2023 F1 Miami GP results: Max Verstappen beats Sergio Perez to win his 3rd race of the season

Max Verstappen stormed his way to victory at the 2023 F1 Miami GP, despite having started P9 on the grid. In doing so, the Dutchman denied his teammate and pole-sitter Sergio Perez a chance at leading the championship.

Max Verstappen made a mistake on his opening flying lap during Saturday's Q3, forcing him to start P9 on the grid after Charles Leclerc crashed out. However, the Dutchman put on a masterclass in Miami, storming through the field in his Red Bull RB19. The two-time world champion looked strong all weekend and made the most of his form, thwarting his teammate Sergio Perez in the process.

Verstappen now holds a 14-point lead in the F1 drivers' standings ahead of the sixth race of the season. Red Bull got their fourth 1-2 finish out of five total races this year, making them the most dominant team by far. As it stands, no other team has been able to challenge the Bulls in 2023.

Mercedes found a surprising amount of pace in the main race as compared to qualifying, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing P4 and P6, respectively. Conversely, the Ferrari drivers had a bad outing in Miami due to their tire degradation problems.

Fernando Alonso finished in P3 and is making a habit of appearing on the podium in 2023. The Spaniard fended off Carlos Sainz's Ferrari and ran a lonely race under the overcast Miami sky. Here's what the final race results look like:

1	Max Verstappen	NED	Oracle Red Bull Racing	57 Laps
2	Sergio Perez	MEX	Oracle Red Bull Racing	+ 5.384s
3	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team	+ 26.305s
4	George Russell	GBR	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	+ 33.229s
5	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Scuderia Ferrari	+ 42.511s
6	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	+ 51.249s
7	Charles Leclerc	MON	Scuderia Ferrari	+ 52.988s
8	Pierre Gasly	FRA	BWT Alpine F1 Team	+ 55.670s
9	Esteban Ocon	FRA	BWT Alpine F1 Team	+ 58.123s
10	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	+ 62.945s
11	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	Scuderia AlphaTauri	+ 64.309s
12	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team	+ 64.754s
13	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake	+ 71.637s
14	Alex Albon	THA	Williams Racing	+ 72.861s
15	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	MoneyGram Haas F1 Team	+ 74.950s
16	Zhou Guanyu	CHN	Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake	+ 78.440s
17	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren F1 Team	+ 87.717s
18	Nyck de Vries	NED	Scuderia AlphaTauri	+ 88.949s
19	Oscar Piastri	AUS	McLaren F1 Team	+ 1 Lap
20	Logan Sargeant	USA	Williams Racing	+ 1 Lap

Liberty Media targeting 10 F1 sprint races in coming years

According to reports, F1 owners Liberty Media have set a goal of having 10 F1 sprint weekends by 2024. The sport recently introduced a modified sprint format at the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, which is said to have convinced the owners to commit to it.

During Baku's modified sprint weekend, there was a unique qualifying session exclusively for the shortened race, which meant that the sprint race results would no longer determine the starting grid for Sunday's main race. The new format appears to have impressed Liberty Media, who reportedly plan to raise the number of sprint weekends from six to ten in 2024.

Venues that have agreed to host the sprint races are committed to paying more than those with the traditional format. Hence, it is still unclear which venues will secure the sprint deal next year.

An insider said about F1's plans, as quoted by Motorsport.com:

"There is a risk of saturation. Today, we don't have the tools to prove it but there are other sports that have made this mistake. Formula 1 must remain an event, as the Champions League is in football, and not like the national championships that now offer something almost every day, taking away a bit the taste for exclusivity."

It will be interesting to see which direction the sport takes in the coming years.