MiamiGP Breaking news, exclusive interviews & reports - Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com/tag/miamigp/ Motorsport Week is an independent, FIA accredited motorsport website delivering the latest Formula 1, Formula E, GP2, GP3, WEC, IndyCar, Nascar, Formula 3, WRC, WRX, DTM, IMSA and MotoGP news and results. Thu, 15 May 2025 16:32:55 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-favicon-1-32x32.png MiamiGP Breaking news, exclusive interviews & reports - Motorsport Week https://www.motorsportweek.com/tag/miamigp/ 32 32 Max Verstappen: McLaren’s Miami F1 margin exceeded Red Bull’s 2023 dominance https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/15/max-verstappen-mclarens-miami-f1-margin-exceeded-red-bulls-2023-dominance/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/15/max-verstappen-mclarens-miami-f1-margin-exceeded-red-bulls-2023-dominance/#comments Thu, 15 May 2025 16:10:19 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=208336 Max Verstappen has claimed McLaren's advantage exceeds Red Bull's in 2023

Max Verstappen has contended that the advantage McLaren possessed in the F1 Miami GP exceeded the margin that Red Bull harboured during 2023.

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Max Verstappen has claimed McLaren's advantage exceeds Red Bull's in 2023

Max Verstappen has contended that the advantage McLaren possessed in the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix exceeded the margin that Red Bull harboured during 2023.

McLaren’s status as the benchmark side was emphasised in Miami as Oscar Piastri headed Lando Norris in the reigning champion’s most dominant showing of 2025.

Despite missing out on pole position to Verstappen’s Red Bull, Piastri crossed the line with a considerable 37-second gap to George Russell, the nearest non-McLaren.

Russell had been the one who had claimed at the opening race that McLaren’s edge over the competition usurped Red Bull’s lead when it won all but one race in 2023.

But while the McLaren duo repudiated that assertion, Verstappen has since concurred with Russell based on the blistering pace its rivals showed at the previous race.

“No, I think we never really had that gap,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week when probed on the topic.

“But it’s also a bit track-specific. Sometimes, I guess it works a bit better for them, because sometimes there is a bit more thermal degradation than others.

“The advantage will not always be that big in terms of that dominance.”

Red Bull hasn't given up on chasing down McLaren this season
Red Bull hasn’t given up on chasing down McLaren this season

Red Bull’s ‘depressing’ gap to McLaren

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko described the team’s 40-second deficit in Miami as “depressing”, a feeling that Verstappen has indicated would be shared elsewhere.

“I think the race pace was depressing for everyone except McLaren,” he admitted. “No one was even in the same league there, so that is, of course, a big concern.”

Verstappen not expecting miraculous Red Bull upgrade

Red Bull is poised to introduce more prominent changes to the RB21 this weekend at Imola to complement the smaller updates that came in the two preceding races.

Verstappen, who expressed scepticism at the revised floor bolted onto his car in Miami, conceded that Red Bull’s upgrades won’t be enough to get on McLaren’s level.

Asked what he expects from the developments, Verstappen replied: “A little bit. But we have already had a few races with some updates, so this is a little step forward.

“Hopefully we’ll find a bit more performance in the car. But I don’t expect to suddenly close the gap to McLaren.”

Likewise, Verstappen has insisted that the impending clampdown on flexible front wings from next month’s Spanish Grand Prix won’t erode the entire gap to McLaren.

“That will not give you eight-tenths to a second, of course, [as it was] at times in Miami,” the reigning F1 champion concluded.

READ MORE – Max Verstappen reveals why he used fake ‘Franz Hermann’ name to break Nordschleife lap record

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McLaren cleared by FIA over tyre cooling water trick claims after Miami GP https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/15/mclaren-cleared-by-fia-over-tyre-cooling-water-trick-claims-after-miami-gp/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/15/mclaren-cleared-by-fia-over-tyre-cooling-water-trick-claims-after-miami-gp/#respond Thu, 15 May 2025 13:57:14 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=208317 The FIA stated that the ‘inspected components’ of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren car after the Miami GP were all found to be legal

McLaren has been found compliant by the FIA over tyre-cooling claims in Miami, with Oscar Piastri dismissing the rumours and saying he had “no concerns”.

