NOBODY’S PERFECT IN SWELTERING MIAMI
…but title rivals Verstappen and Leclerc were close after showing the rest the way once more, while Albon shone again for Williams
Started 6th --------------- Result 6th Can’t score higher for two reasons. He was beaten in qualifying by Bottas’s slower Alfa Romeo, and in race locked up and climbed the kerbs at Turn 1, as Gasly slipped past and Alonso hit him. Needed a Bottas gaffe to pass, after which he had no chance of holding back Russell.
Started 12th ---- Result 13th
A fire-up issue delayed his last Q2 run. From start, gained with a bold Turn 1 outside move, then battled while on the longest medium-tyres stint. Couldn’t find pace with the hards. Fought Magnussen and Stroll on softs post-safety car, but penalised for going off and gaining an advantage.
Started 11th --------- Result 5th Q2 exit caused by Mercedes’ porpoising problem. Lost ground at the start on hard tyres, then had great pace on a 40-lap opening stint. Had luck with virtual safety car timing and battled Hamilton well with a big tyre delta, even if he had to pass twice after running off at Turn 11 the first time.
Started 8th ------------------------- Result R Made Q3, but got a poor exit from the chicane on his final Q3 run. In the race, ran adrift of Alonso and then after his stop he couldn’t pass the Haases even with fresher rubber. Not a lot he could have done differently in the Gasly shunt given his rival’s car was damaged and coming across.
Started 3rd --------------- Result 1st An impressive turnaround after his blighted Friday. His slip off the road in Q3 likely cost him pole, but he did what he had to do in the race. Nailed Sainz at the start, pressured and passed Leclerc, then romped clear while managing tyre wear. Survived a big scare on cold tyres after the safety car.
Started 10th ----- Result 11th
He blamed Sainz being ahead for missing the Q3 cut, but it didn’t merit investigation. In the race he got away with tagging Hamilton, then clattered Gasly and was penalised. Picked up more time for cutting the chicane and abused track limits so much he got a black/white flag warning.
Started 4th --------------- Result 4th Car capable of pole, but wound up fourth after a messy second sector late in Q3. Was closing in on Sainz before his power problem struck, then did very well to keep his pace so high despite losing 10km/h on straights. Botched attempted pass on Sainz on fresh tyres after the safety car.
Started 18th --------- Result 8th FP3 chicane approach crash was a major error, resulting in a cracked chassis and missing qualifying. But in the race he was superb, putting in the joint-longest first stint in the hope of gaining with a late incident. Got that, then battled Schumacher and
Vettel and benefited when they crashed.
Started 1st -------------- Result 2nd Managed his softs better than Sainz in Q3 to clinch pole. Aced the start and tried to drop Verstappen in the corners, where Ferrari excelled. But couldn’t keep his medium tyres in good shape and lost out when Verstappen attacked. Late chase was impressive, but faced a critical topspeed disadvantage.
Started 7th ------------------------- Result R Felt this was his best qualifying of 2022 so far to run Hamilton close for sixth. Set for points until misjudged Turn 1 Alonso pass left him with damage. Team felt he was OK to stay out, but the steering problem got more severe and left him with no chance of avoiding Norris in a heavy clash.
Started 2nd ------------ Result 3rd Great response after his recent disastrous run, but did crash in FP3. This brings down his score, as his chicane approach spin led to neck pain from his shunt beyond Turn 14, which contributed to him being unable to stay at “100%” in the race. Battled well, but also had a costly Turn 17 slide in Q3.
Started 9th --------- Result 12th
Did well to reach Q3. Wheelspin off the line, but dropped a spot because Alonso braved the Turn 1 outside line. Struggled for pace and tyre life during the shortest medium-tyre stint, and car balance no better on the hards. Had a final stint on the softs post-safety car but couldn’t make inroads.
Started Pit ------------ Result 17th Eliminated in Q2. Stroll then had him covered from their pitlane starts. Also takes some blame for Schumacher crash. The damage meant he stopped three laps early with no points. Had a shot at scoring with double pass following Schuey’s defence against Ocon before they clashed.
Started 14th ----- Result 16th Outqualified by Schumacher, but had no radio. Got repassed by his team-mate after being waved by early on, then a black/white flag warning for weaving and hit Stroll twice. Penalised for awful clattering into the Aston at Turn 11, but did have front-wing damage from their first clash.
Started Pit ------------ Result 10th Mighty Q2 lap, but rued a poor final sector on last Q3 run. Fuel temperature problem meant a pitlane start. Led Vettel on a long hard-shod first stint. After the restart hit twice by Magnussen, the second on the penultimate lap letting Ricciardo past. Did cop a black/white flag for weaving late on.
Started 13th ----- Result 15th An excellent weekend ruined. Only Haas to reach Q2. In the race he started strongly before letting Magnussen past, then repassed his team-mate in the middle phase. Was in the hunt for points when he clumsily hit Vettel at Turn 1 – in our opinion more to blame as he was so far back. ----- 5 Started Albon 17th showed Result 14th where Williams could reach, but then he did have lighter, quicker new parts. Latifi therefore did well to get as close as he did in Q1, but had a difficult race. Couldn’t get the hard tyres to work and ran at the back, but did have to cope with unexpectedly high fuel consumption. --------- 9 Started Misses 16th the Result 9th maximum for his Q1 exit, down to not getting his tyres sufficiently hot at the start of lap, then overheating them. In the race he got stuck in, was unlucky that the Vsc/safety car timing hurt his strategy of starting on mediums, but benefited when others crashed or were penalised. 15th ------------------ R
5 Started Blamed his might Q1 not exit, traffic lastcorner Result have but for escaped in any case after a scruffy chicane exit. That results in an average score, brought up one because even though his race was over after just six laps due to a water leak, he passed the gripless Russell nicely into Turn 11 on lap one. --------------- 7th 5 Started It looking 5th had all so Result been good. He brilliant produced Q3 effort a to beat Hamilton to fifth, then held his position off the line. Unruffled pre-safety car, but his mistake in sliding deep at Turn 17 and striking the wall, distracted by Russell attacking Hamilton in his mirrors, was so poor it ruins his score.