Verstappen Steals Pole from Alonso in Monaco Qualifying

The 2023 Monaco Grand Prix qualifying session ended earlier today with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) snatching pole position away from Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). Verstappen edged out the top finish by one tenth of a second. Charles Leclerc finish third but will received a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Lando Norris (McLaren) during the session. Vertsappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had an unfortunate crash in Q1 which will see him start from the back of the grid. ON a circuit like Monaco improving from this position will almost guarantee that Perez will start on the hard compound tires and hope for a safety car or another on track incident to help him fight through the field. Monaco is not know for producing many over takes so Perez will have his work cut out for him.

The Mercedes upgrades for the W14 do not seem to have had the boost Lewis Hamilton was looking for. He was able to muster a P6 finish in qualifying with teammate George Russell in P8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) had a phenomenal qualifying finishing a season highest P4 for the Alpine side. Oscar Piastri showed vast improvement finishing P11 for McLaren) Full qualifying results are below.

Full Monaco Qualifying Results

Day 1 of the Monaco Grand prix weekend has concluded with championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) on top of the table ahead of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). Lando Norris (McLaren) ran 5th fastest which is an improvement based on recent form. If he can carry this success into qualifying he may be able to secure a result for the side. McLaren has had a disappointing season to say the least so the team will be looking for any positives for this weekend. Mercedes brings their first round of upgrade for the W14. There did not seem to be a drastic improvement in pace but we will stay tuned for qualifying to determine their true pace come race time.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) ran 3rd fastest before crashing; causing a red flag. The session was restarted with 12 minutes left. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) made a late charge after Verstappen but the dutchman held on to the top spot. FP3 and qualifying are tomorrow morning. For now check out the full results for FP2 below.

FP2 Results

For more coverage be sure to check out F1.com.

F1.com reports that Honda will make its return to Formula 1 with Aston Martin as a power unit supplier. After exiting F1 in a major capacity in 2021 Honda has become intrigued by the new sustainability requirements that will come with the 2026 regulations. Honda still provides power unit input for Red Bull and will do so until 2025 per their current agreement. However, with Red Bull investing heavily in their own powertrains division the merit of this relationship is likely waning with time. Red Bull previously announced their partnership with Ford. This move closed the door on a Honda return with Red Bull. Honda had no choice but to look elsewhere and Aston martin was the best fit.

Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe stated to F1.com, “One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies.” He continued, “Honda is a company that has a history of growing by taking on challenges and winning world-class races. With the new 2026 regulations, the key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and swift power output, as well as the energy management technology.”

Mibe continued on the goal to achieve sustainable racing

“Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, which made a bold decision to introduce these new and challenging regulations to ensure the sustainability of both racing activities and the global environment, and for the Formula 1 Group, which has been enhancing the brand value of F1 and ensuring F1’s evolvement as the most prestigious automobile racing in the world.”

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll said: “We share a mutual drive, determination, and relentless ambition to succeed on track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is longstanding and incredibly impressive.”Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation stated that Honda will not supply power units to any other teams in F1 as part of the move.

As reported by Daily Mail UK, Ferrari are poised to offer Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes AMG Petronas F1) a £40 million contract to join the Scuderia in 2024. Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes is set to expire at the end of 2023. Hamilton and the Mercedes side have been in talks over a contract for months with nothing inked to date. Ferrari could retain Charles Leclerc and end its relationship with Carlos Sainz or Swap Charles Leclerc for Hamilton to retains Sainz. Regardless either scenario has created a frenzy in the media.

It’s clear that money is not an issue for Hamilton. Any offer he accepts will be financially lucrative. At this point in his career a new contract is more about extending his legacy and finding a car that can carry him to another world championship. Mercedes have indicated they are bringing a number of upgrades to Monaco this weekend. It’s possible that Hamilton wants to see the performance of the car. As it stands currently before making any major decisions. With the months ticking by he will have to make a decision sooner rather than later.

Ferrari have hinted that the rumors on such a move are not accurate. There are reports that Ferrari is looking to sign Charles Leclerc to a contract extension. Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are contracted with Ferrari through the 2024 season. It’s not looking like a Ferrari move is likely come the end of the 2023 season. There would need to be a contract buyout which would negatively impact the cost cap for Ferrari. We will report back as this story continues to develop.

The FIA has announced the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola will be cancelled for the 2023 season. The cancellation comes in response to extreme weather patterns in the area. The weather has raised safety concerns for staff and drivers traveling to the circuit. Drivers and teams appear to be in support of the cancellation given early report of mass flooding and road closures which would impact access to the venue. The FIA released the following statement via their twitter account.