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The FIA stated that the ‘inspected components’ of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren car after the Miami GP were all found to be legal

McLaren has been found compliant by the FIA over tyre-cooling claims in Miami, with Oscar Piastri dismissing the rumours and saying he had “no concerns”.

The squabble between the Woking-based squad and Red Bull erupted after the Australian stormed to victory at the Miami Autodrome International circuit.

McLaren were accused of bending the rules when it came to cooling its tyres during the Miami Grand Prix.

During the race weekend, Team Principal Zak Brown appeared on the broadcast drinking from a bottle labelled ‘tire water’ before Christian Horner then offered him a Red Bull drink.

Ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, the FIA released a technical delegate’s report.

It confirmed Piastri’s McLaren was randomly selected for a post-race check.

The document read: “After the race in Miami car number 81 was randomly chosen among the top ten cars for more extensive physical inspections.

“Subject to these physical inspections were the wheel bodywork assemblies. The following checks were carried out on all corners: The compliance of all components with TR Article 3.13. Physical checks for compliance with TR Article 11.5 on all four corners.

“All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2025 Formula One Technical Regulations.”

Piastri: I’ve not been concerned

The championship leader responded to the news in the FIA Drivers’ Press Conference ahead of the race weekend in Imola.

He stated that he had not read any of the allegations as he was not in the slightest bit worried at all.

“I honestly haven’t read anything because I’ve not been concerned,” Piastri said.

Piastri even took the opportunity to poke fun at the rumours.

“Yeah, I mean, maybe next time we’ll put some little figurines in a water slide as well,” he joked.

“I don’t know – we’ll come up with something.

“I mean, clearly, it’s all been passed – I had no concerns, play on.”

READ MORE – FIA responds to McLaren’s call for penalties over ‘frivolous’ Red Bull complaints

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How Williams resolved Miami F1 team orders debacle ‘in two minutes’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/14/how-williams-resolved-miami-f1-team-orders-debacle-in-two-minutes/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/14/how-williams-resolved-miami-f1-team-orders-debacle-in-two-minutes/#comments Wed, 14 May 2025 13:33:27 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=208213 Carlos Sainz (ESP) Atlassian Williams Racing FW46 and Alexander Albon (THA) Atlassian Williams Racing FW47. 04.05.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Race Day

Williams boss James Vowles has revealed the team orders issue that clouded its double-points finish in F1's Miami GP was resolved "in about two minutes".

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Carlos Sainz (ESP) Atlassian Williams Racing FW46 and Alexander Albon (THA) Atlassian Williams Racing FW47. 04.05.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 6, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Race Day

Williams boss James Vowles has revealed the team orders issue that clouded its double-points finish in Formula 1‘s Miami Grand Prix was resolved “in about two minutes”.

The Grove-based squad scored an impressive haul in Miami, cementing its current status as the top midfield team on the grid, with Alex Albon finishing in fifth and Carlos Sainz eighth.

However, its good showing was blighted by a miscommunication between both drivers and the pit wall, which caused friction both at the time, and immediately after the race.

A series of early exchanges between the pair saw the Spaniard’s front wing get damaged, but he did not receive any discernible problems.

With Sainz ahead again, and implored the team to find “a rhythm,” adding: “I could do with a bit of help from Alex.”

Albon, though, appeared not to receive or understand the message and passed Sainz again on Lap 14, leaving his team-mate incensed.

After conveying his displeasure in the immediate post-race radio communications, Vowles agreed that the team needed “proper engagement” from the Anglo-Thai driver.

Sainz also later claimed he had been made to “feel stupid” by the team, which quickly denied Albon had ignored the order.

Speaking to media prior to this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Vowles put the error down to it being the team’s first time “[doing] serious team orders”.

“Alex had a cooling issue, we needed some air in his radiator, and you can do that in two ways: you can overtake or you can drop back by over a second,” he said.

