F1 2025

[MiniDave]

Miami

As the race started they informed the drivers that rain was coming in 20 laps, expected to be heavy - but it didn't happen....only a few drips. That allowed the teams to run their tire strategies.

With Verstappen on pole it was always expected that there might be fireworks in the first lap, and sure enough....Lando got pushed wide, and slipped back to 4th, Piastri was in the perfect spot and put huge pressure on Verstappen and for once he blinked and Piastri was by and simply drove away.

Piastri has now won 4 of 6 and 3 in a row and has a pretty good lead in the championship - 16 pts  - over his teammate Norris, with Max a further 16 points back.

The constructor's championship is clearly McLaren's to lose and I highly doubt they will lose it with the 105 pt lead they currently have, and no sign of the others being able to catch them on a regular basis, tho a new set of testing regs is on for the wings. Some think it will affect the Big Macs but they don't seem concerned.

There was a lot of action during the race and some great battles thru out the grid. 4 of the rookies were out due to accidents or car failures, but Kimi and Isack are still proving to be the aces of the rookie class this season. Kimi in 6th but Isack just out of the points in 11th. If he could have closed up a tiny bit on Tsunoda he could have had 10th as Yuki had a 5 sec penalty, but Isack finished 5.1 seconds back.

Aston is having a woeful season, I don't know if they simply gave up this season and are counting on Newey to pull them to the front next season, but it's been widely reported that Newey refuses to work on the 2025 car.

LeClerc and the Hamster had some pointed conversations with the pits about their respective strategies, and there will be some intense conversations after the race. Hamster in particular was NOT happy with what they wanted him to do. They switched Hammy forward of LeClerc and sent him after Antonelli but he couldn't catch him, after a number of laps LeClerc's tires came in and they switched them back and LeClerc got within 1 1/2 sec but couldn't get past.

This was a fun one to watch, to see whether Norris could catch and pass his teammate by the end (he couldn't but he sure tried) and by the end the lead Mac was 40 seconds ahead of Russell in third - a clearly dominant race.

[MiniDave]

All sorts of things going on in F1 today....

Starting with Alpine, first they brought in Briatore, and Briatore is a fan fave of Colopainto, but Oliver Oakes was hired as team principal, and he liked Doohan, so Jack got the starting nod. His first few races have not been awe inspiring to say the least.....

After Doohan crashed out on the first lap at Miami, and Gasly finished outside the points Oakes "resigned" with immediate effect, and guess who will be taking over? Yep, Briatore....

Guess who's lost his driving job at Alpine? Yep - Doohan. Nothing's been revealed  but the good money is on Colapinto starting the next race in his stead.

Next up: Ferrari. If you watched the race in Miami you got to see the resurgence of Ferrari's famed inability to plan strategy or make changes mid-race to respond to race conditions or other teams.....and of the return of whiny Hamilton when he doesn't get his way. They asked LeClerc to let the Hamster by as they were on different tire strategies, which he did but apparently not quickly enough to suit the Haminator.....after a few caustic remarks. The idea was that with his fresh medium tires he could hunt down and pass Kimi - which it turned out he couldn't do. So Ferrari asked him to switch back - eventually - unfortunately they told LeClerc but neglected to tell the Hammy till the next lap!

McLaren: They seem to have finally shown their hand, finishing 40 seconds ahead of Russel in third in the Mercedes. Norris has clearly lost his #1 status over Piastri, and Oscar seems to have his sights firmly on the driver's championship. He's not so far ahead that an unfortunate race can't swap things around, but he seems to have the momentum at this point having just won his 4th out of the first 6 races.

Lastly, the most fun part of the weekend was watching the full size Lego cars "racing" around the track, and seeing them picking up all the loose lego blocks that were released by some of the more spirited drivers! 

[MiniDave]

Is Horner on his way out after 20 years at the helm of Red Bull? After a number of disasterous things happening with the team, being accused of inappropriate behavior with a female team member, the extension of contract with Perez when he clearly was not performing, the disaster with Lawson and now Yuki not doing much better, the fact that Verstappen has an escape clause in his contract and has been offered a huge contract with Aston Martin - which would reunite him with Newey - and lastly - Oliver Oakes. He was in Bahrain immediately after resigning from Alpine, maybe getting his case before the shareholders?

Lots going on here, word on the street is that the next race's results hold the key to Horner's future with the team.