Miami Recap

A full recap of the Miami 2026 Grand Prix, breaking down the key moments, strategy calls and turning points from race day. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Boxing up, boxing up, box, box, box.

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Um, four point eight, four point eight. I think that's public. I think that's a pocket.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Welcome to Boxbox Box, your friendly neighborhood Formula One podcast. My name is Scott. Joined today with Mohan as always. How are you, Mohan? I'm very well, thank you. Uh, and we finally have some racing. Certainly do. Now tell me, um, was this the best Miami Grand Prix so far?

SPEAKER_02 0:42

Uh to be honest, yeah, actually, uh particularly given given um our uh chat about the the circuit itself coming into this and the fact that we were not exactly uh excited by the nature of the circuit, or I've never quite been. But I think it actually produced some interesting racing and uh some good challenges on the track, including the fact that the the weather was pretty it got brought forward by three hours because of the weather risk.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Yeah, a very tempered response uh or or recap of of my opinions, Mohan. I I'm pretty sure the way I talked about the track is that it was garbage. Um so I'm pleasantly surprised. And I think to the point where uh I I suppose um maybe I should talk about more tracks in such a slanderous manner if we're to get these results. True.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

True. And I guess the fact that it's it's it's um uh obviously it's a strictly street circuit technically, but the fact that it's literally is built around a car park of a football stadium is just uh it can only happen in the US, I assume.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, and look, more than happy to be wrong though, uh when we get something like that. There's so much late drama in this race as as well. Uh so so we'll jump straight in. Um did Miami feel like a uh a moment the the moment the season properly caught fire for you?

SPEAKER_02 1:53

Definitely felt like the season actually properly caught fire. And um part of it also, I think there was a lot of talk coming into this that um obviously with the new rule changes as well that happened in the preceding weeks, that this circuit was very suited to the charge and discharge phase of the hybrid engines basically and would and would showcase that a lot better. And I think we saw that to uh to quite an extent. Um so overall, this I mean, typical American Grand Prix, it wasn't just a flashy event with celebrities, palm trees, and uh the temporary circuit. Uh, this race, actually, for me, had had quite a lot of substance. Um, it was uh quite a messy start, as we saw, uh, the leaders changing quite a bit. Uh quite an early safety car, uh, and a very strategic fight between uh Mercedes and McLaren. Uh, and then a chaotic uh Ferrari collapse in the final lapse. So um I think all of these had uh proper consequences for the championship itself. Um, the conditions uh on the day and coming into it actually added a lot of tension uh before the race even started. Uh, as you mentioned before, the race was brought forward by three hours because of the forecast uh thunderstorms and lightning. Um, but uh by the time the race had come, that was uh minor consideration. Um but the team still had to prepare for a fairly what was potentially a fairly volatile race day, uh, but uh ultimately execute that on a on a dry track. Uh what made Miami feel bigger for me than just another race was that um Timmy Antonet didn't simply inherit a win. He had to recover from another poor opening phase for him, which has been a pattern in his starts up to now. Uh he had to deal with Lando taking control. Um and then he had to win it back through what was actually quite a perfectly timed undercut on Mercedes' behalf. Um and up to that point, Norris actually looked like the man with the race in his pocket, uh, especially once he got out front into clean air. Um but Mercedes as a team actually turned that race uh with good strategy, good pit execution, um, and Antonelli's outlap as that. So I think for me, it certainly felt like a season-shaping race. Um Antonelli's third consecutive win. Suddenly we are, you know, we were initially thinking this is a flash in the pan. You know, we are talking championship favorites here at the end of the day. Um, the other thing also to do that came out of it was actually uh McLaren's pace. Um, but um that pace alone, as we discussed, is not enough on its own. They didn't they didn't seem sharp enough as a team to actually finish the job. Um Ferrari had a podium chance, which they literally threw away. Um and Red Bull were scrapping once again. Actually, they showed some promise in the preceding days in practice in qualifying. Um but uh I think for me overall this championship order seemed to take some shape after this race.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Yeah, I suppose there's there's multiple cars in the mix now that uh wasn't quite clear in the early races for me. So you've got, you know, you've you've you've got uh out of those potential teams, uh Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and then Max, you know, there's seven drivers there that could potentially win any of these races without some sort of crazy drama happening. Uh so I I thought really this race was quite positive just just to have uh uh McLaren joining the fray that little bit more than they have before. Uh so was this race really won uh by Kimmy uh through brilliance, or was it just lost by hesitation through the other drivers, or uh was it just the fine margins at Miami uh that was uh that that really just decided this in the end?