“Because the communication was nearly as long as that over the radio to engineers, there was now a discussion ongoing.

“Whereas one [engineer] went to the driver and said, ‘Don’t worry, Alex won’t attack’ the second one was still going through a debate of ‘tell me what we need to do here and what we need to do there’, because it was not clear.”

Vowles admitted that the team must take responsibility for the mistake, and gave an assurance that no such instance will happen again.

“That’s on us, we have to clear that up. For Carlos his frustration was he thought that Alex disobeyed orders or an engineer did. Neither of those happened.

“This is on us to make sure we fix on the pitwall. I can give you a guarantee it won’t happen again with what we’ve changed.”

James Vowels has insisted that such instances involving driver and engineer [Gaetan Jego, left] will not happen again

Two ‘world-class’ drivers helping Williams progress

Vowles was full of praise for his two drivers, whom he described as “world-class”, adding that their skill out of the car as well as in it is proving to be a huge help.

When asked if the addition of Sainz, the first real high-level team-mate Albon has had at Williams, Vowles was diplomatic but complimentary.

“Reasonable,” he responded. “I can’t put a weighting on it, because I like to do that.

“But you need two drivers…if you look up and down the grid, who are the ones really with two proper drivers?

“And I said this all the way through, we are fortunate to really have two world-class drivers.

“It’s not just about how they drive the car, it’s how out of the car we are developing across the season.”

Vowles added that he is certain the team has made strides since the pre-season testing programme in February, largely down to aero tweaks and knowledge of the car as a whole.

“I’m confident we have added performance from the Bahrain test to where we are today.

“Some of it’s in the front wing updates. A lot of it is just how we extract the performance of the package.

“And with two drivers, you can actually double up the amount of effort in your set-up direction, which has got us to where we are today.

“So all I can tell you is, with just one of those drivers, there’s no way we would have been as fast as we were in Miami.”

READ MOREWilliams backs Franco Colapinto to thrive amid ‘turbulent time’ at Alpine

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Liam Lawson casts ‘pretty shocking’ admission on F1 form since Red Bull axe https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/11/liam-lawson-casts-pretty-shocking-admission-on-f1-form-since-red-bull-axe/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/11/liam-lawson-casts-pretty-shocking-admission-on-f1-form-since-red-bull-axe/#respond Sun, 11 May 2025 09:30:07 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207820 Liam Lawson believes he has the pace but confesses nothing has ‘worked out’ for him with Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson’s difficult run in F1 has continued since his Red Bull demotion, with the Racing Bulls driver still point-less in 2025 after a tough weekend in Miami.

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Liam Lawson believes he has the pace but confesses nothing has ‘worked out’ for him with Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson’s difficult run in Formula 1 has continued since his Red Bull demotion, with the Racing Bulls driver still point-less in 2025 after a tough weekend in Miami.

The New Zealander has yet to finish higher than 12th this season as he seeks to move past the disappointment of losing his seat with Red Bull two races into the year.

A first-lap collision with Jack Doohan hindered his race in Miami, as contact with the now ex-Alpine driver caused damage that resigned both to premature retirements.

Lawson entered 2025 with high expectations having been promoted to become Max Verstappen’s team-mate, but his immediate woes prompted Red Bull to intervene.

Upon his return to Red Bull’s satellite squad, Lawson trailed home 17th in Japan, followed by more underwhelming results in the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Reflecting on his four-race stint with Racing Bulls to date, Lawson delivered a brutal assessment of his performance so far after the Miami Grand Prix.

“Pretty shocking, we have no points,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“Obviously, Formula 1 is a lot of variables and to put a full race together could be quite tough.

“The speed’s been there for most of it, just unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for us so far.”

Liam Lawson says he will ‘keep working forward’ in order to rediscover his form in F1
Liam Lawson says he will ‘keep working forward’ in order to rediscover his form in F1

Lawson looks to ‘reset’ to find form in F1

Matching a four-time World Champion is a feat most drivers would struggle with, including Yuki Tsunoda, who is yet to finish higher than ninth since replacing Lawson.

