Hey there, Pole-sitters! 👋
Fresh off the Miami GP, we’re here to give you the lowdown on the wild ride that was.
In the “305” edition of our F1 newsletter, Red Bull’s daring dance of strategy saw a thrilling head-to-head between Perez and Verstappen. But not everything in Miami was as smooth as their pit stops.
A new pre-race parade saw drivers strut their stuff, sparking controversy faster than a confused influencer asking where the car’s handbrake is.
Let’s dive into the glitz, glamour, and controversies of the Miami GP – it’s time to turbocharge your F1 knowledge!
- Speedy Race Review – Detailed charts and analysis of the Miami GP
- In-depth education: Italian Passion for Formula 1: The Tifosi and Their Love for Ferrari
- Fast Lane News – Short news to get you up to speed with the latest F1 updates
- The Imola GP – Weekend schedule, track details and more details about how the venue was built.Let’s get going…
Speedy Race Review
Speedy Race Review📈 Race pace analysis via @FDataAnalysis
- Verstappen was quicker than Perez despite running a less optimal strategy and being in traffic at the start.
- Aston 🟰 Mercedes > Ferrari here. Alonso’s pace was great, but Russel proved to be was fast as well
- Alpine cars were best-of-the-rest
- Red Bull was the quickest car in all parts of the race
Which were each car’s aerodynamic traits?
🔵 Red Bull did the best lap time AND top speed ➡️ Unmatched efficiency
🔴 Ferrari was competitive and had a good top speed
🟢 Aston was quick, DESPITE their low top speed ➡️ They had tremendous downforce and would’ve benefited from rain.
👨🏼⚖️ ‘Boring’ Miami GP proves that stacks of overtakes isn’t what fans feel F1 is missing
I’ve seen mixed feelings about the race on Sunday, but one thing I’ve noticed again and again (at least in my feed, thanks Twitter) was the fact that the race was a boring one in Miami.
I’ll act as your own personal myth buster and share some stats that might change your mind:
- The Miami GP had the most overtakes this season. 60 for the entire race vs. 2nd place Bahrain with 37.
- 43 of them were shown in the live broadcast. Last year’s race had 52 overtakes.
- Verstappen did the most overtakes this race with 8
- Magnussen and Bottas were the most overtaken drivers this race both with 7.
If you want to see every overtake, i suggest you read this article.
On the same subject, WTF1 had a great opinion article.
So no, it’s not all about the quantity. But arguably what let Miami down the most was the TV direction. How many of those overtakes do you remember actually seeing? The lack of interest from the cameras and commentators in what was going down further down in the field was a huge letdown. Maybe that would’ve changed fans’ perception.
🛞 Verstappen’s tire strategy sealed the deal in Miami
Starting on hard-compound tires turned out to be the secret sauce for several drivers, including Max Verstappen. He managed to win the race, with teammate Perez in 2nd place and Alonso rounding up the podium.
Ex-Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins dives into the data and explains that the hard tire choice helped drivers.
Although graining was a potential issue for both the medium and hard tires, the latter provided advantages, especially for those starting out of position. – Read more
⚪ When correcting for the effect of fuel reduction, the Hards had almost NO drop-off in performance(last few laps relative to just a couple drivers)
🟡 The Medium compound was uncompetitive, being slightly slower than the hards even in the first half of the stint.
Pirelli exaggerated the mandated compounds' hardness: SAR practically did the race on a single set!🛞
The drivers who were able to extend their first stint the most were:
🟡ALO, on the Medium
⚪️VER, on the Hard#F1 #MiamiGP #MiamiGranPrix pic.twitter.com/Twp26X7ZiL— 📈Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) May 8, 2023
⏱ Equal info, unequal results
During the Miami Grand Prix, Christian Horner insists that both Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen received the same intel from the team.
Despite TV coverage suggesting otherwise, Horner states that the 19.8 seconds magic number was clear to both drivers.
Though the outcome may not have been ideal for Perez’s title aspirations, there’s still a long way to go with 18 races and five sprint races left. – Read more
👑 Fernando Alonso casually multitasking while holding his podium position.
Fernando Alonso not only focused on securing his podium position but also kept an eye on teammate Lance Stroll’s progress.