SPEAKER_02 5:53

For me, I think it's a combination of uh all three of those things. Uh but if we actually go, if you were to try and rant them, uh for me the race was decided by very fine margins. Uh and I think Mercedes were the teams that exploited those margins the best. Uh Norris certainly had pace. Uh and McLaren seemed to have uh done a significant amount of work to get their car in good race stream. Uh but Mercedes actually had the timing, uh, they had the strategy to hold their nerve for pit stops and executed when the race strategy when it actually mattered. Um the key moment for me came in the in the pit stop window. Um Norris after that point had actually built quite a significant lead over Kimi and had on um his margin up to that point was about uh a little over three seconds, if I remember correctly. Um and Mercedes, out of the two of them, I guess blinked first, and they brought uh Kimi in on lap 26. Uh and McLean responded uh one lap later by blinging Lando in. Uh but by that time I think the damage is kind of done because um Antonelli's in-lap and the pit stop, and especially his outlap. I think all of that served totally took to flip the race uh in Mercedes' favor. Um so this undercut actually gained them something in the order of about three seconds across that whole sequence. And I think that is where the race itself was won. It wasn't a uh a Miami style or American style or even Hollywood style overtake. Uh there was no, the rain didn't play a part in any of this. Um, even with the late safety car, I think that was uh the result was almost decided at that point. And I think McLaren hesitated as well uh to some extent in terms of managing that pit stop. And I think they they saw the consequence of that hesitation. Um, and they could have potentially boxed a man uh Lando a little bit earlier. Um and uh unfortunately they flinched and and and Mercedes took full advantage of it.

SPEAKER_00 8:01

So was Kimmy's win uh his most convincing statement yet? Or or was this another example of Mercedes just executing perfectly?

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Uh I think it's both for me. Um and the reason this matters, and both those factors actually matter, is that he has now started to look less like a young driver driving a fast car and more like a genuine championship leader. Um as we know, this wasn't a straightforward race for any of them. He started from pole and had a very messy start, uh, particularly into turn one. Uh there was a three-way scrap between him, uh Max, and Charles. Um, and both uh Kimi and Verstappen actually locked up uh at a couple of different points. And as we know, Max actually had a spin as well in amongst that. So that actually served to Charles getting through uh all that chaos and leading quite early. So it meant that Kimi actually from that point had to rebuild his race rather than just manage it from the front. Um and that for me actually made it quite an impressive win for him. He didn't certainly dominate every lap, uh, but it meant that he actually had to stay composed and he showed a lot of maturity uh in staying composed. Um and uh particularly when Lando actually looked a lot quicker than him, and the McLaren actually looked a lot quicker than the Mercedes-Benz at that point. Um the and all out of all of this, I guess the historical side of all of this is also impossible to ignore because um he has become the first driver in F1 history to convert his three maiden pole positions into wins. Um and now he's I think being reported as the youngest driver ever to lead the standings at the age of 19. Um leaves Miami 20 points clear of his teammate. Um I think, yeah, overall uh him and Mercedes as a team executed this race perfectly. Uh but the execution only works if the driver can then deliver on the track as well. So, and I think Kimi certainly did that. Uh, it definitely wasn't his cleanest win. Uh, but for me, I think it was probably his most convincing one so far this season.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

We're gonna talk about Oscar Piastri later, but uh just quickly, uh Kimi's current season isn't too just dissimilar from Piastri last year with his early dominance that um would then fell away from him uh as I guess the mental game came into it at the end of the season. Uh from what you've seen so far, do you think that Kimmy uh has the kind of mental resilience to be able to see out the season uh as a front runner, or is that something that's gonna be quite a challenge as the season concludes?

SPEAKER_02 10:48

I certainly think he has a resilience, but more than that, he actually seems to have uh a massive amount of enthusiasm about how he's racing. Uh and he I think is uh does not have the pressure on him that George has. Um and I think there was a lot of expectation coming into the season that this is George's year, that you know, he's if he can keep the car on track consistently, he's got a championship in the back. And I think Timmy's flipped that story completely. Uh, but most of all, if you just what you watch his general demeanor around the around the paddock, um, he is just having so much fun racing. And I think that is actually showing uh in his results is the fact that he every one of his wins has involved him rebuilding a bad start, uh, and that shows uh a lot of talent for a start. But the fact that he's resilience as well, that he's able to not just throw his hands up uh after a bad start and is actually happy to put the work in uh and build that race back up again. Um and I think not having that pressure on his back uh is showing a lot for him, that he's simply just allowed to go out there and and race. Uh and and I think probably in the back of his mind he knows that he has got Toto's full support uh and um with whatever whatever will be needed will be done for him in that sense. Uh and I think all of that collectively is uh showing in the results.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

That's the main difference between him and say Piastri last year, do you think, where it's it's uh a situation where uh Kimi is just enjoying the moment, whereas Piastri uh was quite serious about how he went about it all and probably lumped pressure on himself in the end?

