F1 heading for worrying future as Verstappen dominates Perez in Miami

Max Verstappen will look back on this Miami Grand Prix at the end of the year and wonder exactly how he managed to beat his team-mate Sergio Perez to the victory as the Dutchman had no right to be ahead at the end. It was a disastrous qualifying session for Verstappen as he was unable to get a lap time in Q3, meaning he would start Sunday’s race in ninth.

Perez meanwhile took his opportunity to take pole ahead of Fernando Alonso. In reality, Perez knew his battle would still come against Verstappen at some point in the race, but he should have been out of sight in the same car.

He’s shown that he can mix it with Verstappen this year having won two races already ahead of his team-mate. The two were on very different strategies to start the race, but Perez appeared under pressure from the very first lap despite Verstappen being down in ninth.

It didn’t take long for Verstappen to cut his way through the field despite team orders from Red Bull to try and manage his tyres. Meanwhile, Perez was not making the most of being on the softer medium compound and Verstappen was soon just two seconds behind him on track.

The Mexican had to pit for the hard tyres and looked as though he would be able to undercut his title rival at one stage, but Verstappen managed his race expertly before coming in to make his pit stop before easily passing Perez for the win. In the same vehicle and with identical power setups, Verstappen was somehow able to blow Perez out of the water in a move reminiscent of what happened regularly last year.

How Perez performs in 2023 may be the only thing that saves this year from being a predictable affair. Take nothing away from Verstappen’s sheer class and superiority as he’s proving his case as one of the sport’s greatest-ever drivers.

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But F1 as a spectacle can’t survive with races like this in Miami or last week in Baku with neither creating much drama or entertainment. The race in the midfield still manages to provide some interest, but the biggest pull is always for the fight at the front.

There’s still plenty of time for teams to catch up with Red Bull and Mercedes have plans to bring major updates to Imola later this month. Perez has proven he can battle with Verstappen at times this year, but this was a marker from Verstappen on just what he can achieve when he’s on top form.

And that could prove deadly for the remaining 18 races of the year in more ways than one.

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