But with Racing Bulls, Lawson has been outqualified in every session by his rookie team-mate Isack Hadjar and beaten in every race so far.

Questioned further as to why he has been struggling so much, the Kiwi insisted that the speed is there.

“Comfort-wise, I feel really good in the car,” he added.

“Speed’s been pretty good most places, just unfortunately no results to show for it.”

Lawson just needs to deliver the results he believes he is capable of, and he has just the idea to regain his mojo.

“Reset, like always – that’s how we have to be in the sport: keep working forward, keep improving things,” he said.

“I don’t think anything really changes; I think our approach to the weekend’s been really, really good.

“As I said, the car was fast this weekend, so it’ll click eventually.”

READ MORE – Liam Lawson denies ill-fated Red Bull spell dented F1 confidence

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Lewis Hamilton: Kimi Antonelli ‘silenced the critics’ with maiden F1 pole https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/10/lewis-hamilton-kimi-antonelli-silenced-the-critics-with-maiden-f1-pole/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/10/lewis-hamilton-kimi-antonelli-silenced-the-critics-with-maiden-f1-pole/#respond Sat, 10 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207850 Kimi Antonelli took his maiden pole position in Miami

Lewis Hamilton expressed Kimi Antonelli's maiden F1 pole position in Miami "brought warmth to my heart" as his successor at Mercedes "silenced the critics".

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Kimi Antonelli took his maiden pole position in Miami

Lewis Hamilton expressed Kimi Antonelli’s maiden Formula 1 pole position in Miami “brought warmth to my heart” as his successor at Mercedes “silenced the critics”.

It was a landmark achievement a mere six rounds into Antonelli’s rookie campaign, and one that earned him recognition from both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari after 12 seasons with Mercedes, took to Instagram to share a video including Antonelli and long-time race engineer Peter Bonnington.

The Briton, who won six Drivers’ titles with Mercedes, had implored the German marque to overlook more established candidates to promote Antonelli to replace him.

Hamilton believes that Antonelli’s headline result at the Miami International Autodrome dismissed the remaining scepticism surrounding the decision to promote him.

“I posted because it made me… I saw the video of Bono and Kimi and Toto [Wolff], and it genuinely just brought warmth to my heart,” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week.

“I’ve been in that team for a long, long time.

“Bono is just the best, and I know there was a lot of question marks around whether or not to take on a more experienced driver.

“To then continue on and continue to work hard and get a pole – it kind of silences all the critics. I love to see that in an underdog. It’s such a great story.”

Lewis Hamilton claims Kimi Antonelli has silenced the critics
Lewis Hamilton claims Kimi Antonelli has silenced the critics

Antonelli urged to ‘enjoy’ F1 journey

Antonelli’s Sprint race unravelled when he lost out at Turn 1 and then was hit with misfortune when Max Verstappen was released unsafely into his path in the pitlane.

However, the Italian emerged with points once a group ahead were penalised, and then achieved third place on the grid as he out-qualified team-mate George Russell.

Hamilton has admitted that he hopes Antonelli, who dropped to sixth in the main race, can continue to thrive without losing sight of the enjoyment that comes with it.

“I would just say to continue doing what he’s doing,” he added. “I think he knows what he’s doing – and just continue to enjoy it.”

READ MORE – Kimi Antonelli bidding to sustain Miami breakthrough across upcoming F1 races

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Max Verstappen sceptical on success of Red Bull F1 floor update in Miami https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/09/max-verstappen-sceptical-on-success-of-red-bull-f1-floor-update-in-miami/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/09/max-verstappen-sceptical-on-success-of-red-bull-f1-floor-update-in-miami/#respond Fri, 09 May 2025 11:45:04 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207640 Max Verstappen is uncertain about whether Red Bull's Miami update worked

Max Verstappen has revealed he is uncertain whether Red Bull's recent update worked amid the team's enormous gap to McLaren at the F1 Miami GP.

