Is Max Verstappen's victory in Miami a turning point of the season?

Facts : Max Verstappen masterfully won the first Miami Grand Prix in the history of the Formula 1. A second victory in a row after that acquired at Imola which allows him to come back to 19 points behind Charles Leclerc in the championship. His dominance in Florida makes us wonder if this victory marks a turning point in the season?

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YES, by Valentin Glo

It was difficult to imagine Max Verstappen stringing together two total dominations on the evening of the Australian Grand Prix. In Melbourne, the Dutchman was forced to retire for the second time in three races, once again let down by the reliability of his car. At the time, he was 46 points behind the relentless championship leader, Charles Leclerc.

Since then, the Dutchman has already made up a large part of his deficit. In two weekends, he pocketed 59 units, achieving the perfect result at Immola with victories in Sprint and race, sprinkled with the point for the best Sunday lap. In Miami, he took advantage of the high maximum speed of his Red Bull to easily get rid of his rival for the title and then maintain his position despite a Safety Car allowing the Monegasque to believe in his chances until the last laps. With once again the point for the best lap in his bag, Verstappen left Florida with only 19 points behind, which allows him to find the championship leader in his sights in the event of his abandonment.

This twenty units of difference was essentially created by Max's two retirements due to mechanical problems. At best, 36 points were lost for the Red Bull leader and he would never have left the podium since the opening of the season without these hazards. If his domination is not yet reflected in the championship, he is the first of the title contenders to string together two victories in a row this season. Above all, he now leads 3-2 in his fight with Leclerc. For Verstappen and Red Bull, it's time to insinuate doubt into the race clan. Team with a machine that seems to have taken over its Italian counterpart. The kind of opportunity that an outgoing world champion must seize to turn the current exercise on his side. In Miami, Max Verstappen reminded us a little more why he had the number 1 on his hood and that Leclerc's quest for a first title would not be easy. This already makes it a turning point.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen on the podium in Miami (Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI)

No, by Medhi Casaurang-Vergez

The Miami circuit had fewer turns (19) than the 2022 Formula 1 season only has Grands Prix. Twenty-three rounds are planned this year, and I can't imagine Liberty Media not finding a replacement for the Russian round, canceled due to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine this winter.

Since we have only played 21% of this 2022 campaign, it is far too early to list the turning points in the fight between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, and to point to one particular event rather than another. is too arbitrary a choice for the moment.

When the wearer of number 1 suffered his second mechanical damage this year near Melbourne (Australia), comments were rife to put the Dutchman's title defense in the closet of fallen memories. This analysis was presumptuous. Even handicapped by a delay of 46 points on the leader of the Reds, almost two victories in sight, Max Verstappen pulled up the sleeves of his combination and erased a large part of his delay in just two meetings.

But, and it's not reading the coffee grounds to write this, Max Verstappen's series will be interrupted. Impossible to know when or how, but it will happen, just as Charles Leclerc's authoritarian start to the season stalled in Emilia-Romagna.

So it goes Formula 1. Since the end of the era Michael Schumacher in 2005, few drivers have dominated their subject from A to Z, from the first to the last Grand Prix. We could classify in this list Lewis Hamilton in 2019 and 2020, that's it. So, with an ever-increasing number of races to master, it becomes mission impossible. In 2021, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen took turns benefiting from periods of full strength, before slowing down.

This observation depends on several factors. On the one hand, the characteristics of the circuits favor one or the other single-seater, the Ferrari or the Red Bull. On the other hand, the race for technological development between the two teams will allow one or the other team to make up for its performance gap, or even gain a slight advantage. Not to mention the downgrades that athletes can experience, even if it is not recommended for them!

So, don't panic, let's not draw hasty conclusions, the Miami Grand Prix was in no way a turning point in this season. Our passionate hearts have plenty of time to get carried away by other overtakes between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

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