It does not appear that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix  will be added to the end of the season. The decision is welcomed after the 2020 season saw a debacle arise in a similar situation. The FIA was not decisive in cancelling a race in Australia. The lack of action in Australia was purely due to the financial aspects of the grand prix and not the safety of the drivers, staff and patrons. Many local citizens have lost their homes in the flooding in Italy. It appears the FIA has learned from the past and done the right thing by calling the race off. We will report more on this situation as additional details unfold.

Comments from F1 Leadership

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected. I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation – they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them. The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “My thoughts and those of the entire FIA family are with those affected by the terrible situation in the Emilia-Romagna region. The safety of everyone involved and recovery efforts are the top priority at this time.”

Ferrari Loses Home Race

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola is a home race for Ferrari. It will be a disappointment to see it removed from the schedule. However, safety is first in this sport and Ferrari will push their efforts towards Monaco later this month.

For more information check out F1.com

The Ferrari F1 camp has undergone some dramatic changes over the years. The most recent developments have seen their cars suffer from multiple reliability issues as well as poor strategy calls. Ferrari sacked former team principal Mattia Binotto after multiple questionable decisions in 2021 and 2022. Ferrari replaced him with Frédéric Vasseur. Vasseur left his role as Alfa Romeo Team Principal to take over at Ferrari.

Ferrari currently sits 4th in the constructors championship; a position they are not familiar with. When interviewed by F1.com Leclerc stated that he is 100% behind Vasseur and the direction he’s setting for the team. “Well, I think he’s just starting this process now. Until now he was basically trying to analyze the situation as quickly as possible in order to do the best changes possible for the future.”

He continued, “So yeah, I think the big part of the job will be done from now on – so we will see. Obviously, I speak a lot with Fréd and I know what are his middle and long term plans for the team, and I’m completely behind him and I trust him fully…So I’m sure these are the right choices, and it goes in the right direction for the team. So, for that, I’m looking forward to it. But yeah, let’s wait and see.”

Leclerc Speaks on Reliability Issues

Leclerc has had a disappointing season in 2023 with multiple retirements and reliability concerns with the car. In an interview with Autosport.com Leclerc stated, “I was speaking just now with Carlos [Ferrari Teammate] and what we are lacking is consistency from the car. Not even from corner to corner, just in the same corner I can have a huge oversteery balance and then a huge understeery balance, and our car is so wind-effected. This year we have a car that is much more wind sensitive, and we are struggling much more with that. So there is a lot of work going on that. Other than that, for some reason this is off because it is not something I have had for the rest of the weekend so we’ll have to check the car, but I had a lot of bottoming especially in high speeds which is something I can’t quite explain, because I didn’t have that yesterday. So this we’ll have a look at in the data. ”Teammate Carlos Sainz told F1 Sky Sports, “I think we are in the middle of a learning process.”

Where to from here?

Regardless of the source the Ferraris are approaching the half way point of the season and need to find answers if they are to mount any offensives towards getting back into constructors and drivers championship contention. After a P7 and P5 finish for Leclerc and Sainz respectively they are looking to improve for the next race at Imola. Team principal Vasseur told F1.com, “We will have updates, but honestly [in Miami] the issue is not the potential of the car, I think that when we are putting together everything we are there. It is more on the exploitation on the tools that we have rather than the updates. For sure we will bring updates but it’s not the issue.” We will report more as this story continues to develop.

For more on this story be sure to check out Formula 1.

Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) started the race from pole and maintained the lead of the races until pitting for hard tires. Perez fell to 4th place but quickly made up 1 place by Lap 23. Teammate Max Verstappen fought from P9 to win the race after a very long stint on the hard compound tire.

The hard compound tire appeared to offer the best performance with most drivers switching to the tire for their mandatory pits pots. By lap 25 all drivers were on the hard with Verstappen leading the race having started on the tire. Verstappen, Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Zhou Guanyu (Alphe Romeo) were the only drivers to start on the hards and at this point of the race they had yet to pit. By lap 30, Verstappen’s lead fell to 16s ahead which would put him behind teammate Perez after his inevitable pit stop which on average takes 20s at the Miami Grand Prix street circuit under normal race conditions.

Alonso Secures Another Podium

Fernando Alonso took third place securing another podium with the Red Bull drivers. Alonso is flying high in 2023 having shared the podium 3 times with the Red Bull drivers. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) completed another points finish in a great season start for the driver. Teammate Esteban Ocon (Alpine) also finished in the points. Haas found the pace to complete a points finish with Kevin Magnussen finishing in 10th place to score the final point up for grabs on the weekend.

