class of one in the afternoon session — fastest over a single lap, fastest in the race simulations, albeit those were shortened thanks to a late crash by Charles Leclerc that triggered a red flag.
His task was made a little more straightforward by the underperformance of teammate Sergio Pérez, and a Saturday rebound by the Mexican could tighten up the battle for victory, but on the evidence of Friday, this race is heading in only one direction.
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“I think it was a good day,“ Verstappen said, per the F1 website. “Initially I think it was getting used to the track a bit with the new tarmac, I think it was really ramping up a lot throughout the day, but always felt good in the car and we had good balance out there.”
“There’s still a few little things we want to look at. Ideally you want to be faster in every single corner, but that’s not always possible. We also have to see what the weather will do, but overall a positive day.”
Long-run data, all tyres
Red Bull Racing: 1:32.323 (mediums, 5 laps)
Mercedes: 1:32.725 (mediums, 2 laps)
Haas: 1:32.942 (hards, 4 laps)
Alpine 1:32.954 (mediums, 2 laps)
Williams: 1:33.316 (mediums, 3 laps)
Ferrari: 1:33.319 (mediums, 5 laps)
McLaren: 1:33.547 (softs, 4 laps)
Haas: 1:33.686 (mediums, 5 laps)
Williams: 1:33.718 (hards, 5 laps)
McLaren: 1:34.109 (mediums, 7 laps)
Leclerc’s crash means much of the above numbers must be taken with a grain of salt. Only Verstappen got anywhere near a representative number of laps for his long run among the frontrunners. Carlos Sainz’s five-lap run was fairly underwhelming, neither Mercedes driver got more than a pair of consecutive laps, and Aston Martin couldn’t string anything together thanks to the disruption.
It’s also clear looking at the tyre data that the hard tyre will likely be the preferred race tyre if warm and dry conditions persist to Sunday. It’s by far the most durable and is faster than the softer compounds only a few laps into the stint. A one-stop race is also likely.
PÉREZ FACES SIGNIFICANT TEAMMATE DEFICIT
After a big round in Baku selling his capacity for championship challenge, Pérez had a dog of a day on Friday, blitzed by teammate Verstappen and admitting that he’s not feeling comfortable in the car.
The Mexican was a full second behind Verstappen in first practice, and though he closed that to a still significant 0.489 seconds by the evening, he never looked a genuine threat for top spot.
“I haven’t had the greatest of Fridays,” Pérez said, per the F1 website. “My lap was also pretty bad.
“I am not driving really well today, so I think that if I’m able to improve my driving and get myself a bit more comfortable, it should be all right.”
There is some reason for hope despite the comprehensive beating.
Pérez didn’t find the expected step when he bolted on the soft tyres, having been a closer match on the mediums, and he wasn’t the only one to experience that phenomenon as the track cooled in the afternoon. He also made some obvious mistakes on his fast laps.
“I locked up on the final corner, so there is quite a bit to come,” he said.
“We’ve been trying a few [things] with the mechanical balance, and I think we learned quite a bit … generally I think we got a good baseline.”
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NEW FERRARI PARTS WON’T CLOSE THE RACE-PACE GAP
Ferrari has brought its first major update of the season to the Miami Grand Prix, revising the front and middle of the floor of the SF-23, the key performance component of the car, as well as the crucial diffuser.
“This new floor component is part of the standard development cycle,” the team said in the FIA’s schedule of weekend updates. “Particular attention has been put on losses reduction in all the updated areas with the aim to improve the overall aerodynamic performance and car efficiency.”
It’s the first of three important updates to the SF-23 coming in the next month, with further upgrades expected at the next round in Imola and then again in Barcelona.
Whether or not they work will decide the fate of the Italian team’s season.
The team is confident the parts are working as expected, and though Charles Leclerc was optimistic about his qualifying pace, his review of the team’s potential in the race was muted.
“I think the feeling is quite good over one lap,” he said, per Racer. “For the race we are so far behind; Red Bull is again in a league of its own, very, very far in front.
“In the race we definitely have a lot of time to find, but in qualifying pace we are more or less there.
“In terms of race pace, I don’t think we have any miracles in hand to close the gap, so I don’t think we will be much closer.”
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A FALSE DAWN FOR MERCEDES
Mercedes’s day started optimistically with a one-two finish in first practice, but by the end of the afternoon a familiar pall of disappointment had returned to the German marque.
Lewis Hamilton ended 0.928 seconds off Verstappen’s pace. George Russell found himself buried in 15th and a further 0.358s adrift.
The impressive showing in first practice was down largely to the fact both drivers set their fastest laps in the last two minutes of the session. With the temporary circuit improving rapidly and constantly, they got the best of the conditions.
Not so in the second hour, which proved a more accurate reflection of the car’s pace in the competitive order.
“FP1 looked quite good then to come into FP2 and the true pace come out,” Hamilton said. “It’s just a kick in the gut.
“It’s a little difficult to take sometimes, but it’s okay. We’ll keep working on it and we’ll regroup tonight and see if we can make some set-up changes and get the car into a sweet spot.”
The be clear, Hamilton’s disappointment isn’t that Mercedes is unusually off the pace but rather because it’s no closer than it has been for much of the year.
While on one-lap pace Ferrari was more than half a second up the road, Aston Martin was less than 0.2 seconds quicker. The trio is expected to be as close as usual in the race.
This is Mercedes’s last race before it brings a significant upgrade to the car in Imola and starts the overhaul it hopes can win ti races this year and put it back into the title fight next season.
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THE TRACK REMAINS A BIG UNKNOWN
The Miami International Autodrome was resurfaced ahead of this event to address complaints by drivers that last year’s track wasn’t fit for purpose.
The original tarmac had comprised some locally sourced limestone, which isn’t usually used in circuit construction because it’s too delicate. While it broke down on the racing line and offered good grip, the broken-down shards of rock showered the rest of the track, making it extremely difficult to leave the line, delivering a largely processional race.
This year a more conventional surface has been laid, but after one day of practice it appears the same problem is prevalent — albeit for different reasons.
Drivers found that while the racing line gripped up rapidly as the cars took to the track, offline the surface remains greasy and slippery. It’s characteristic of a new track that hasn’t been used, especially in the high heat and humidity of an environment like Miami.
The slipperiness off the racing line is what triggered several accidents during the day. Nico Hülkenberg drifted slightly wide before smashing his Haas in FP1, and Leclerc’s tank-slapper in FP2 underlined the sudden change to grip again. Several other drivers ran wide or locked up just because they strayed slightly from the rubbered-up line.
Some high-pressure blast cleaning might help with the oiliness, but the only thing that will ramp up grip is track action — though it’ll need considerably more than it’ll get this weekend.
While it may act as a mistake generator, particularly in the early laps of a race when drivers can’t race single file, it unfortunately suggests the bulk of the grand prix will probably see little ambitious overtaking.
Unless of course rain were to equalise the surface.