In a Grand Prix marked by twists and turns, in addition to Kimi’s talent, the most beautiful thing seen in Florida was the tribute to Zanardi
In Miami they brought forward the GP1 which brought F1 back to the track after more than a month due to fear of strong storms. But lightning and lightning arrived anyway: he had them with him Kimi Antonelli and it was a storm for all the opponents. Here are the report cards for the fourth race of the season.
The tribute to Alex Zanardi: 10 cum laude
Alex as a driver he had glory in other categories, but he also frequented F1. And F1 was able to pay the right homage to a man who, in becoming paralympic champion, he was an example of courage and resilience. Nice gesture, unquestionably: certain messages have an absolute value and go beyond the world to which you belong.
Kimi Antonelli: 100
One hundred like the points that the boy from Bologna now has in the world rankings. It is now clear: A new sheriff is circulating in F1. Third victory in a row, Mika Hakkinen and Damon Hill had also achieved the first three of their careers in sequence and, coincidentally, they then became world champions. We are curious to see what will happen when Kimi has improved his starts, for now the only weak point in his repertoire. He won again on the same day as Sinner’s success: is there a common thread between the two?
McLaren: 8
Important signals are returning from the team that was dominating and which had been in difficulty in the first three races of the season. Probably since Canada (end of May) onwards it will be even better: the adversaries have been warned. McLaren is back.
Ferrari: 5
Yellow card: the evolution of the SF-26, trumpeted without warning, has so far only produced the worst result of the season in the long GP (and please don’t rely on Leclerc’s podium in the sprint). Are we back to proclamations then betrayed by facts? We wanted to dance there Macarena with the new rotary wing (named after the dance that became famous in Spain in the 90s), but only the qua qua dance was seen.
Lando Norris: 8
He was unable to fully undermine Antonelli’s success, however he closed the weekend in Florida with the victory in the sprint and second place in the Grand Prix. He’s surfing the papaya-colored wave of McLaren’s relaunch.
Max Verstappen: 7.5
Even the champions (sometimes) make mistakes: Max does it at the start with a rustic duel with Antonelli and turns around. But then he launches the redemption operation and invents one of his strategic “magic tricks”, bringing the pit stop extremely early. In the final, the tires are a little too worn to aspire to the top, but a fifth place comes with a struggle and suffering: SuperMax he has taken Thor’s hammer back and is ready to throw it.
Oscar Piastri: 6
Third place, okay, but he takes more than 20 seconds from his teammate, who has taken on the role of standard bearer of McLaren’s recovery. It is urgent to find theOscar Piastri incisive from a year ago.
Charles Leclerc: 6
We give him a passing grade because first of all he doesn’t give up trying despite one Ferrari in debt for speed and then because he didn’t hide after the nightmare spin on the final lap, followed by a 20” penalty which relegated him from sixth to eighth place. He himself uses the most appropriate words: “It was an unacceptable mistake.” The auto-da-fé is fine, but now that the redemption arrives.
Lewis Hamilton: 5
With the machine damaged at start due to contact with Colapinto he couldn’t go far. And in fact he didn’t go, making do by profession to do what he could in those conditions: sixth place, after Leclerc’s relegation. The impression remains that he is acting like a shrimp (red, or rather on the Red) compared to the good signs of the first races.
George Russell: 4
The explosion of Antonelli It’s clearly becoming a big problem for the man who was designated (silently, but not too silently) as Mercedes’ first driver. If it’s true that George’s Achilles’ heel is his non-iron character, then it’s not going well for him.
Isack Hadjar: 4
Wall in the seventh lap: bad story. It risks becoming a human case itself: it is struggling to take on the pace and size of a Red Bull, after the good things it had shown to Racing Bulls. Has the “verstappenization” (translation: the process by which Verstappen devours you) which has already affected the Dutchman’s other teammates perhaps begun for him too?
Franco Colapinto: 7.5
Embraced by Lionel Messi, he brings Alpine (who immediately loses Gasly, ruined by Lawson) to a good seventh place. Argentina dreams with him.
Carlos Sainz: 7
With one Williams who remains unwatchable, manages a ninth place in one of his best races. The English team also scores points with Albon, tenth, but Carlos is better than the British-Thai who once again has to eat his teammate’s dust.
Oliver Bearman: 6
He tries and works hard, but he’s a penny away from making a dollar. Indeed, he lacks a place to recover – he finishes eleventh – to finish in the top ten and in the points. But he gives the pay again to Esteban Ocon (5), ready to pack his bags from Haas.
Liam Lawson: 3
Impetuosity is often his limit. The “assault” on the poor Gasley, made to overturn at turn 17 on the seventh lap – the same as Hadjar’s crash -, it is the confirmation of excesses that require a good leash.
Audi: 4
The situation becomes embarrassing, with various problems – including reliability, as well as performance – which prevent the company from taking off ex Sauber towards high flight levels. Having such an important name in the automotive and motor racing world behind us (also thinking about our history in rallies) it is as if a large orchestra had failed badly.
Aston Martin: 0
The deep coma of the team that should have split the world continues, thanks to the genius of Adrian Neweyand who is instead making an unspeakable impression. The point is that if you are dressed like this, despite the presence of the king of designers, the prospects are grim. Unless Newey, now with his back against the wall and with his credit in collapse, pulls a rabbit out of his hat: he has already done it in the past, but it is not certain that he will succeed again.