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) received a 5 second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane. Due to the race being a one stopper this penalty was served on total race time instead of stationary in the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) had improved to P6 by lap 32 after starting 13th on the grid. Fernando Alonso moved up to the podium positions effectively running in 2nd because Verstappen still had not yet pit.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) will be disappointed after not making it into the top 5 given the pace of the Ferraris all weekend. After crashing in Q3 Leclerc started P7. By lap 37 he was in 11th having lost 4 positions since the start but made up time in the closing laps ultimately finishing P7 where he started. Teammate Carlos Sainz finished in P5 despite his 5 second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The Mercedes secured a double points finish with George Russell (Mercedes) finishing P4 and Hamilton finishing P6.

Max Takes P1

Team radio chatter with Red Bull revealed that Verstappen was to push until there was no more usable life in his current set of tires. Perez and Verstappen traded fastest laps until Verstappen pitted. Max did not pit until lap 46. He came out of the pitlane 1.5 seconds behind Sergio Perez on brand new medium tires with 12 laps to go after a slow pit stop lasting 3.1s. By lap 48 Verstappen’s tire advantage saw him through to first place.

Hometown driver Logan Sargeant had a very disappointing home grand prix finishing dead last as nothing seemed to go right for his weekend. On a positive note there were no crashes during the race and all of the cars finishing running. This was the 14th retirement free race in Formula 1 history. There were no yellow flags and no safety cars during the race.

Full Race Results are Below

2023 Miami Grand Prix Results

1. Max Verstappen
2. Sergio Perez
3. Fernando Alonso
4. George Russell
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Lewis Hamilton
7. Charles Leclerc
8. Pierre Gasly
9. Esteban Ocon
10. Kevin Magnussen
11. Yuki Tsunoda
12. Lance Stroll
13. Valterri Bottas
14. Alex Albon
15. Nico Hulkenberg
16. Zhou Guanyu
17. Lando Norris
18. Nyck de Vries
19. Oscar Piastri
20. Logan Sargeant

For more coverage check out F1.com

The Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix qualifying session is complete. Azerbaijan GP winner Sergio Perez secured pole position in setting a 1:26.841s lap on the Miami street circuit. In a not so fortunate finish, Charles Leclerc had a late session spin that ended his session. He was only able to secure 7th fastest, but will have an uphill battle to reach the podium places.

Leclerc had the following comments about taking risks. “That pays off nine times out of 10, but obviously, this is a weekend where twice I put it in the wall, and this is just not the level that I want it to be. I’m just very disappointed with myself. If I did a great lap in the first lap of Q3, there’s no point to say that when you don’t finish a lap and you lock up in the last corner. And the second lap, I put it in the wall. So, again, really angry with myself.” Veteran Fernando Alsonso (Aston Martin) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) finished Q3 P2 and P3 respectively.

Championship point leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull) had an even more frustrating session finishing P9. In an interview with Sky Sports Verstappen stated after the session, “Well, yeah, clearly… I mean that was definitely a mistake of mine, trying to put it on the limit, and then I made a mistake and had to abort the lap.

Verstappen continued referring to the spin that Leclerc had that causes a red flag, “Then you rely on a bit of luck as well, that there is not going to be a red flag [at the end], and that can happen on a street circuit – [so I’m] just a bit upset with myself.” Verstappen was asked what his expectations are for tomorrows races and he responded, “A podium, for sure, but I want to win, so this is not great. [Winning is] not impossible, but it’s not going to be easy.” We’ve seen Verstappen win a race from the back of the grid in previous years. We will see if the Red Bull can make some magic happen on Sunday.

Elsewhere on the Grid

Hometown driver Logan Sargeant (Williams) had a difficult afternoon. It was not the homecoming he had hoped for as he will start P20 on the gride for the grand prix. Sargeant offered his thoughts to The Atlantic, “We made a pretty good step from FP3 to quali and had the car in a good place.” I had the couple of tenths needed to advance to Q2. I needed to do it on the first push, but I did it on the second, and I felt like the tires were graining towards the second and third sectors of that lap. It was extremely tight out there with fine margins. We’ll take the positives, which should leave us in a better place for the race. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we’ll try and be opportunistic and make the most of it.”

7 time world Champion Lewis Hamilton said, “It was one of those days.” Hamilton did not make it out of Q2 and had to settle for a P13 start in Sunday’s race. He stated after the session, “But at the end there I went out, they put me out behind seven cars – or something like that…so when I got to the last corner I was like the last of the group. I had to back up and lost all my temperature in the tires, so when I started the lap I just had no grip.”

Full Qualifying Results are Below

More video clips and content are available at F1.com

Day one of the Miami Grand Prix weekend is in the books. Two practices sessions are complete and there is one to go Saturday morning before qualifying. Here are the events of the day.

