2023 F1 Miami GP FP2: What did we learn?

The first day of running at the 2023 F1 Miami GP is now in the rearview mirror and it ends once again with a Red Bull leading the charts. Max Verstappen topped for Red Bull over Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in a session that saw the teams push their cars a bit more as the track ramps up.

In P4, we had Sergio Perez who had a somewhat disappointing day and the P5 was rounded up by Fernando Alonso. In the final hour of running on the first day of the 2023 F1 Miami GP, what did we learn? Let's find out!

#1 Red Bull enjoys buffer over rest of the field, though not huge

F1 Grand Prix of Miami - Practice

Red Bull hit the ground running this weekend and that could have arguably skewed the perception that the gap was too big for the chasing pack. As the grip has ramped up, teams like Mercedes and Ferrari have shown impressive pace at different intervals. Having said that, it does not appear that those cars are already capable enough of challenging Red Bull this weekend.

In all likelihood, the team is still enjoying a decent buffer over the rest of the teams. This buffer is, however, not big enough to compensate for Sergio Perez's bad qualifying.

The Mexican is not on the pace of his teammate and while he will be dreaming of a front-row start to challenge his teammate, it's not going to be easy.

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#2 Form guide from Baku has carried over into 2023 F1 Miami GP

Carlos Sainz during practice session

Just like Baku, the 2023 F1 Miami GP appears to have a somewhat similar pecking order. Ferrari is ahead over a single lap.

Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have looked potent enough this weekend. To add to this, Ferrari tends to run conservative modes on Friday and ramps things up on Saturday.

We could see what happened in Baku repeat itself this weekend. A strong Ferrari in qualifying, but questionable in the race. Mercedes and Aston Martin cannot keep up over a single lap but race pace seems promising from both.

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#3 Alpine and McLaren could have a battle among themselves

Alpine and McLaren could have a close battle

At Miami, it does appear that Alpine has finally found its feet. The team appears to be in a strong position to score points. Having said that, Lando Norris did beat one or two drivers in the top 4 teams and that should be commended.

Having said that, it's hard to expect either Alpine or McLaren to be competitive against the top 4. The gap is too big and it is going to come down to an Alpine and McLaren battle through the race.

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#4 Tire degradation is going to be a factor this weekend

With soaring temperatures, it has become clear that the cars could be facing a few challenges that they have been able to evade in the last few races. Tire degradation could be a major factor this weekend.

The new track surface is grippier than last season. To add to this, the track temperatures are very high, and that brings thermal degradation into the picture as well.

In all of this, the race could possibly be a two-stopper as the degradation could change the potential dynamics of the overall event.

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#5 Track at Miami does attract a crash here and there

Last season's inaugural edition of the F1 Miami GP featured significant crashes for Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon. With its narrow walls and high-speed nature, it's always a small misstep away from crashing.

During the 2023 F1 Miami GP qualifying sessions, we've seen a few cars struggle and spin. For qualifying and the race, the track might attract a few crashes here and there and that could make things interesting.