At the start of last Sunday’s F1 Miami Grand Prix, Sergio Perez nearly crashed into his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, missing him by inches. As Verstappen sped away with the lead, it seemed like the only chance the field would have to defeat him was gone.
This has happened plenty of times. For the past two years, if Verstappen got out front, the race was all but over. Unless a mechanical issue occurred on his Red Bull, Verstappen was a near lock to take the win.
So Verstappen seemed very much on his way to yet another victory, capping off a perfect weekend for the Dutchman.
But this time, something was off.
Verstappen was leading, but Oscar Piastri’s McLaren was still in his rearview mirrors. Sure, it was a three second gap, but Verstappen could not extend it. Piastri, the second-year driver who is not even considered McLaren’s lead driver, had the Red Bull engineers telling Verstappen to pick up the pace.
The race still seemed to be under Verstappen’s control, but for once, someone else was close enough to take advantage if given a shot.
However, it was not Piastri. It was his teammate Lando Norris, still searching for his first career win in his sixth season.
As the pit cycle began, the front five came in to pit. That left Norris as the leader, hoping for a safety car to give him a free pit stop and a shot at the win.
And that’s exactly what he got.
All it Takes is a Shot
A crash between Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant allowed Norris to pit for hard tires and retain the lead. But the fight was not over.
Verstappen was still right behind in his mighty Red Bull. While his tires were slightly older than Norris’, the expectation was that Verstappen eventually would be able to find his way past the McLaren.
But instead, Norris pulled away.
For the first time since the early stages of 2022 with Ferrari, another team was pulling away from the Red Bulls in a fight for the win.
Verstappen complained of understeer on the radio. The Red Bull’s straight line advantage over the McLaren was not enough. After a 25 lap run to the finish, Lando Norris held nearly an eight second advantage over the driver who seemed unbeatable.
For Norris, it was his first win in F1 after eight runner-up finishes in his career. And while Norris and McLaren have sustained themselves as one of the best driver-team combos in the sport, it came as a surprise to see them leave Verstappen’s Red Bull in the dust.
Is McLaren a True Threat to Red Bull Now?
McLaren brought an extensive upgrade package to Miami, featuring ten new elements. The upgrades were so extensive that many around the paddock described it as bringing, “a whole new car.”
Throughout practice, the sprint, and qualifying, it was unclear just how effective these upgrades were. But in the grand prix, it all came to fruition.
McLaren had a strong car last season, excelling in high speed corners. However, struggles remained primarily in low speed corners and down the straights.
In the closing laps at Miami, Norris was pulling away from Verstappen in the high speed first sector. In the second and third sector, featuring tight corners and long straights, Norris maintained the gap.
So, has McLaren found something with their upgraded car, or did Red Bull just have an off week?
Red Bull’s Complicated Weekend
Had Verstappen won the grand prix, it would have capped off a perfect weekend for him, having won the sprint and the grand prix pole. But that does not tell the whole story.
Verstappen made multiple uncharacteristic mistakes during the weekend. During sprint qualifying, Verstappen nearly lost it in the tight chicane. He still was fastest, but was not pleased with the lap afterwards.
A similar mistake happened while leading the race, where at the same chicane, Verstappen ran over the curb and took out the bollard. This damaged the Red Bull’s floor, potentially hindering his ability to run down Norris in those final 25 laps.
Behind him, his teammate Sergio Perez was no match for the McLarens or Ferraris. Even Lewis Hamilton’s erratic Mercedes was threatening to pass the second Red Bull car.
Making Sense of it All
It is difficult to say how much Verstappen’s floor damage helped Norris pull away. The Red Bulls clearly were not their typical selves well before Verstappen hit the bollard. Still, it is very possible we will look back at this weekend and say it was just one bad apple in a season of dominance.
But as for McLaren, their performance leaves much optimism for what they can achieve this season. They dominated Ferrari, their main competition for P2 in the team standings. Even Piastri showed his strength as the team’s second driver.
It is too early to tell if McLaren has finally given Red Bull a run for their money. But regardless, it has not felt this close up front for a very long time.
Image courtesy of F1.com
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