Max Verstappen (Red Bull) seemingly cruised in FP2 to top the table over the Ferraris. He complained about a headrest issues the entire session but it did not seem to effect his track pace. Teammate Sergio Perez ( Red Bull)who currently sits 6 points shy of Verstappen’s championship lead was almost a half second behind Verstappen in practice. However the practice session was cut short due to Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) crashing. FP3 in Miami will be the last opportunity for tweaks before qualifying so we expect the times tomorrow morning to be more predictive than FP2 results.

Verstappen spoke to F1.com after the conclusion of FP2 and said, “Today was a good day. Initially we were getting used to the track with the new tarmac, it was ramping up a lot throughout the day. It’s still quite slippery off line but on the driving line it’s okay. Most importantly today we had good balance in the car so I feel happy. There are still a few things we want to look at overnight, ideally we want to be faster on every corner, which isn’t always possible. We’ll have to see what the weather will do tomorrow, but overall it’s been a positive day.”

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) finishes second fastest and despite the crash Leclerc held at third fastest to beat out Perez. F1 veterans Fernando Alonso (Aston martin) rounded out the top 5. The Ferraris seemed to have found some pace to contend with the Red Bulls and Aston Martins. The hurdle for Ferrari now seems to be keeping their cars on the track.

The Ferrari Drivers Commented on the Day

Leclerc had the following to say after FP2, “”The feeling in the car is good on one-lap runs. In terms of race pace, we are still lacking compared to our competitors and are focused on closing that gap. Let’s see what is possible tomorrow.”

Sainz commented by stating, “Today in Miami was, as expected, an intense Friday with high temperatures and a lot of running. The tarmac is very different to last year so it was important to get a good feeling for the new conditions. We completed the whole program, we tried all three compounds and we’ve got plenty of data for tonight.”

Lewis Hamilton’s Thoughts, Mercedes AMG F1

7 time world Champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) voiced his frustrations with falling to the middle pack in FP2. “FP1 looked quite good, and then we come into FP2, and the true pace come out. It’s just a kick in the gut, so it’s a little bit difficult to take sometimes. But it’s okay, we will just continue to work on it, we will regroup tonight and try and see if we can make some set-up changes and get the car in a sweeter spot,” he said. The Mercedes camp seems to have made some improvements but they do not yet appear to be enough to bring them back into regular podium contention.

The Top 10 in FP2 at the Miami Grand Prix

The Miami Grand Prix has ignited the motorsports world for what is set to be an extraordinary weekend under the sun. The 3.363 mile street circuit has received a number of improvements from last years inaugural race. This weekend marks the introduction of a brand-new permanent Paddock Club building constructed above the pit garages. The F1 paddock was expanded onto the Miami Dolphins field at Hard Rock Stadium. Team hospitality and vendors will be located here to create the Formula 1 Team Village. MIA Marina, Hard Rock Beach Club and the F1 Fan Zone were all enhanced for 2023. Two new spaces were introduced. The Vista at Turn 1 and The Boathouse at MIA Marina created to increase hospitality capacity.

Hometown Love for Sargeant

For the drivers the track has also been resurfaced. Many drivers complained about the track surface in 2022 leading to premature tire graining. It will be interesting to see how the drivers respond to the improved pavement come Free Practice 1 later today. One driver who seems extraordinarily excited about the race is Williams and sole American F1 driver Logan Sargeant.

“It’s good to be home,” said Sargeant to F1.com. “I got to spend Tuesday with my parents and family at home, get out on the beach, get in the water – it felt good. It’s been a busy couple of days. It’s going to be a tough weekend; it’s going to be hot, physical, and a track I don’t know but I’m ready to take on the challenge. The American fans are always here to put on a good atmosphere and a good show. I’m excited to go out there and perform. It’s just another great opportunity for us to keep building something and have a good weekend.”

A Message from the Miami Grand Prix President

Tyler Epp, President of Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix stated, “After an incredible debut race, we have been working flat-out to ensure the 2023 event is an even greater experience for everyone visiting the Miami International Autodrome…With new and enhanced hospitality experiences, the creation of the F1 Team Village directly on the football field and increased capacity we are expecting our second race to be even bigger and better for the fans, the teams, drivers, partners and everyone in South Florida.”

The first-ever Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix last May was a sell-out success. The event saw 242,955 spectators visit over the three-day event. It’s expected that this record to be broken this weekend. The hype surrounding circuit upgrades and large investments in infrastructure at the circuit. Check out the weekend schedule below.

Watch the Miami GP live with F1 TV Pro

F1 TV Pro is offering a 7-day free trial in select countries (USA, Canada, Netherlands and Brazil). Jump in. Start your 7-day free trial now. You may also view the race weekend on ESPN. Check your local listings for play times.

About FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX

The inaugural Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix made its debut on 6-8 May, 2022. Located in Miami Gardens, Florida, the 3.363 miles circuit features 19 corners, three straights and has top speed of 198+mph.