Could we see a teenager win the world championship this year? Mercedes Kimi Antonelli has continued to build on his reputation in Formula 1 after winning his third Grand Prix in a row. Antonelli has been on pole in all three of these races.
Antonelli has thrived in most aspects of F1, but one area he has struggled with is his slow start to races. In multiple races this year Antonelli has lost positions on the opening lap. This included the sprint race at Miami. Antonelli started the race in second but was down to sixth by the second lap.
In the race, Antonelli was able to keep the damage to a minimum only losing one spot to Ferrari’s Charlies Leclerc. He would get passed early in the race by McLaren’s Lando Norris who would also pass Leclerc to lead the race. Antonelli would take second from the Ferrari driver.
Mercedes decided to bring in Antonelli for a pit stop before Norris. This would be a masterstroke as when Norris completed his pit stop he would come out at the same time as Antonelli and the Mercedes driver was able to pass him. Antonelli did complain about issues with his gear box over the radio but he was able to hold the lead for the rest of the race.
Another positive note for Antonelli was that McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all did upgrades to their cars for this race. Mercedes decided to wait to complete their upgrades before the Canadian Grand Prix in three weeks. This will give him more confidence going into the next race.
Antonelli now leads the world championship by 20 points over teammate George Russell. Russell couldn’t reach the same heights as his teammate in Miami. He finished the sprint race in fourth position and qualified for the race in fifth. In the race he wasn’t in contention to win the race or make the podium. On the final lap of the race Russell battled with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for fifth. The two drivers collided causing damage to Russell’s front wing. Russell was able to pass Verstappen and Leclerc who had spun around finishing in fourth. The Mercedes driver’s front wing was scraping on the ground as he passed the chequed flag.
Frustrating weekend for the number 1 driver at Red Bull. Max Verstappen would have been optimistic leaving the track on Saturday night. Top five finish in the sprint race and second in qualifying, only 0.166 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli. Disaster hit when his car spun around on the opening lap and lost seven places on the grid. One positive Verstappen’s car didn’t hit the wall or get significant damage from another car.
When the safety car was deployed on the seventh lap due to Isack Hadjar’s crash and the Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson incident, Red Bull decided to bring Verstappen in for a pit stop and put the car on the hard tyre. Most of the teams would pit half way through the race. Verstappen would move his way through the grid with passing and when the other drivers had their pit stops. He would take the lead but was quickly passed by Norris and Antonelli.
As Verstappen’s tyres were getting worn out, losing grip and performance, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Leclerc and Russell all had fresher tyres and would pass him. He would reclaim fifth from Leclerc when he spun out and finish in fifth.
After the race, Verstappen would receive a five second penalty for crossing the pit exit line. He would have been knocked to sixth but Leclerc received a 20 second penalty for repeatedly leaving the circuit on the final lap.
During an interview after the race, Verstappen spoke about the team’s pit stop strategy.
“We opted to go early onto the hard compound and I think now in hindsight after the race, it was probably a bit too long” he said.
Verstappen achieved 14 points in Miami, he received only 12 for the three race weekends of the season.
F1 Obsessed Girlie 