2023 Miami Grand Prix Preview & Picks
The Miami GP is the second race in as many weeks in what is an intense time of year for all Formula 1 teams, with five races within a six week period.
We can expect that Red Bull will go through the motions once again of eat, sleep, race and repeat with another 1-2 result as they achieved in Baku.
I see the obvious variant in the result though, this time Max Verstappen taking the chequered flag and remaining the only undisputed champion of Miami.
The Red Bull has too much power and an unbeatable top speed which is going to be uncontainable for the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes, just as it was in Azerbaijan.
I believe that Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s season has turned a page after the last race and we can expect him to be fighting for pole position and the podium once again.
Miami GP Qualifying Best Bet
The Ferraris showed last week in Azerbaijan that they have the pace to compete with Red Bull’s in a hot lap with Charles Leclerc taking pole and Carlos Sainz qualifying fourth.
Ferrari pulled off a 1-2 in qualifying in Miami in 2022, Leclerc taking pole with a 1'28''796, comfortably beating Sainz by 0.190, who edged out Verstappen by just 0.005 of a second.
I do not think that Sainz will have the pace to hold off Verstappen in qualifying this year. If Leclerc and the Ferrari are any hope of taking their first victory of the season the Monacian will need to take pole position for the second race in a row and Sainz will need to be as far up on the grid as possible to aid his teammate during the race, which I predict will be behind Leclerc and Verstappen in third.
Miami GP Best Bet
It is once again hard to bet on anything but a Red Bull 1-2 finish. The Honda RBPT just has too much power and a dominant top speed that can't be matched.
I expect that just as Verstappen did in Miami last year, he will breeze past Leclerc when the time is right, putting his sails up and disappearing into the distance. Thus, if the narrative is correct, Verstappen will win the race from second place on the grid.
Given the form of the Ferraris last year at the Miami GP and last race in Azerbaijan, you can expect that they will have a solid race weekend. The Ferrari clearly has pace again in 2023 and with both drivers stepping up onto the podium in 2022, anything but a top 6 finish in Miami will be classed as a failure.
Miami GP Fastest Lap
It is not all that often that the fastest lap goes to the race winner, but I am expecting a heated battle at the front between the Red Bulls.
As it is playing out at the moment Sergio Perez looks like he is taking his shot at teammate and two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen and will push him as long as he can to become this year’s driver’s champion.
I predict that this race will come down to the last 10 laps and will require a handful of hot laps from Verstappen to put this race out of reach of Perez, taking what could be a vital bonus point.