SPEAKER_02 12:27

I think so. But also um I mean I hope this doesn't happen later in the in the year. And I think as much as it wasn't talked about or it wasn't official, there was a lot of uh team politics, shall we say, in McLaren last year, in terms of how potentially that lander was favored over Oscar in certain situations and things like that. And that that doesn't seem to have materialized in Mercedes-Benz this year, and we hope it doesn't materialize that they're purely just allowed to go there, do their best, uh and whatever comes, comes basically. And I think that is a massive difference between where Oscar was sitting last year versus where uh Kimi is sitting this year. If if that did happen, uh Toto would be in Kimi's corner, you'd think, anyway, right? Absolutely. I mean, I mean some of the conversations, there's actually vision there of um uh there obviously there were a lot of rumors last year, and also confirmed about that Toto was actually courting Max to come across uh two Mercedes at one point. And there was quite a lot of vision this at in at this race as well, the two of them having quite deep and meaningful conversations uh walking around the paddock. So that's that's not off the table completely. Um so I think that actually adds even more pressure to George to perform and to deliver the results so that if he was able to uh deliver a world championship, there's less of a reason for Toto actually to replace him. But given the amount of investment that Toto's actually had into uh in Kimi, um and and uh to the to he's actually had to fight his own team to bring Kimi in uh because there was a lot of uh mistrust of his form and his capabilities. So I think definitely Toto would be in Kimi's corner if that if that choice had to be made, basically.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yeah, and I suppose for me I thought George really was the future of Mercedes, but I guess you are until you're not, and uh it's yeah, it's it's it's a brutal sport, and you know loyalty counts for very little has been. Yeah, yeah, certainly. Unless you've got a certain certain amount of star power, it really doesn't uh it doesn't translate. So tell me, did Lando, uh Norris, uh, and McLaren lose Miami through strategy, race pace, or just being on the wrong side of those key moments?

SPEAKER_02 14:32

I certainly think they lost it through strategy, and as you mentioned before, in terms of sort of flinching and when they did their pick stops in particular, they certainly did not lose it in terms of race pace. Um, in fact, their their race pace is actually an encouraging part of the weekend and what they were able to bring uh both in the sprint race and the main race. Uh, I think Lando genuinely looked capable of winning. Um he passed uh, as you know, he passed Kimi after the safety car restart and got ahead of Leclerc. Um the problem was that I think McLaren was waiting for Mercedes to control the pitch stop sequence. Uh and given that Lando actually had track position up to that point, he had enough pace to stay out front. Uh, but they were waiting to see what Mercedes were doing rather than running their own strategy as such. Um and um and I think Lando from the from the feedback, he basically he knew it straight away. You could tell from the feedback, you know, he he just literally threw his his actual words for how did we not win this race? You know, I mean the fact that his exact words were that. Um and he recognized that they actually got undercut uh when they should have boxed first between the two teams. So so this is not um a driver simply trying to dress up a bad day. This is a driver who knew that uh a win was actually there for the taking and they try and they they they flinched at the wrong time, and uh it it it it lent to a race um against them, basically. Sorry, a result against them at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

A long season though, so there's uh gonna be plenty of chances for Lando and McLaren to turn this around. Uh how impressive uh on McLaren, how how impressive was Oscar Piastri's late podium move? And did that really rescue McLaren's weekend, do you think?