In a multitasking masterclass, Alonso caught Stroll’s smart move on Williams rival Alex Albon via trackside TV screens. From brake balance advice to casually watching the race while driving through high speed corners… El planificador. – See the video
I was just speaking just now with Carlos and what we are lacking is consistency in the car. It’s not even from corner to corner, it’s just in the same corner I can have a huge oversteer rebalance and then a huge understeer balance; our car is so wind affected.
It’s always whether the car is going to react well or whether the tyres are going to be in the right window. This is just very difficult also as a driver to gain the confidence and to adapt your driving, because you get from one set to the other and the car is difficult
😵💫 Neither the drivers nor the die hard fans enjoyed the Pre-Race Show at the Miami GP
F1 drivers had mixed reactions to the unconventional pre-race introductions at the Miami Grand Prix, featuring will.i.am and LL Cool J. While some drivers, like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg, enjoyed the experience and supported trying new things, most of the others found it distracting and unnecessary.
F1 might have considered that with the 250$ salad on the menu, fans should at least have a better show than the other races. – Read more
🛑 FIA says “no more pit-lane chaos!” after Ocon’s close call at Azerbaijan GP.
They’ve introduced new measures to keep everyone safe, including keeping team mechanics and VIPs away from the pit lane until the last car has seen the chequered flag. Break the rules? Prepare to lose your guest passes and face the stewards. – Read more
Italian Passion for Formula 1: The Tifosi and Their Love for Ferrari
Italian Passion for Formula 1: The Tifosi and Their Love for FerrariAs we gear up for the next thrilling race at the Imola Grand Prix, it’s the perfect time to dig into the rich history of Italian motorsports, where passion and speed are a way of life.
Today we’re exploring the heart and soul of Italy’s love affair with Formula 1, with a special focus on the fanatical supporters of Scuderia Ferrari – the Tifosi – and their unwavering presence at the Italian races.
Fast Lane News
Fast Lane News🔵 During the podium ceremony at the Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen didn’t receive the friendliest of responses from fans watching. Instead, he was jeered and booed as he stood on the top step of the podium. But does he care? Nope. Not at all. – Read more
🫢 Mercedes has made an offer to Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey. Ferrari also tried unsuccessfully to find another Red Bull aerodynamicist. – Read more
🔵 Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that he is set to get his first taste of the RB19 following July’s British Grand Prix, as part of the Australian’s wide-ranging third driver duties for Red Bull. – Read more
🟠 McLaren has recalled former sporting director and Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran to act as a consultant for the next stage of the team’s restructuring. Might be a good call after they endured another weekend 0 points. – Read more
😰 Martin Brundle feared he had caused Sir Jackie Stewart to be ejected from the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix grid after the latter clashed with security guards. – Read more
🔵 Szafnauer’s future under threat amid Alpine struggles – Read more
🧠 Formula 1’s cost cap rules are forcing teams to change their approach to car improvement, as they look for ways to improve performance without the need for brand-new parts. – Read more
🥊 A slogan battle erupted when master of ceremony LL Cool J called Formula 1 ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’. Apparently the owners of Indy 500 aren’t too hyped up about this. – Read more
📑 Michael Andretti officially filing F1 entry this week: ‘Building the team as we speak’ – Read more
🟢 Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin must stay focused and ready to pounce when there is a “crack” in Red Bull’s form if it wants a Formula 1 victory. – Read more
⚫️ Lewis Hamilton says he had “a lot of fun” fighting his way through the field in Miami – but added he’s “counting down the days” until he gets his hands on the new Mercedes upgrade package in Imola. – Read more
🎆 The organisers of the Miami GP have held discussions about turning their annual Formula One event into a night race in the future. – Read more
😤 Damon Hill questions whether fans ‘understand F1’ after the Miami GP complaints about the boring race. – Read more
❤️ ICYMI: Ricciardo tricks Tsunoda, and Toto triggers the bleep machine – The best social media from Miami – Link
THE IMOLA GP
THE IMOLA GP🇺🇸 Scheduled: 19-21 May
Imola – or the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari as it’s been known since 1988 – had its foundation stone laid in March 1950. It was ready for testing by October 1952, while racing began at the circuit in 1953.
We will be covering the entire track stats, history and what to expect the following weekend in our next issue. So stay tuned 🏆
MEME OF THE DAY
MEME OF THE DAY
