The Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have dominated the Formula 1 season so far. A five-week compulsory break could be the chance for a comeback for Max Verstappen and Co.
Only a small part of the Formula 1 season is over, but it is already in a very crucial phase. Due to the war in Iran, the two Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been canceled and the races will not be rescheduled, reducing the number from 24 to 22. Above all, the cancellations also caused a five-week break, which gave the teams time to make adjustments.
Will Antonelli and Russell remain the fastest?
The first three races of the season were a show of force from Mercedes. In Australia, George Russell won ahead of Kimi Antonelli, in China the two teammates swapped places, in Japan Antonelli triumphed, Russell “only” came fourth. Both are at the top of the World Cup standings with 72 and 63 points respectively and are now the hunted. And they want to stay that way until the end of the season.
“Now we’re all recharged. I’ve spent a lot of time with the team. The car’s performance looks very strong. I hope we can pick up where we left off.”said Russell ahead of the upcoming race weekend in Miami. The Brit assumes that the competition will come closer because of the work on their cars, but he doesn’t expect any “drastic changes”.
That would also be in Antonelli’s interest. “It’s been a better start for me than we all thought. I want to focus on the present and how I can get the best out of the car. I drive to win. I want to win races and championships. That’s my goal”said the Italian shooting star of Formula 1.
Kimi Antonelli in front of George Russell at the race in Shanghai
Less energy saving, more security
The teams have learned their lessons from the first three Grands Prix, but not only have the cars changed, Formula 1 has also taken measures to improve the racing. At the start of the season, the rules had already been changed significantly, especially the expansion of the electric motor share to almost half caused criticism, so the organizers made adjustments.
The maximum power in qualifying will be reduced, so drivers will no longer have to switch to power saving mode so much, but can drive at full throttle – but their cars will be slightly slower. Energy management plays a smaller role. And in the race the differences in speed should no longer be so great, the “boost” from the electric component is limited. This is why there was a dangerous accident in Japan recently.
Verstappen “excited to see what we can achieve in Miami”
Max Verstappen is one of the biggest critics of the changes at the start of the season, the Dutchman even spoke of them “Anti Racing” and indicated that he was thinking about ending his career because he had lost the fun. With only twelve points he is ninth in the World Championship standings, his results (6th place, DNF, 8th place) are far below his standard.
Despite the trouble so far, Verstappen traveled to Miami with the hope that the performance of the Red Bull cars will improve. “I know we’ve had quite a long break, but it hasn’t really been a break because the team has been working hard to figure out what we can do better with the car. I’m really excited to see what we can achieve in Miami and hope we can get a little closer to the top three teams.”said Verstappen.
McLaren also wants to find its old form
Not only the four-time world champion and Red Bull want to make up for the false start, the other teams have also worked on getting at least closer to Mercedes. “You will now see a new racing car, but I expect that from most of our competitors. It will basically be about who has found more power in a short time.”said McLaren team boss Andrea Stella.
Lando Norris after his title last season
His protégé Lando Norris is the defending champion, and together with Oscar Piastri, the racing team dominated much of the last F1 season. However, the McLaren duo hasn’t gotten going yet either, although Piastri recently broke Mercedes’ streak of double victories in Japan and came second. With 25 (Norris) and 21 (Piastri) points, the two are already a long way away from Antonelli and Russell; like Verstappen, they will start the race to catch up in Miami.
