In Miami, Ocon was closer to the podium than Russell was to the McLarens

Crossing the finish line with a delay of 37 full seconds on Oscar piastri, and more than 33 seconds of Lando Norris, second, George Russell symbolized by himself the lack of the entire grid on the leading duo. First real hegemonic victory of the season, this one did not however appear as such in view of the battle between Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri observed in the first rounds.

Thanks to the speed of their car, and with a remarkable maneuver by Piastri, the two teammates passed the Verstappen obstacle, and then took off completely. With complete control, the MCL39's lead was such that the Mercedes George Russell's comparison gains relevance with certain cars that were out of the points at the end of the Grand Prix.

McLaren's pace becomes elusive

With a deficit of 37 seconds on the finish line, George Russell was in fact slightly closer to Isack Hadjar behind him – the Frenchman having finished eleventh – than to the race leader occupied by Oscar Piastri. Even more striking, Lando Norris, lapping on average nine thousandths slower than his teammate, still had a pace faster than George Russell by 0.680 seconds. The Mercedes driver, for his part, was driving half a second faster per lap thanEsteban Ocon, twelfth in the event.

In other words, the Frenchman's race pace was closer to Russell's than Russell's was to Norris's at the end of the race. While laying the foundations for unchallenged dominance, this Grand Prix may not be so absolute. In Barcelona, ​​there will be one last hope for the other teams to see McLaren regress, or at least stagnate in its efforts. The FIA ​​is planning a more stringent regulation regarding movable wings for this round, as a sign of a final attempt to rebalance the forces before a second half of the season that is still very risky.

ALSO READ > Ratings plummet for the Miami GP in the United States