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Uh I think it's the podium definitely rescued their weekend. Um I think without it, um, it would have certainly felt that they had let the entire weekend slip for that matter. Um the as you know, the the undercut for Norris was painful on its own. Um but uh he sort of late move meant that um they still left with a double podium and a and a fairly uh strong haul of points. Um it was not not as clean or as central to the to the win fight as Norris's, uh, but it became uh more important as the race developed, basically, because uh Oscar had to work his way into the podium conversation. Uh and particularly when those final laps, the chaos around those final laps, and particularly the incident with Charles towards the end. Um and uh it meant that Oscar was able to pick off uh Charles uh to gain that extra podium position. So uh this matters even more given that uh Oscar actually was last year's winner in Miami. Um so this is a circuit where he would have been expected to be more directly present in the fight. Um so um I think a third finish was a good result for him and the team. Uh but their overall takeaway message is quite mixed given what happened to Lando as well. Uh that they had a car that was quick enough to win uh and another car that was able to salvage a podium quite late. So uh they've still got a bit of work to do, um, particularly in terms of managing their strategy uh moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Probably just to get a deeper analysis on your uh predictions of the teams here. Did Miami confirm Mercedes as a clear team to beat, or uh are McLaren still close enough to challenge them week to week uh at this point in time?

SPEAKER_02 18:11

Um the the thing I guess that came out of this weekend is McLaren actually brought, as much as they were trying to play it down, they actually brought quite a significant number of upgrades to this circuit. Whereas Mercedes actually are holding those upgrades till Montreal. Um but without those upgrades, they are still, you know, uh the team to beat at the moment. So um what McLaren were able to show is they have got enough pace and enough um um if they get their strategy right, uh are able to make uh Mercedes-base uncomfortable. And I think that distinction does matter because it's it's saying that Mercedes aren't just walking away with this championship, uh, that they have they have a genuine challenger behind them. So um the the while the result actually says that Mercedes won, the race itself says that McLaren are right there in the fight with them. Um and it's not a profile of a team that's actually miles behind, particularly given these upgrades that they have brought to. Um it shows that they are a team that can win if they can get their execution right. Um, and I think this would have been the most frustrating part for McLaren as a team overall. Um, so while Mercedes are still the benchmark, even without those upgrades, uh McLaren aren't just chasing shadows, actually. They're close enough uh to win uh and stay ahead if they can get their strategy right.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

All right, well tell me it's more on George Russell now and his race. Uh do you think his fourth place was a solid recovery? Um, or did Mercedes leave a bigger result on the table? I guess the fact he's recovering in the first place kind of answers that, right? But tell me your thoughts.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

I think, yeah, given given the current standard and the and the and the pace that they're actually setting, I think this would have been uh George's result would have felt like a beaker result uh in the in the bigger picture. Um uh uh particularly given that they generally had a had a winning weekend. It sounds somewhat harsh, uh, but uh because fourth place in a in a what is technically a chaotic race is still a valuable place to be. But when your teammates beating you again uh and extends the championship lead even more, that kind of becomes the story of the season. So for George, fourth position would feel more like sort of containing the situation rather than actually uh a true momentum story as such. Um and his his race actually seemed to become more uh about a certain level of survival uh and sort of being opportunistic to take advantage of changes that happened later in the race. Um but obviously he was still able to come through uh late, uh, particularly uh given Charles' mistake late in the race. Um I think for for from a championship point of view, I think that fourth result for George uh would I think at this stage is quite costly for him. Um and you know, um Antonelli's left overall 20 points ahead of him, which is still manageable. Uh, but there is a psychological uh advantage, I think, which Kimi takes into the next race and the remainder of the season, which is probably a little bit uh less uh surmountable. Uh so while this wasn't a disaster for George, um it's another weekend where the spotlight was taken off him and more towards his teammates.

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Yeah, I think that's exactly right what you're saying, uh just with how significant the result is for George, or I guess across the grid. The the the two uh the two drivers here that uh I guess are in uh the like bad mental positions would be George with the insane pressure on him seeing this Brazilian kid come through and just dominate. Uh and then Max, who's checked out somewhat because he doesn't have the car that he wants. Uh That's you know the twenty points, it's it's not here or there. That's that's one DNF potentially um for for for Kimmy. And you know, it's a long season as well. They they can make these points up. But yeah, I think definitely what you said, the mental side of this is potentially huge uh against George.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

So And the longer this goes as well, it's the fact that I think there's uh there's enough pressure on George at the moment. And I think um, you know, it's it's the more pressure, the more mistakes you're likely to make as well on track. And the longer it goes about Kimmy stairs up ahead, that that pressure just keeps piling on, basically.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

