Max Verstappen showed he was unstoppable in Miami, as he turned a poor qualifying position into victory, easily gliding past rivals including his teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen was forced to line up in P9 after a red flag incident in qualifying cut short Q3 before he could complete a strong flying lap.
Charles Leclerc ended Q3 early with a crash into the barriers at Turn 7, the second time he ended up in the wall over the weekend, leaving Perez on pole and Verstappen near the bottom of the top ten.
Although Perez was impressive from the opening, building a gap to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Verstappen would swiftly pass his opponents, eventually coming wheel-to-wheel with the Mexican.
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Despite an entertaining battle between the two, Perez proved unable to stop Verstappen’s charge, having to settle for P2 in the Drivers’ Standings.
The Red Bull 1-2, the fourth of the season, has revived fears among Formula 1 fans and pundits that the team’s dominance will make the sport a boring affair this year.
“How Perez performs in 2023 may be the only thing that saves this year from being a predictable affair,” correspondent Stuart Ballard wrote in the Express.
“Take nothing away from Verstappen’s sheer class and superiority as he’s proving his case as one of the sport’s greatest-ever drivers.
“But F1 as a spectacle can’t survive with races like this in Miami or last week in Baku with neither creating much drama or entertainment.
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“The race in the midfield still manages to provide some interest, but the biggest pull is always for the fight at the front.”
Red Bull’s runaway performance has seen the team take a 122 point lead in the Constructors’ Standing after just five races, while its two drivers pull away from the rest of the grid in the title race.
Heading into round six at Imola, Verstappen leads the way on 119, while Perez sits close behind with 105.