Oscar Piastri claimed victory in Miami to make it three wins in a row, beating team-mate Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two.
Piastri now leads the drivers’ championship by 16 factors from Norris.
In the meantime, Ferrari had been embroiled in an issue over crew orders after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had been each requested to swap positions.
Commercial
BBC Sport F1 correspondent Andrew Benson solutions your newest questions after the Miami Grand Prix.
What on earth is flawed at Ferrari? – Jonathan
After the Miami Grand Prix, the questions in Ferrari crew principal Frederic Vasseur’s information convention centered largely on the crew orders debate between the crew and drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc through the race.
Vasseur grew to become slightly annoyed with this, and in the long run mentioned: “It is not the story of the day,” stating that the one distinction it made in the long run was which driver completed seventh and eighth.
“I’d be far more eager to talk about why we completed one minute behind McLaren,” he mentioned.
Commercial
Vasseur claimed that within the race, the automobile’s tempo was a match for the Crimson Bull of Max Verstappen and the Mercedes, however Ferrari paid the worth for his or her poor grid positions. McLaren, he admitted, had been “on one other planet”.
Charles Leclerc certified eighth and Lewis Hamilton twelfth, Ferrari’s worst qualifying results of the season, and that was largely as a result of they had been struggling to get the most effective out of recent tyres.
That is why Hamilton and Leclerc ran on used tyres within the second set of qualifying. As Vasseur put it: “All people improved 0.5-0.6secs between scrubbed to new and we misplaced 0.2-0.3secs.”
Requested why Ferrari struggled with tyres in Miami, he mentioned: “That is a very good query. If I knew the reply, I’d do a step ahead and we might have mounted it between Q2 and Q3.
Commercial
“You at all times should function the tyres in a really slender window. It is totally different from monitor to trace, it is totally different from compound to compound, from monitor temp to trace temp. And it is at all times after the session that you simply say, ‘OK, I might have completed in another way.'”
However that was simply Miami. The broader situation is that the automobile shouldn’t be the place Ferrari anticipated it to be at the beginning of this season, after operating McLaren so shut for the constructors’ title final yr.
Different groups – particularly McLaren – made extra progress over the winter, and Ferrari merely have to make the automobile sooner.
On common, it’s the slowest of the highest 4 groups, and Ferrari have scored just one grand prix podium, due to Leclerc in Saudi Arabia.
Commercial
Hamilton received the dash in China, however that appears to be a case of him and the crew discovering a very good set-up after only one apply session, whereas others didn’t, after which benefiting from clear air at the beginning of the race.
As Leclerc put it: “Lewis did an excellent job. Possibly some drivers did not put every little thing collectively in (dash) qualifying and he managed to do this and managed to outperform the automobile a bit.
“Then tyre degradation being a giant factor, once you begin in entrance, every little thing involves you a bit extra. Lewis made a distinction on Friday and Saturday.”
There are what Vasseur calls “some small upgrades” coming on the subsequent two races in Imola and Monaco. And Vasseur hopes that the which might be being launched on the subsequent race in Spain will make a distinction.
Commercial
“All people could have a brand new entrance wing in Barcelona,” he mentioned. “By definition and by regulation. I feel will probably be maybe a reset of the efficiency of all people.”
The implication is that McLaren are benefiting from exploiting this phenomenon. McLaren themselves say they anticipate it to make little distinction to them.
Ferrari progressed nicely with upgrades in each 2023 and 2024 after troublesome begins. Vasseur stays assured they’ll do the identical this yr.
Hamilton mentioned on Sunday: “I really feel optimistic for the long run. I feel this automobile actually does have efficiency. One thing’s holding us again in the intervening time. We have misplaced efficiency since China. And it is there, it is simply we won’t use it. Till we get a repair for that, then that is the place we’re.”
Commercial
Is the chance that Mercedes took bringing Kimi Antonelli into the crew now slightly than later paying off? – Callum
Kimi Antonelli had had a gradual begin to his debut Components 1 season, as he mentioned was his plan from the beginning – he needed to construct steadily and never make huge errors.
In Miami, the 18-year-old for the primary time confirmed a glimpse of the excessive potential Mercedes believed him to have, and which persuaded them to throw him in on the deep finish this yr.
