How Red Bull’s decision ahead of the Miami GP could affect the fight between Verstappen and Checo Pérez

Red Bull kicked off the 2023 season Formula 1. With four wins in as many races (and three doubles), he comfortably commands the constructors’ championship and has Max Verstappen Already Sergio Perez at the top of the pilots. The Dutchman is first, just six points ahead of the Mexican. Everything looks rosy for the Austrian team, which however could have another hectic year, because so much Crazy Maximus AS Czech they seem willing to give everything to win the title and to be involved in an epic battle between teammates every time they take to the track. So it was last Sunday in Baku and it will probably be the same this weekend at the second edition of the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen took the top step of the podium in Bahrain and Australia and was second in the other two races. Pérez accompanied his partner in the first event on the calendar and won in Saudi Arabia and, four days ago, in Azerbaijan, where he also won Saturday’s sprint. That triumph of the Latin American spiced up the fight for the crown of the queen category. ON, Christian Hornerteam leader, in the last few hours warned: “At this moment, they are free to competeIt was almost an invitation for the two of them to give their all for a ride on the fast and twisty Florida track.

The fifth race on the calendar will take place on the quirky street circuit, purpose-built for F1’s arrival around the Hard Rock Stadiumhouse of dolphins of the nfl and headquarters each year of the Miami open tennis, in which Verstappen and Pérez promise to get sparks.

“I hope I can continue the good form in Baku and be really competitive,” said the Mexican, who has taken five of his six class victories on street circuits. “Having three children at home, I wouldn’t travel the world if I didn’t believe I could be a champion. I know what I’m capable of and we have to keep our feet on the ground. But it’s a long championship and you have to make as few mistakes as possible.

Verstappen, who won in Miami last year, analysed: “It is what it is, but in the end I was happy to finish second in Baku. I always want to win but sometimes weekends have to be like this, that teaches a lot. and helps you understand the car better. We have the fastest cars, for sure. Now it will depend on how consistently we do it. Sergio has very serious goals this year and is doing very well. We will have to fight, we have done it all our lives and nothing happens, may the best man win, I can’t wait for the next race”.

In Baku Pérez celebrated after leading for most of a race without great emotions and in which Verstappen – who had retaken the lead on the first lap – was affected by the appearance of a Safety Car shortly after his entry into the pits

After the relaunch, the two Red Bulls have “cut” –charles leclerc, who had started from pole position, finished third, more than 21 seconds behind the winner – and they battled head-to-head for victory. There were no great emotions, but in the midst of that brawl, the two managed to skim the walls with their car tires in some corners.

“They were hard hits. I had a bit of luck, especially with that right front tyre, which didn’t blow,” he acknowledged. Czech. “We both hit the wall a couple of times, we were just pushing to the outside. The way Max pushed me throughout the race was really hard but we managed to keep it under control.”

This heated battle could have far more serious consequences than a “simple” sweep on a track like Miami. Surrounded by spaces designed for the relaxation of the public and even by an artificial “lake”, full of luxury yachts, which this year features sectors with real water (in 2022 it was a surface painted to emulate that element), the circuit has a length of 5,412 kilometers and three DRS zones. In addition to 19 bends, most of them at medium and high speed, walls very close to the asphalt – new, so less deterioration is expected compared to the last edition – and some sectors with reduced visibility.

With the Dutch leading the league with 93 points, you are six clear of the Mexican, and quite far third (Fernando Alonso, with 60), and the Red Bulls at an indisputably higher pace than the other cars on the grid; The fifth round of this 2023 promises – barring a few surprises – to be another face-to-face between the two-time champion and his partner.

“At the moment it’s the two of them. There’s a big gap with the others,” Horner commented in statements published by RacingNews365.com and take the Italian newspaper allsport. “And until the interests of the team outweigh those of a rider, Max and Checo are free to fight.”

Here’s how they’re doing it this weekend in Miami.