2025 Miami Grand Prix - Miami USA, May 02-04

[JPower]

Outside of that, Williams looked great. Vowles is cooking something there. Sainz isn't 100% yet but he and Albon are still putting the car towards the front of the midfield.

I thought Williams said they were sacrificing this year? Their pace in S2 at times was frightening for a sacrificed car

I think everyone is surprised.

To think they're doing this with much of their infrastructure still behind the pack is pretty impressive. Pat Fry is no dullard though.

[AR3-GP]

I'm looking forward to round 2 of Piastri vs Antonelli. This is the "new" generation. They will face each other many times in the future.

[Paa]

RB21 is fixed.

I agree

I would wait until Tsunoda gets the upgrade. If and when the second driver regularly fights for podiums, then we can conclude, that car is fixed.
Also race pace is still questionable for Max, seemed considerably slower than McLaren during the sprint on drying track.

[ringo]

I think there is some level of delusion using the second driver as some kind of reference. It's like using Lance Stroll to gauge the Aston Martin. The red bull car is a front runner. Any astute fan can see that with their two eyes watching how planted the car is, and how much it has improved over the bumps. I would even say, it was not even on the ragged edge in trying to go faster. Well composed. And all those purple sectors over this weekend and previous weekends says a lot.
It is a better car than the Mercedes overall and it can challenge the McLarens. Not sure how fans think a driver can make a car look planted, or have high a clear speed cornering advantage.

[nitrotech]

RB21 is fixed.

I agree

I would wait until Tsunoda gets the upgrade. If and when the second driver regularly fights for podiums, then we can conclude, that car is fixed.
Also race pace is still questionable for Max, seemed considerably slower than McLaren during the sprint on drying track.

It would remain so as they don't have the understanding of tire cooling like McLaren does. One lap is a match, on a race or stint load, it's not.

[Watto]

I tend to agree with Toto here - no blame on Oscar here at all I think the best drivers over the years have exploited these kinds of rules, just I can see this as one drivers will push to the very limits to the point they barely make the corner themselves and go outside anything they would do any other lap to push an opponent wide - Max in particular I can see in pushing the rules to the limit through the season and I am not sure I like it without the need to give the guy on the outside room


But they are the rules as they stand

Why would any driver do anything else? It's embarrassing that ANY driver ever gets passed on the outside when it's flatout LEGAL to just run the other driver off-track, even if they're ahead of you.

I dont know how much I need to harp on how much this is destroying the racing, but it's the drivers themselves who seem to like this ability to bully others unfairly that's keeping this insistence in. Or another way of saying it - it's the cowardice of the FIA to clamp down and tell the drivers to STOP it, so we can get better, more exciting, and fairer racing.

I'm really getting tired of modern F1. I dont know what I'm actually watching for anymore.

Yep - I am not blaming the drivers here (well other than if I understand it they are the ones that come up with these guidelines).Oscar is just driving to the rules. Just feel drivers will more and more push it to its limits as they all adjust to them. Kimi has already said something along those lines for tomorrow with Oscar. Max has been great at pushing these kinds of rules for years. I'm just not sure the balance is quite right.

[AR3-GP]

The lesson from the sprint race and last year's race is to stay out and wait for someone else to crash. There's no reward for pitting early. This race had safetycars in 2022 and 2024.

[napoleon1981]

I think there is some level of delusion using the second driver as some kind of reference. It's like using Lance Stroll to gauge the Aston Martin. The red bull car is a front runner. Any astute fan can see that with their two eyes watching how planted the car is, and how much it has improved over the bumps. I would even say, it was not even on the ragged edge in trying to go faster. Well composed. And all those purple sectors over this weekend and previous weekends says a lot.
It is a better car than the Mercedes overall and it can challenge the McLarens. Not sure how fans think a driver can make a car look planted, or have high a clear speed cornering advantage.

Not sure how a driver can make a car look planted? Watch Tsunodas car vs Max. Wasnt it you that claimed the myth was busted? Seems like you are backtracking now. Drivers can certainly stabilize an aero platform with inputs, its what greats do, certainly in this era.

[Hammerfist]

I think there is some level of delusion using the second driver as some kind of reference. It's like using Lance Stroll to gauge the Aston Martin. The red bull car is a front runner. Any astute fan can see that with their two eyes watching how planted the car is, and how much it has improved over the bumps. I would even say, it was not even on the ragged edge in trying to go faster. Well composed. And all those purple sectors over this weekend and previous weekends says a lot.
It is a better car than the Mercedes overall and it can challenge the McLarens. Not sure how fans think a driver can make a car look planted, or have high a clear speed cornering advantage.