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Max Verstappen is uncertain about whether Red Bull's Miami update worked

Max Verstappen has revealed he is uncertain whether Red Bull’s recent update worked amid the team’s enormous gap to McLaren at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

Red Bull introduced a new floor to Verstappen’s car alone last weekend, which is poised to be the precursor to a more extensive package that is due to arrive in Imola.

Despite the side having one practice session to dial in the change, Verstappen hustled his upgraded RB21 to pole position around the Miami International Autodrome.

But Verstappen recognised that the circuit’s unconventional layout made it hard to assess whether his package was an improvement on the spec Yuki Tsunoda drove.

“On this track it’s always very difficult to really judge something, because everything feels very weird here – both in terms of grip and also the corners are all very weird as well,” he said.

“I think we’ll know more when we go to Imola.

“We changed some small things going into qualifying and the car was turning a bit better.

“That’s positive, but obviously this is still not what we want or where we want to be. But it was actually better than expected.

“Before coming here to Miami, we thought this would be a tricky one with the slow-speed corners and kerbstones that you have to attack.

“That’s normally not our strongest point.”

Max Verstappen couldn't convert his pole-setting pace into the race win in Miami
Max Verstappen couldn’t convert his pole-setting pace into the race win in Miami

Verstappen uncertain on Red Bull update

But while he pipped Lando Norris to achieve a third pole this season, Verstappen was powerless to stop the McLaren duo passing him and cruising to a dominant 1-2.

The Dutchman’s sizeable 40-second margin to Oscar Piastri has created scepticism in his mind about whether Red Bull’s revised floor has delivered the intended step.

Asked whether the update had worked, Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week: “If you look at the gap, not, but I don’t know.

“It’s very hard to say, we’ll keep working on it.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, however, suggested the team was prioritising an enhancement to the RB21’s capricious quirks rather than outright performance gains.

“I think it’s delivered a characteristic that we were looking for, and it’s part of a sequence of parts that will be introduced over [the] coming races,” he added.

READ MORE – Max Verstappen admits deciphering McLaren’s ‘huge advantage’ is ‘not that simple’

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Max Verstappen admits deciphering McLaren’s ‘huge advantage’ is ‘not that simple’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/max-verstappen-admits-deciphering-mclarens-huge-advantage-is-not-that-simple/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/max-verstappen-admits-deciphering-mclarens-huge-advantage-is-not-that-simple/#comments Thu, 08 May 2025 16:07:01 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207516 Max Verstappen believes every team is doing something ‘wrong’ with the tyres expect McLaren

Max Verstappen has admitted that deciphering the "huge advantage" that McLaren harbours when it comes to tyre management in F1 is "not that simple".

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Max Verstappen believes every team is doing something ‘wrong’ with the tyres expect McLaren

Max Verstappen has admitted that deciphering the “huge advantage” that McLaren harbours when it comes to tyre management in Formula 1 is “not that simple”.

Red Bull and Verstappen were left trailing by over a pit stop’s margin in Miami as the McLaren duo surged ahead for a 1-2 following early battles with the Dutchman.

Verstappen, who lined up on pole position, was able to preserve his lead after Lando Norris ran wide at Turn 2, tumbling down the order as he returned to the track.

However, after Verstappen pulled out all of the stops to keep Piastri at bay, the Australian made his way past on Lap 14 into Turn 1 before dashing off down the road.

Norris eventually followed suit four laps later, confirming Verstappen’s post-qualifying doubts about Red Bull’s victory chances.

“I think that overall they are better in the race,” he told media including Motorsport Week.

“You saw that on intermediates in the rain as well [in the Sprint race].

“As soon as those tyres start to overheat, they have a huge advantage.

“So, then we are all doing something wrong with the tyres, apart from McLaren.”

Speaking after the race, Verstappen, once again, pointed out McLaren’s superior tyre management as the key factor behind the team’s crushing dominance.

“They were just miles up the road, they were just miles faster than everyone else on the track where the thermal degradation is very high,” he said.

“Yeah, they just have a massive advantage; I think that’s quite clear.”

Asked for a theory as to why the McLaren is better on the tyres, he responded: “If we knew that, we would have changed it already, right, but it’s not that simple.”