Yeah, crippling. Uh just honestly, one uh after this race, I th I for me I just thought his his season's done. But um, you know, we'll bank that prediction. Um but I don't know how he could turn it around from this point in time, uh, just where I would say his headspace would be. So um we'll see how we'll see what happens. Uh tell me, uh what do we make of Max Versappen's race, especially with that um with the spin uh and then recovery and and the late penalty? He he did um he did really well in those uh those opening corners uh to keep the keep the car uh you know on the track, even. But it's just it's just a lot of bad luck.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

And I think it's actually miraculous. Not many drivers can do a spin like that and keep going, basically. Yeah, it does. Um and and the thing I think but overall, I think this is uh was what uh uh a very uh good uh analogy for their whole 2026 story as a team. I think it showed sort of flashes of competitiveness, uh uh plenty of fight, particularly from Max's point of view, but certainly not enough control to be able to finish up ahead. Um uh starting on the front row gave him a real chance to disrupt uh Kimi. Uh, but the opening phase went wrong almost immediately into turn one, where he and uh Kimi both locked up uh and as you know he spun full circle. It's actually quite spectacular to watch a recovery like that, and not many drivers can do that, can recover from that. Uh, I think overall, uh given where what happened, and uh there was quite a few midfield battles, which uh it's interesting to see some of the vision between him and Carlos, and actually getting pissed off with the fact of Carlos's comment very much was Max can do whatever he wants because he's now fighting in the midfield. Um, and and the typically aggressive Max moves uh on some of the overtechs, which from a from a racing point of view is quite spectacular to watch, and not many drivers can actually do what he does. So, overall, I think his recovery to finish fifth was quite strong because MIME is the kind of track that once you lose track position, particularly in traffic, your race becomes very messy. Uh and for Max to actually find his way back into the points and particularly to take advantage of Charles's late uh mishap, um, it's it's certainly not the kind of result that Red Bull Oberstepan are normally used to celebrating. But um his um uh uh penalty obviously didn't impact him significantly. Um, but the penalty also was uh was a result of the aggression with which he drove this race. Um it's um the fact that I think he was able to rescue for what for what for for them as a team was quite a compromise race. Um and uh the bigger worry for the for Red Bull as a team is the fact that they are not shaping the race as they used to previously. They're simply just reacting to what Mercedes and McLaren are doing uh and trying to keep up to them. Uh and that kind of tells you where they are right now as a team. They're quite dangerous still in certain uh bursts uh and still capable of big moments, but they're certainly not consistent enough to be fighting at the front of the grid.

SPEAKER_00 25:49

Yeah, so how how much should Red Bull be worried about their current race pace compared with Mercedes-MLA?

SPEAKER_02 25:55

I think they should be worried uh because I think it's not because they are nowhere in the fight. I think it's because, mainly because they're no longer setting the pace or setting the terms of that fight. Um, and Miami certainly was a good example of that. Um, as you know, Max started at the front row. Um, and after that spin, he never looked like uh the team itself never looked like uh they had the pace or the strategic flexibility uh to drag themselves up to a podium finish as such. Um so uh and the key comparison here is with McLaren and Lando had pace to win the race, uh, and with Piastri finishing third. They were disappointed to come second and third because they felt like a victory was possible. Whereas Red Bull, by contrast, probably had to just settle for finishing fifth, which is very unlike them as a team, basically. They would be so normally so annoyed not to finish on a podium. Um the other concern is the second Red Bull car, and um Isaac is able to put his car in a reasonable position, come qualifying, but there seem to be so many mistakes coming out of his driving, and this was another example actually, which translated to quite a uh a rough weekend. Um and uh particularly given that he uh had to start from Bitland, particularly uh when they made some park firme changes, uh, and then crashing out quite early, uh, particularly on a fairly basic mistake, basically. And uh you could see how annoyed he was with himself. Um and uh it sort of comes back to that story that we saw last year, that it all falls on Max now to rescue results. And I think we were hoping that there'll be two cars in that team fighting. Um it it's gone back to this single car fight, uh and it all lands on Max's uh shoulders again to bring some results and to score some points for the team. So, yeah, overall I think they should be concerned. I think the car itself uh has got enough um uh pace to be in considered in the conversation. Um, but I think they are uh down the order in the picking order uh when when it all settles down.

SPEAKER_00 28:18

Yeah, the um the Hajar's mistake was uh yeah, the kind of concerning for me from a confidence perspective as well. Um maybe you can do the air to incentives move the wall, I don't know. But um it's yeah, not a not a great look at all. So tell me, Mohan, uh moving on to Ferrari, uh did Ferrari's race unravel through pressure mistakes, penalties, or uh was it just a lack of underlying pace? And and while we're on that, uh have the adjustments to the the regs uh changed their uh the their turbo advantage, or do you think they're still they still have that zip?