He was assured within the automobile from the beginning, and he was at all times the sooner Mercedes driver over one lap.
was an excellent efficiency, and he repeated it with third on the grid for the grand prix. however crew principal Toto Wolff believes that was proof of Antonelli’s continued have to study within the advanced world of F1.
Commercial
Wolff described the qualifying performances as “one other proof of his expertise and a very good indication of how the long run may be”.
He added: “Within the race, difficult, as a result of it is so troublesome right here to seek out the best reference. The medium (tyre) stint, fast sufficient, you recognize, with George (Russell) holding on within the again on the exhausting tyre.
“After which when he went into the exhausting, he simply lacked expertise managing it the best approach.
“(We’re) discovering the best references and making an attempt to information him, however once you’re in that automobile, it isn’t simple. It is simply a part of the educational curve.”
Commercial
Wolff at all times mentioned that it might take time for Antonelli to adapt to F1, and that is the best way it’s figuring out.
Antonelli has a protracted strategy to go earlier than he proves he’s the generational expertise Mercedes – and others who’ve labored with him within the junior classes – imagine him to be, however Miami was a very good step in the best path.
Kimi Antonelli completed sixth in the primary grand prix in Miami and seventh within the dash race [Getty Images]
How can Fernando Alonso flip his season round, having not scored a single level up till now? – Andrew
It is truthful to say that Fernando Alonso shouldn’t be having his finest season, and it is extremely uncommon to see that he has scored no factors whereas team-mate Lance Stroll has scored 14 factors and is tenth within the championship.
Commercial
The underside line is that the Aston Martin is a poor automobile. Alonso has made a few errors, however essentially he has been unfortunate and Stroll has benefited from circumstances.
Alonso continues to be comfortably sooner than the Canadian – the two-time champion is 7-1 forward throughout all qualifying periods at a median benefit of 0.321 seconds.
He was driving nicely in Australia within the moist in a formidable sixth place, however crashed on gravel at Flip Six. The chaos within the race helped Stroll, driving nicely, to maneuver up and declare that sixth place.
Stroll then benefited from the disqualification of each Ferraris in China, and was promoted to ninth place. There, Alonso retired early on along with his brakes on fireplace.
Commercial
Stroll benefited once more from the chaos within the Miami dash, the place Alonso was driving nicely and heading in the right direction for factors when he was taken out in a crash with Liam Lawson.
His spin within the grand prix, whereas uncharacteristic, “did not change something,” he mentioned.
“I misplaced 5 seconds after which 10 laps later I catch the identical group of automobiles and was nonetheless in the identical place after which benefited from the digital security automobile.
“Even with that, not sufficient (tempo) to be nearer to the automobiles in entrance at this time. We have to get higher for Imola. We’re not joyful being at this tempo however we’re all making an attempt the most effective we are able to.”
Commercial
Aston Martin crew boss Andy Cowell praised Alonso’s qualifying efficiency in Japan as “excellent” and in Jeddah as “spectacular”. However with no retirements, Alonso completed simply out of the factors in each races.
The fact is that the automobile is eighth quickest in qualifying on common and in Miami was the slowest of all. So scoring factors is at all times going to be troublesome.
Cowell mentioned in Miami that Aston Martin had been “not a cheerful camp and we’re making an attempt to work out (what has gone flawed)”.
Alonso was annoyed Aston Martin had rejected his requires an earlier change to slicks within the dash on Saturday in Miami, and mentioned on Sunday: “I’m making an attempt to do my finest behind the wheel.
Commercial
“I nailed Japan, P11. Jeddah was practically excellent. As I mentioned (earlier than), we now have three or 4 alternatives when chaos occurs and you’ve got the chance to attain factors.
“There have been three already this yr. Australia, and I had the error and went on the gravel and went off. China, with three or 4 automobiles disqualified, and I had brakes on fireplace on lap one.
“And yesterday the monitor was for dry tyres and we stored with the inters for too lengthy.
“We missed three alternatives to attain factors in my case and it’ll be one or two extra within the season. I assume let’s hope for some extra.”
Commercial
