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 the other drivers throughout the weekend. Ben Anderson, replacing Edd Straw, provides his analysis on the best-performing drivers. Rankings are based on various factors including pace, racecraft, consistency, and ability to maximize the car’s potential.
Arthur Piastri’s performance stood out due to his clean and efficient driving, even with a McLaren lacking updated parts. He consistently kept up with Norris’ pace in qualifying and displayed impressive moves during the race. Anderson argues that Piastri was the most consistent and slightly more impressive McLaren driver in Miami.
Charles Leclerc had a strong weekend overall, recovering well from a minor error in FP1. He extracted the most from the Ferrari in both qualifying sessions and the sprint race. Anderson believes that Leclerc’s third-place finish, without the advantage of the safety car timing, was a slight overperformance.
Although Norris had an excellent end to the race after the safety car restart, Anderson feels he delivered slightly less at the beginning of the weekend. Despite driving a heavily updated McLaren, Norris had to work hard to secure a spot on the podium. Anderson acknowledges Norris’ supreme performance at the end, but believes his overall performance was not complete.
Max Verstappen dominated the race weekend, despite not being completely 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 position changes on the track cost him the opportunity to make the most of the hard tires. Anderson acknowledges that it was not Verstappen’s best or cleanest weekend, but recognizes his strength.
Yuki Tsunoda continues to impress by positioning himself at the forefront of the midfield drivers. He took advantage of mistakes from Mercedes and Aston Martin and overtook faster cars. Tsunoda’s only slip-up was exiting early in SQ2. Anderson praises his strong performance in overtaking inherently faster cars.
Lewis Hamilton had a tough weekend, but there were moments where he showed his exceptional skills. He struggled to find grip on the tires throughout the race, but had impressive laps in qualifying and during the race. Despite colliding with Alonso in the sprint race and receiving a penalty for speeding, Hamilton had a good performance in the actual grand prix.
Esteban Ocon had a solid race, battling with his teammate and other drivers. He engaged in wheel-to-wheel battles and won skirmishes on the track. However, his pace dropped towards the end of the race, causing him to lose positions.
Pierre Gasly had a decent weekend, making good use of the upgraded chassis and floor of the Alpine. He outperformed his teammate in the sprint race, but got stuck in a DRS train during the grand prix, which prevented him from achieving a better result.
Carlos Sainz showed strong pace until a late 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 Ferrari cars to overtake him in the standings and had a disappointing pace during the final stretch of the race.
Nico Hulkenberg initially showed promise, fighting for a prominent position. However, his race unraveled after an unsuccessful pit stop and subsequent drop in pace. Despite his exceptional 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 stretch.
George Russell had a challenging weekend, losing ground early in the races and struggling to extract grip from the tires. Despite these difficulties, Russell maintained a slight edge in qualifying pace over Hamilton.
Daniel Ricciardo had a poor weekend overall, failing to make progress and relying on incidents ahead for any advancement.
Lance Stroll had a decent performance in qualifying but made errors during the grand prix. He illegally overtook Alex Albon’s Williams, undoing his own result.
Logan Sargeant had a commendable performance, driving cleanly and making fewer mistakes than his teammate. However, his race was interrupted due to an incident caused by Kevin Magnussen.
Zhou Guanyu did a good job by beating his teammate in qualifying and the sprint race. However, he had a below-par performance in the Grand Prix qualifying and struggled during the final stretch 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 couldn’t achieve a miraculous result.
Valtteri Bottas had a discreet performance, possibly affected by recent changes within the team. He struggled to keep up with 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 different levels of skill and consistency throughout the weekend.
© 2024
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