SPEAKER_02 28:54

Um I don't think the I don't think it's it's affected the turbo advantage, and that was actually quite a concern coming into this weekend as to whether it would ban and and Charles's launch at the start showed that straight away. Um I think for them that their weekend unraveled through a combination of all of those things, certainly pressure, mistakes, penalties, uh, and uh and a general lack of uh underlying pace. Um the the they actually obviously kicked off the race with a lot of promise. Um Charles was able to get through all that initial corner chaos uh and lead quite early. Um and at that point, they were not just chasing the race, they were controlling it. Um but as the race developed, the limitations uh in the cars uh became uh clearer. Um and you know, Lando um uh passing Kimi after the safety car rescard and then seemed to move past uh Charles uh reasonably easily uh for to pick up the lead. Uh that actually all of that translated into sort of Ferrari drifting into a fairly vulnerable position. So um the errors at the late later in the race um turned what was potentially a decent result for them, turned it into quite a painful one, I think. Um Charles was certainly fighting for a podium up to that point. Uh, but given his error at the end, uh Oscar was able to pick him off quite easily. Um so I think that was for them was quite a quite a brutal swing um from a possible podium to finish eighth. Um and um and and Charles bore that on himself. He basically said, no, this mistake was actually on me. It wasn't on the team, it wasn't on the car. So while I think as a team they seemed to have pace in moments, but they weren't uh consistent enough uh across the race. Uh because the car I think is competitive enough to be on the podium, uh, but um the execution collapsed as well, and there's also conversation about uh when they brought them in for tie changes, uh that that wasn't executed uh well. And there's actually certain instances where there's conversation between Charles and his and his team at the pit wall, and there's total silence on the other side of it as they tried to work it out. So this for me brings back uh memories of last season where uh there was a lot of disconnect between the drivers and the pit wall. Uh and at point at times in Miami that showed up again.

SPEAKER_00 31:31

How costly was uh Charles Leclair's late race drama? Um was the podium genuine genuinely there for them? I'm like I'm sure it was, right?

SPEAKER_02 31:39

Oh absolutely. And I think that he up to that point he had a podium in his hand. Uh he was um um uh clo close enough to certainly challenge it in those in that last little while. So um after all that, I think uh given the fact that where they were for the for the bulk of the race, and particularly where Charles was for the bulk of the race, this was uh overall a very disappointing result, even though it was technically a respectable result. Um and then the penalty actually took up on top of all that made it even worse. So um so the real cost for them is not just the points, it's the shape that they were contributing to the championship itself. So um there is there's a a big gap opening up between them and Mercedes, um, with only these number of races uh coming into it. I admittedly it is a long season and there's a lot more to come. But this is also on the back of uh quite a few upgrades that they brought to this to this race as well. So yeah, genuinely, I mean, I think there was a podium there for the taking, uh, and it and it slipped. Uh, and that would definitely sting for them as a team. Um and um they were close enough to to matter in the fight, but I think they let that slip overall.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

And what do we make of Lewis Hamilton's race? Uh was seventh place about damage strategy um or Ferrari simply lacking pace? Uh like uh for me, I suppose, you know, the first thing you do is can compare Lewis to Charles, and you know, he up until that last lap had a lot of success in the race. So what do we make of Lewis's performance?

SPEAKER_02 33:19

So yeah, so I think um obviously his race was compromised quite early. Uh particularly on that first lap, he had contact with uh Colapinto at turn 11, I think, where part of his bodywork came flying off. That seemed to immediately put him on the back foot. Um and that also meant that his race was never really in the same conversation, shall we say, as Charles, uh, particularly the early lead that Charles had. Um so for him, I guess after all the penalty settled down to be promoted to sixth uh was a reasonable result and meant that Ferrari was actually able to salvage something as a team, but not in a way that would make uh Lewis or the team feel good about it. So um I think the damage was a factor, um, definitely. Uh strategy was possibly another factor in amongst all that, in terms of defining what the what that result was. And so his his final result, I think, was a useful result, but certainly uh a very unspectacular result by Lewis's standards. Uh, and the fact that he never looked, unlike Charles, he never looked like he was in contention for a podium at any point in the race. Um, so the the uh uh the chance for that podium on came through Charles' performances rather than any of Lewis's performance. Um and it sort of seemed to be a safe race for him to finish off rather than a threatening one as such overall.