Max Verstappen says McLaren’s tyre management is ‘incredible’
Max Verstappen says McLaren’s tyre management is ‘incredible’

Red Bull lacking ‘pure performance’ as well

After the opening six rounds, Verstappen trails championship leader Piastri by 32 points and Norris by 16 with a quarter of the season already completed.

Considering the struggles with the car and the upcoming Technical Directive arriving in Spain, it could be a lot worse for the reigning F1 World Champion.

Yet, the stark contrast between qualifying and the race is a cause for concern in the eyes of Verstappen, as he explained that the McLaren performs better on a Sunday.

He added: “Honestly, I think if you look at the on boards in qualifying, I think it’s quite clear, but then in the race, you don’t need to go flat out on the limit and then of course your tyres are just running cooler, then yeah you have more grip. It’s as simple as that.”

But Verstappen insisted that it’s not all down to the tyre management when it comes to Red Bull’s inferiority to the Woking-based squad on a race day.

“I think also it’s in general pure performance of the car, but yeah, the management they have on their tyres is incredible.”

He even suggested that fixing the balance of the car wouldn’t necessarily fix all of its issues with the tyres.

“It’ll help, but we will still struggle, of course, with overheating.” he concluded.

READ MORE – Max Verstappen ‘had nothing to lose’ in McLaren Miami tussles

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Red Bull details why it protested George Russell’s Miami podium https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/red-bull-details-why-it-protested-george-russells-miami-podium/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/red-bull-details-why-it-protested-george-russells-miami-podium/#respond Thu, 08 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207494 George Russell retained third place in Miami despite a Red Bull protest

George Russell retained his podium finish in the 2025 F1 Miami Grand Prix after Red Bull's post-race protest was rejected by the stewards.

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George Russell retained third place in Miami despite a Red Bull protest

George Russell retained his podium finish in the 2025 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix after Red Bull’s post-race protest was rejected by the stewards.

The Mercedes driver finished ahead of Max Verstappen to clinch a third-place finish after a Virtual Safety Car played to his advantage.

Starting the race from fifth, Russell opted to stay out longer whilst the Dutchman pitted on Lap 26 from third for the Hard tyre.

One lap later, the Haas of Oliver Bearman pulled to the side of the track with an engine issue, with the race stewards deciding to call a VSC.

This allowed Russell to make his first stop whilst the other drivers adhered to the delta time, with the Briton emerging from the pits ahead of Verstappen.

With Verstappen hot on the 27-year-old’s tail, another VSC was called for the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, who also retired with a mechanical issue.

He asked if Russell lifted for the yellow flags, as Red Bull later took it to the stewards, but the stewards dismissed the protest and the Briton kept third.

Afterwards, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner offered his insight as to why the team lodged an appeal.

“We’re not purporting or suggesting that there’s anything illegal on the car – we felt that George Russell has done something that is in breach of the regs in the way that they’re written,” Horner told media including Motorsport Week.

“So that’s why we put a protest in today, because, more than anything, you want clarity, the regulations say there should be a reduction in speed.

“It doesn’t talk about a lift, it doesn’t talk about time off the top, it talks about a reduction in speed.

“We very clearly did that, and that was why Max flagged it immediately from what he saw in the cockpit.”

Red Bull's argument was based on the definition of ‘discernibly reduced speed’ within the regulations
Red Bull’s argument was based on the definition of ‘discernibly reduced speed’ within the regulations

FIA stewards clear up Russell lifting incident

According to the International Sporting Code, under a single yellow flag, drivers must “reduce your speed, do not overtake, and be prepared to change direction if there is a hazard beside or partly on the track.”

It also states that: “It must be evident that a driver has reduced speed; this means a driver is expected to have braked earlier and/or noticeably reduced speed in that sector.”

A slight change to the sporting regulations, however, now states that: “Any driver passing through a waved yellow flag marshalling sector must reduce their speed and be prepared to change direction.

