The silver lining of Ferrari’s Miami GP defeat

So, what did you make of Formula 1’s first Miami Grand Prix? Was it an unrivalled triumph of mass-market, glitzy, celebrity entertainment manifesting itself through sport? Or was it a soulless, over-hyped, very expensive and actually not that interesting race in the car parks around a stadium built to host another sport entirely?

The truth, inevitably, is in between the totally polarising positions F1 fans currently seem determined to adopt and then vitriolically defend on just about any subject.

PLUS: The late danger that could have cost Verstappen Miami victory

The race definitely did need something to make it interesting once Max Verstappen had passed Charles Leclerc for the race lead fairly early in the opening stint. The safety car that followed Pierre Gasly’s unfortunate clash with Lando Norris led to the gripping final chase at the front and the heap of action behind (which included a lot of shoddy driving).

That ending therefore artificially boosted the number of overtakes in Miami – so treat any statistics being waved about on that topic with healthy scepticism. At the same time, the track surface challenges the drivers had to cope with meant a chance to showcase their racing skills – no matter how loudly many complained about the added difficulty.

Yes, a new track surface should not have needed patching in places even before a single racing car had been unleashed. But what was created led to much seriously impressive driving on such a testing surface, alongside several comedy crashes.

The accusations that F1 has sold out with events such as Miami are surely nothing new considering where it has been prepared to race in decades past. It’s just the world, and therefore the places left to go, has changed – not to mention the championship now has an owner that wants success in its home market (and is finding it).

Few, if any, countries are stumping up the capital required to build grand, purpose-built, and permanent tracks such as Spa or Silverstone. There’s an argument that it would be better for the planet that they do not.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

Therefore, city-based races are here to stay and anyway have always been part of motorsport’s DNA. Perhaps the problem is that for each new high-profile and usually lucrative location F1 wants to flock to next, it inevitably threatens the future of long-established and long-loved events.

There is a saturation effect of too many races and, currently, a contractual limit of 24. Plus, F1 itself has declared that existing events must raise the bar on their infrastructure, public offerings and overall event management or risk losing their spots.

It’s little wonder many promoters from other races were in attendance in Miami Gardens. They may well have been amused by the stories of hospitality areas running out of comestibles for guests that paid considerably to attend, but likely alarmed that the event’s costs ended up being so great it means no profit will be drawn this year.

Ferrari curing its current softer compound weakness will be critical to this hoped-for scenario. But if the two squads can be as closely matched on all tyres as they were on the hards late-on in Miami, then there is a glimmer of hope on display last weekend that may prove to be critical in settling this season’s story

Whatever, the online reaction to the Miami race all got a bit too much. But maybe there’s a deeper reason behind. Is F1’s hive brain detecting serious danger to the idea the 2022 championship battle between Red Bull and Ferrari is going to go the distance as it did last year?

Let’s look at the facts first. In Melbourne, Leclerc was on course to dominate even before Verstappen retired. Since then, Red Bull has had the upper hand – outdoing Ferrari on dry tyre race pace and maintaining its straight-line speed advantage.

Now we must enter the realm of speculation. If the Scuderia is defeated again in Spain and Monaco – technical tracks that should suit its car’s strengths more than the RB18 – then its title challenge is in serious trouble.

Much hope is pinned on the upgrade “package” – per team boss Mattia Binotto – Ferrari is set to introduce at Barcelona. But it is Red Bull’s top-speed superiority that poses the real danger. If Ferrari cannot counter on that front, Verstappen will continue to stay close enough to pounce on occasions he is defeated in qualifying, or indeed lead from the off as he likely would’ve done without his practice problems last weekend.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Ever optimistic, let’s assume the finely poised victory battles that played out in Bahrain and Jeddah return. Ferrari curing its current softer compound weakness will be critical to this hoped-for scenario. But if the two squads can be as closely matched on all tyres as they were on the hards late-on in Miami, then there is a glimmer of hope on display last weekend that may prove to be critical in settling this season’s story.

Carlos Sainz extended his run of self-inflicted ill-fortune to a third race (although to be fair, being punted out of the Imola GP by Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t his fault) with his FP2 crash. This left him with neck pain that meant he couldn’t “push 100%” to the end last Sunday – a situation compounded by the last time he completed a GP distance, in Jeddah, being six weeks previously. His muscle memory was lacking.

Yet still he held on to repulse Sergio Perez’s Red Bull and secure the third spot on the podium. The day before, a small slide wide out of the Miami track’s last real corner created the gap to the pole-winning Leclerc.

Now, Perez was hobbled by his engine sensor issue to the tune of half a second a lap by that stage, based on Christian Horner’s public claims post-race. But there are plenty of examples of drivers who should snatch success in advantageous situations instead somehow finding defeat. Sainz saw Perez off – successfully defending at Turn 1 in a way Leclerc did not against Verstappen.

If Sainz can keep this up and take the final step to securing an F1 pole or victory that seems rather inevitable, then he will become a critical factor in how a close title fight may be decided. After all, it was Perez’s gap to Verstappen in 2021 that cost Red Bull in that constructors’ fight against Mercedes…

So, F1 now heads to Sainz’s home race in Spain. Perhaps the home field advantage will make the difference and he can finally clinch tangible, glittering success. He’s a popular paddock figure and that would be a very welcome result.

And with a return to such a ‘traditional’ track, and a problematic one at that on the overtaking front at Barcelona, maybe some Sainz success will be the tonic F1 needs to calm down after the Miami madness/magic. Pick your side once again!

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images