Miami Top 5

Number 1: 20 Car Finish

For the first time since 2021, all 20 cars made it to the checkered flag. The race was still entertaining but it almost felt incomplete. I’ve gotten used to having at least one safety car or red flag period, or at the very least a yellow flag. The practice sessions and qualifying featured plenty of crashes but the race was quiet in that aspect. Miami was by no means boring with overtakes throughout the race, it was just unusual.

Number 2: Another Red Bull 1-2

All five podiums this season have featured at least one Red Bull driver, including Miami, four of those have been 1-2’s. The title fight is between two teammates and it doesn’t seem that any other teams will challenge this dominance. The team has never experienced dominance like this and I think everyone is starting to wonder what happened to the other teams.

Sergio Perez started on pole and maintained the lead up until he was forced to pit for hard tires. Max Verstappen started in ninth and by lap 21 he was in the lead. He gave himself a large enough gap before taking his mandatory pit stop that he came out of the pits right behind Perez who had taken over the lead. Verstappen regained the lead after only two laps because of his newer medium tires. Perez didn’t stand a chance.

While the two drivers are in a clear fight for the championship, only time will tell if the team shows its true colors and prioritizes one driver over the other.

Number 3: Haas Points = Free Chipotle

The American team has been flying under the radar during the first five races of the season. They’ve scored some points here and there but there haven’t been any real standout performances. This week, however, Kevin Magnussen scored a second-row start during Saturday’s qualifying. We will never know what the results would have been had the session not been red-flagged but nevertheless, KMag’s results should be celebrated.

Sunday’s race could have gone better for the team but Magnussen still earned one championship point. While this might not have been the exact result the team was hoping for, the fans still got a nice treat. Chipotle, a team sponsor, gave out 10,000 codes for a free burrito in honor of the team scoring points. I was unsuccessful in claiming a code so hopefully they do this promotion again and I get another chance.

Number 4: Bad Luck for McLaren

So I might have been too optimistic last week. This double-header put McLaren fans on a roller coaster of emotions. After the team’s performance in Baku, fans were ready for another great weekend. They got the opposite. Neither driver made it out of Q1 during Saturday’s qualifying and things did not improve on race day.

Lando Norris started 16th but fell to 19th on the opening lap. A crash with Nyck De Vries forced him to run wide at turn one, allowing everyone but De Vries to pass him. Oscar Piastri gained five places on the opening lap, taking him from 19th to 14th. Both drivers started on the soft tires in hopes of gaining positions early but the track was unforgiving. The drivers were forced to pit within the first ten laps pushing them to the back of the grid.

Piastri never recovered, crossing the finish line a lap down in 19th place. Norris finished only slightly higher in 17th.

Number 5: Fernando Alonso Watching the Big Screen

Fernando Alonso has been living his best life this season. He’s happy 24/7 and he’s even giving advice to his teammate, Lance Stroll, during the races. During the race in Miami, Alonso started talking over the radio about a move made by Stroll. The team confirmed that Stroll had made an overtake but it was unclear how Alonso knew that. SkySports commentators commented that he was probably watching the race on the big screen as he passed them.

That has to be one of the coolest things you could do during a race. These cars are traveling over 100 miles an hour and one wrong move can put you in the wall. Alonso was having such a nice race that he took a moment to glance away from the track to watch the cars behind him on the screen. Not only that but he got to watch his teammate perform an overtake and then took time to complement him. I hope this new Fernando sticks around for a while because he is so much better than the one I’ve watched in the last few years.

Overall it was an eventful weekend in Miami, from celebrity sightings to an awkward driver introduction the Sunshine State did not disappoint. F1 heads to Italy on May 21st for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. This will be the first race of a triple header with Monaco and Spain following after.