“In order for the stewards to be satisfied that any such driver has complied with these requirements they are expected to have braked earlier and/or discernibly reduced speed in the relevant marshalling sector.”

Whilst Red Bull acknowledged that Russell had lifted, the team felt that he had not considerably reduced his speed according to the rules.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ defence was that lifting the throttle was sufficient enough to respect the yellow flag and that he had lifted noticeably more than other drivers.

The FIA ruled in the German squad’s favour, determining that Russell was significantly slower than his regular racing speed.

The stewards reviewed telemetry and confirmed Russell lifted by 25 per cent, with a 30 per cent drop in torque.

Although Russell’s absolute speed increased in the sector, the stewards ruled that yellow flag compliance depends on slowing relative to normal racing speed.

“The reduction of the absolute speed can, depending on the part of the track in which the yellow flag is displayed, represent a compliance or a non-compliance with the regulations, whereas a reduction of the relative speed always signals that the driver has acknowledged and respected the yellow flag.

“For instance, in a braking zone, the absolute speed can be reduced without necessarily complying with the regulations.”

READ MORE – George Russell retains podium in Miami as Red Bull protest rejected

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Kimi Antonelli bidding to sustain Miami breakthrough across upcoming F1 races https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/kimi-antonelli-bidding-to-sustain-miami-breakthrough-across-upcoming-f1-races/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/kimi-antonelli-bidding-to-sustain-miami-breakthrough-across-upcoming-f1-races/#respond Thu, 08 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207485 Kimi Antonelli made a breakthrough in Miami

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has expressed hope that the positive progress he made at the Miami Grand Prix will be maintained throughout the upcoming F1 rounds.

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Kimi Antonelli made a breakthrough in Miami

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has expressed hope that the positive progress he made at the Miami Grand Prix will be maintained throughout the upcoming Formula 1 rounds.

Antonelli sustained a breakthrough weekend in the United States as he claimed pole position for the Sprint race, becoming the youngest driver to accomplish the feat.

However, the Italian was hapless as an incident at the opening corner with Oscar Piastri and an unavoidable pitlane clash with Max Verstappen relegated him to sixth.

But despite that setback, Antonelli rebounded to retain the measure over his more established team-mate George Russell to line up third on the grid for the main race.

Having out-qualified Russell for the first time, Antonelli revealed that he is getting more acquainted with how to unlock the maximum from Mercedes’ 2025 challenger.

Asked whether he had unleashed something that made him happier in the Mercedes last weekend, Antonelli told media including Motorsport Week: “Definitely.

“I mean, every weekend is learning and experience and more confidence with the car as well.

“So really, really happy with how every weekend I’m more able to play a lot more with the car and trying to explore the limit as well.

“This weekend I felt really good in the car. So that’s definitely a positive.”

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest-ever pole-sitter in Miami
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest-ever pole-sitter in Miami

How the break inspired Antonelli’s breakthrough

Antonelli admitted that the chance to review his start to the campaign in detail in the small gap before the Miami weekend played a decisive role in his sudden upturn.

“I think also having a week break after a triple-header was really helpful as well for myself to gather all the information,” he added.

“So definitely a lot of experience, also understanding how to extract more out of the tyre during the whole lap – something I haven’t been doing well during the season.

“There’s still room for improvement, but yeah, I feel better and better in the car every weekend.

“So hopefully after this weekend, we’re going to European tracks, tracks that I know well, and hopefully I can maintain the same pace or even go faster.”

Where can Antonelli improve?

Antonelli recognised that the inability to sustain his impressive one-lap speed in the main race – where he slumped to sixth – showed that he still has areas to improve.

“I need to check the race pace,” he conceded, having crossed the line over 17 seconds behind Russell in third. “Today was just not good, especially on the Hard [tyre].

“I really struggled to make the tyre work during the stint, and I was just sliding a lot around and couldn’t really find lap time. 

“So I definitely need to analyse what went wrong in order to be better for Imola.

“I think it was quite unique, this race, because it was the first time that I really struggled to make the tyre work. But still, a lot to take away into next weekend.”