How can a guy make an obvious mistake in a sector and still go purple? It's obviously the car. Noone has any real idea why the second redbull driver always makes the car look like a midfield car, but the car is undoubtedly good. It is the best car in fast corners imo and it seemed to have closed the gap this weekend in the slow stuff as well. I will not be surprised if Max starts beating the mclarens regularly. That 5th WDC looks more and more like a reality. Wait, it kinda feels inevitable.

[ringo]

Lando played catch-up last year. Max will play catch-up this year once those upgrades filter through for the RB21.
McLaren seem very quiet on the upgrade front. Redbull has more wind tunnel time, and seems to be fixing their issues.
The funny thing is that even with their issues the car can beat the McLaren on merit which we have seen in Suzuka, and what would have been in Jeddah if it weren't for the 5s penalty.
Max is definitely more symbiotic with his car and team than Lando is, and will maximize more the Q3 sessions. He's more hooked in, and doesn't have any confidence issues with the feedback from the car which fits him like a glove.
Lando is more sensitive this year. Oscar less so, but Oscar clearly has weaker race pace and tyre management than Lando. Once Max keeps the gap within 40 points halfway through, he can retain his title.

[_cerber1]

What's the weather like for the race?

[bas550]

I think there is some level of delusion using the second driver as some kind of reference. It's like using Lance Stroll to gauge the Aston Martin. The red bull car is a front runner. Any astute fan can see that with their two eyes watching how planted the car is, and how much it has improved over the bumps. I would even say, it was not even on the ragged edge in trying to go faster. Well composed. And all those purple sectors over this weekend and previous weekends says a lot.
It is a better car than the Mercedes overall and it can challenge the McLarens. Not sure how fans think a driver can make a car look planted, or have high a clear speed cornering advantage.

Max is driving how the car wants to be driven. Doesn't mean there isn't speed in it but he has to put everything he has in it and then some to get a front row start/pole and even then it's extremely marginal to Mclaren's who whenever Max has gotten pole this year they tend to have made mistakes throughout the lap.

If you watch the onboards of the car it doesn't behave how a race car should. It's desperately understeering. That costs time.

A driver can absolutely make the difference.

I'm not dumb enough to think that Tsunoda is an A tier driver, either. But to write this off as a ''the Red Bull is a front running car'' is cheap.

[Sieper]

And we get this everytime Max has done something special. In fact, a Ringo ‘explainer’ is a good indicator Max has excelled again.

[Cs98]

There's a reason the paddock aficionados marvel at Verstappen's qualifying performances. Let's look at the numbers.

Lap time progression on new tyres:
Max: 26.87 - 26.64 - 26.49 - 26.20
Oscar: 27.0 - 26.26 - 26.50 - 26.37
Lando: 27.31 -26.49 - 26.49 - 26.27

Best theoretical lap time
Max: 26.20 (PB in all sectors on final lap).
Oscar: 26.17 ( 2 tenths off PB in S1 + S2 on final lap).
Lando: 26.01 (2,5 tenths off PB in S1 + S3 on final lap).

TLDR, Max has immaculate lap time progression and he puts together all his best sectors at the very end when the track is at its quickest. Oscar and Lando have less consistent lap time progression and don't put together their best sector times on the final lap. This is how a better driver beats a faster car in qualifying, more consistent and less mistakes when it counts. The detractors are out to lunch.

[f1isgood]

There's a reason the paddock aficionados marvel at Verstappen's qualifying performances. Let's look at the numbers.

Lap time progression on new tyres:
Max: 26.87 - 26.64 - 26.49 - 26.20
Oscar: 27.0 - 26.26 - 26.50 - 26.37
Lando: 27.31 -26.49 - 26.49 - 26.27

Best theoretical lap time
Max: 26.20 (PB in all sectors on final lap).
Oscar: 26.17 ( 2 tenths off PB in S1 + S2 on final lap).
Lando: 26.01 (2,5 tenths off PB in S1 + S3 on final lap).

TLDR, Max has immaculate lap time progression and he puts together all his best sectors at the very end when the track is at its quickest. Oscar and Lando have less consistent lap time progression and don't put together their best sector times on the final lap. This is how a better driver beats a faster car in qualifying, more consistent and less mistakes when it counts. The detractors are out to lunch.

Nice analysis. Also, that 26.26 as PIA was done with at least 5 more laps of fuel compared to the final run. 2 tenths of free lap time on the table just by reducing fuel loads assuming the cars gain a tenth for 10 kilometers of running.