Inaugural Miami GP can see Ferrari put contenders back in a vice grip
Thursday, 5 May 2022
Anticipation is at a fever pitch.
Formula 1®'s ever-expanding presence in the United States will come to the fore as it returns to Florida for the first time in over 60 years with the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.
Bruce McLaren claimed the first of four Grand Prix wins at Sebring in 1959, before the United States GP moved to Riverside for 1960 and then Watkins Glen until 1980.
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Last time out at Imola, Ferrari suffered their first bad weekend of the season, with Red Bull's one-two compounding Carlos Sainz crashing out on the opening lap and Charles Leclerc spinning after going over a sausage kerb, before finishing in sixth.
With DNFs in Imola and Melbourne, Sainz had not retired in his previous 24 races and will be looking to recover at a track that could suit this year's Ferrari package.
Even after Imola though, Ferrari still lead in both the driver's and constructor's championships, with respective 27 and 11-point leads.
Following his wins in Bahrain and Australia, Leclerc could equal Ferrari's win tally in the previous seasons combined, with all three coming in 2019.
Though the Monegasque driver converted his pole position into a win at Albert Park, only four of his 11 career wins have come from pole position.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has been much more clinical in that regard, converting his 14 pole positions into 10 race victories.
Verstappen was the last winner in the United States, taking the top step at COTA last year in Austin.
Mercedes bring upgrades
Although George Russell sits fourth in the driver's championship, Ferrari and Red Bull have had the two best packages on the grid so far this season.
Mercedes have struggled to match them for pace and performance as they come to terms with the car's particularly aggressive porpoising coming into braking zones.
They are hoping upgrades could revive Lewis Hamilton's season and the USA has traditionally been a happy hunting ground, with six of his 18 wins in North America coming there.
Can Red Bull consolidate?
Defending champion Verstappen won at Imola in what was an assured drive, reminding the paddock that Red Bull are capable of coming up with a strong package this season.
Sergio Perez has also been in solid form to open the season, securing back-to-back second-place finishes for the first time in his career in Melbourne and Imola.
Anything less than another strong performance will undo the progress they made, however.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 86
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 59
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 54
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 49
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 38
Constructors
1. Ferrari 124
2. Red Bull 113
3. Mercedes 77
4. McLaren 46
5. Alfa Romeo 25
Together as a team. Bring on this weekend 🤜🤛#essereFerrari 🔴 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/U7CvUo3ZgC
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 2, 2022