SPEAKER_00 34:47

And how much did the safety car and first lap incident shape the rhythm of the Miami Grand Prix?

SPEAKER_02 34:52

I think that actually scrambled the order um uh quite a bit. Um and it sort of turned what would have been a clean uh pole control race for Kimi into something a lot more chaotic. Um and it was particularly all that mess that happened at turn one uh made it very messy. Um and um uh certainly obviously that when when Pajar went into the wall and the safety car came out, and then there was the incident, uh quite a spectacular incident actually, fairly soon after that, with uh Gasly Saint sent um being sent cartwheeling off a coup off a collision with Lewis, with Lawson. And this is actually, you know, the if you watch the vision of that of that collision, this uh it the Halo does his job basically, if you think of that that flip that he actually has, and there'd be no amount of value can be placed on that safety equipment. Um I think the overall restart after the after the safety car was quite crucial. Uh I think without it, Charles could have actually held that front position for a lot longer and would have then translated into Kimi having to do a more conventional recovery to try and get up ahead. Um and Lando would have probably had to work a lot harder through the dirty yard to get up ahead as well. So I think the safety car opened that race up a lot more. Um, and it got Lando certainly into a winning position, uh, which and which Kimi had to change. Um I don't think it changed the decide the winner directly as such, uh, but which I think that the winners were changed through the pitch stop sequence uh and the and the strategy around the pitch stop sequences. Uh, but it effectively created the race that we ended up with. Um so I I don't think it was just an uh interruption. I think it just rearranged uh what was going to happen. You probably just say yes to this. But after Miami, uh, do you think that Ansonelli is now the clear championship favorite? I think so. And I think uh if you look at the conversation we had uh from Chai, from China, from Japan, uh, and to now, and we were thinking, you know, there was it was being downplayed quite a bit, as you can imagine, and particularly from Mercedes's point of view, and particularly from Toto's point of view, he said, no, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Uh, he has got a lot to learn, he's got a lot to come through. But um, it's his the strongest argument for this is not just the fact that he's just racking up points, it's the variety of the wins that he's actually had. And um he has had to convert poor starts in all of these instances where he's effectively lost control of a good uh starting grid position uh and had to rebuild that uh through the race uh to finish first in all those games. So um I think the team itself, for me, at this stage looks to be the most complete team of any of the teams out there on the grid. But it also means that the driver still has to has to deliver on the track. And I think Kimi is actually able to do that consistently. And it's a long season. We've still got quite a few races ahead of us. Uh, we've still got a lot of changes and upgrades to come with all teams, including Mercedes-Penz. And certainly that story as a result of it is not set at this stage. But uh we certainly are talking championship uh potentially at this stage.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

So tell me, Mohan, uh heading into the next race, who leaves Miami with the most momentum and who has the biggest questions to answer?

SPEAKER_02 38:28

Definitely Kimi leaves, I think, with the most amount of momentum uh going into the next race. Three wins in a row uh has certainly set the tone for the season so far. Um he is oddly enough, in three races, has become the driver that everyone, including his own teammate, are chasing. Um and as a team, obviously, Mercedes live with the most amount of momentum. Uh, they have not just won the race, but they extended the championship lead as well. Um, I think McLaren live with mixed momentum. Um, I think certainly purely on performance, they can take a lot of encouragement into Montreal and the rest of the season. Uh, they need to sort out the strategy and they need to not be reactive. Uh they need to set their own strategy and execute that uh and believe in it, basically, uh rather than seeing what Mercedes is doing before they they react to it. Uh, I think Ferrari have the biggest questions to answer out of all of this. Um, and um I think they're close enough to be relevant in the conversation, but they're also messy enough to lose the result as well through a combination of mistakes and strategy. Uh, Red Bull uh have a lot of questions to answer. Uh they certainly have uh problems around race space and being consistent around the whole race. Uh I think any anything that is being salvaged is purely through coming through Max's skill. Um and uh certainly Red Bull don't seem to be in a position to be fighting for wins at the moment. Uh and we we come back to that conversation about the fact that two cars need to finish a race uh to be valuable uh and to stay in the fight. So I think overall, I think as a as Mercedes definitely have the moment of going into Montreal. Uh McLaren certainly have the speed. Um uh Ferrari have a lot of regrets, I guess, that they're taking into it. Um and Red Bull have a lot of a lot of things to be concerned about.