READ MORE – How Kimi Antonelli’s GP weekend approach propelled him to historic Miami Sprint pole

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Ferrari highlights the SF-25 limitation preventing a ‘step forward’ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/ferrari-highlights-the-sf-25-limitation-preventing-a-step-forward/ https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/05/08/ferrari-highlights-the-sf-25-limitation-preventing-a-step-forward/#respond Thu, 08 May 2025 09:30:00 +0000 https://www.motorsportweek.com/?p=207471 Ferrari is struggling to extract one-lap pace from its 2025 car

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has revealed that single-lap pace on new tyres is a limitation that the team must improve with its 2025 Formula 1 car “to do a step forward”. The Maranello-based squad’s bruising start to the campaign continued in Miami as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton came home line astern in seventh and […]

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Ferrari is struggling to extract one-lap pace from its 2025 car

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has revealed that single-lap pace on new tyres is a limitation that the team must improve with its 2025 Formula 1 car “to do a step forward”.

The Maranello-based squad’s bruising start to the campaign continued in Miami as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton came home line astern in seventh and eighth.

Ferrari was resigned to a damage limitation race as Leclerc qualified eighth as the side’s lead car, while Hamilton, who logged third in the Sprint, was eliminated in Q2.

Ferrari’s qualifying woes can be attributed to an increased emphasis on long-run performance from 2024 that has come at a cost to its previous potency over one lap.

And while the drivers struggled to make up ground in the race, Vasseur recognised the low starting positions were most detrimental to the Italian marque’s prospects.

Asked whether Ferrari extracted the maximum result in Miami, Vasseur told media including Motorsport Week: “I would say yes.

“If you don’t consider the quali yesterday. We lost the weekend of the maximum of points since yesterday in quali.

“Yesterday in quali our fastest lap with the two cars was with scrubbed and not with new. We were not able to get the potential of the new tyres.

“The lap that we did in scrubbed was not that bad. It was probably P4, P5. But when the others put a new set [on] we lost the 4-5 position.

“Clearly it’s where we have to improve, if you have a look at the global picture of the weekend.

“It’s where we have to improve to get the best from the new tyres and to do a step forward.

“I think the pace today is always difficult when you are stuck in the pack. But the pace today was probably matching with Red Bull and Mercedes.

“I think McLaren was on another planet today. We never said that we could have fought with McLaren. But with a better position we agreed to fight with Max and Mercedes.”

Fred Vasseur admitted Miami exposed Ferrari's limitations
Fred Vasseur admitted Miami exposed Ferrari’s limitations

Why Miami exposed Ferrari problems

Vasseur revealed that Ferrari was at an initial loss to decode the reason behind the team’s troubles unlocking pace from new rubber being more pronounced in Miami.

“If I knew the answer of this, I would do a step forward and we would have fixed it between Q2 and Q3 yesterday,” the Frenchman remarked.

“You always have to operate the tyres in a very narrow window.

“It’s different from track to track, it’s different from compound to compound, from track time to track time.

“And it’s always after the session that you say, ‘OK, I could have done [it] differently’.

“I think we were able to do a better job the last two or three events, even if the quali was always not our best session.

“But yesterday was, from far, the worst of the season in terms of pure quali, because we didn’t at all extract the potential of the tyres.

“If you have a look, everybody improved five or six tenths between scrubbed to new, and we lost two or three tenths.”

However, Vasseur admitted the Miami International Autodrome’s dependence on good mechanical grip at slow speed accentuated a Ferrari weakness with the SF-25.

Asked whether there is a chance the gap to McLaren can be closed, Vasseur said: “Today it was clearly the case, but it was not the case last week in Jeddah.

“I think in Jeddah last week, Charles was faster than the others from Lap 10, when he was in third at the end.

“Sometimes we are able to fight with them, but it’s not enough. You have to be able to fight one race or whatever, but today we were far away.

“We were far away because of the characteristics of the track. We are much more rear-limited, so it’s fitting more with the McLaren approach.”

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton hints ‘something is holding back’ Ferrari since China F1 win

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