SPEAKER_00 40:29

Final words on Miami Maha.

SPEAKER_02 40:30

Uh, I think for me, given the cynical nature which we came into this race, I think I I walked away from it uh feeling that you know it delivered uh a very entertaining race, if nothing else, if at the end of the day, despite uh the way the track is set out and all that. And I think uh a combination of these rule changes has helped. Uh, and hopefully there are other tweaks to come to these rules as well, which will bring this uh uh into a bit more of a challenge. Um and uh what it was able to actually showcase was that it wasn't just um the new technology uh dominating the conversation. There's actually genuine skill in some of the overtakes uh and the strategies executed by the drivers themselves. Uh and that for me actually is quite encouraging going into Montreal.

SPEAKER_00 41:21

All right, well, we'll just go through the standings while you're here, Mohan. So uh the driver standings, Kimmy Antonelli is in first on a clean hundred points, uh, George Russell second on 80, Charles Leclerc in third on 63 points, uh Lando Norris in fourth on 51, and Lewis Hamilton in fifth on 49 points. Uh worth noting there that Kimi Antonelli has as many podiums as George Russell and Charles Leclerc combined at the moment. Uh onto the constructors, uh Mercedes in first on 180 points, Ferrari in second on 112, uh McLaren in third on 94, Red Bull 30, and Alpine in fifth on 21 points. Uh Haas has fallen down the pecking order in sixth, Mohan. Uh what do we think of them? How was their race?

SPEAKER_02 42:02

Um they actually had a mixed race, I think, and and given the performance that particularly Bierman had demonstrated in the preceding race, um, I I don't think the execution was as on point as the previous races. So I certainly think they're quite a bit of work to do. This certainly wasn't burnt at the back of the field by any means. They were still punching in the middle. Um but I think um this track and perhaps even the tweaks in the regulations showed uh the gap that exists between them and the teams up front.

SPEAKER_00 42:31

Is there uh sorry to circle back here, but uh is their uh form going to fall off now, do you think?

SPEAKER_02 42:36

Uh not necessarily. I think like like other teams as well, they have got um the another one of these teams that has has got a lot of upgrades to bring to the bring to the rest of the season, which will actually play a part in it. Uh and and it's also the fact of uh particularly when you're in the midfields, there are some tracks that suit you better and others that aren't don't suit you better, as opposed to the teams that are punching up the front that who perform consistently regardless of the conditions that they are doing. And I think Haas is one of those teams where there are certain tracks where which suit them better, and Miami probably wasn't the ideal track for them. Uh, but I certainly see them delivering better results in in other tracks um and um and certainly challenging more for midfield points.

SPEAKER_00 43:19

Right Mohan, do you want to shout out our socials?

SPEAKER_02 43:21

Um, just uh anyone who's hasn't found them yet? Um so yeah, so our handle on Instagram and Facebook and X and uh Tweet um TikTok, I should say, uh is Boxboxbox Oz, A-U-S. Um, and we also have a website at boxboxbox.net.au. Uh please like, subscribe, share, uh, give us feedback as well through through any of those platforms. Um and uh please also check out our spin-off podcast, which is uh Racing Rewind, where we are looking at classic races and seasons. And this year we are looking at the 2003 season. We are due to do San Marino next. Uh and also our spin-off podcast, which is F1 Decoded, where we look at the technical aspects of Formula One and try and put that into plain speak. And I think we are building another episode talking about uh barriers and runoffs, which is an aspect that uh we are both interested in. Uh and we'll we'll record those in the in the coming weeks and publish them as well. So please check those out. Uh and yeah, your feelback, good, bad, ugly is welcome basically.

SPEAKER_00 44:26

So absolutely. Uh I think uh uh we're gonna get to a point where we have to start paying people for um uh feedback at this point, Mohan, because uh there's just no one, no one really reaching out. So uh like I've said before, uh if you want to comment, uh ask us a question, anything like that, you'll be top of the list. Uh because uh despite us having listeners, uh no one wants to talk to us. Don't know why. So um can't work it out. But no, thank you for your time, Mohan.

SPEAKER_02 44:49

Um Thank Thank you. And uh we've got a couple of weeks break between uh now and Montreal, and as I said, we will we will uh probably be publishing some of our spin-off episodes, but we'll also be talking to you just prior to that race uh to preview that uh the Montreal race.

SPEAKER_00 45:06

Absolutely. Thank you, thank you for joining us, and we will see you next time. Thank you.