by VALERIO BARRETTA
F1 Miami, the report cards of the promoted ones
1. Lando Norris. Nowins had maliciously called him, thanks to a few too many mistakes when least needed and a blindfolded goddess who was desired for a long time. Counting the last five seasons, more than half the grid (11 drivers) had won something between GP and Sprint. Him nothing, also second to the Christmas Monopoly. So yesterday’s victory pleased everyone: even the others more than him (this is what I thought after the race). On his part, because he has freed himself of a burden and because Norris has felt he deserved it for years. From the others, because Norris makes himself loved and above all because he had never won. If it were repeated in Imola, the only Air Max you would see would be the writing on the shoesnothing but giggles and pats from friends.
2. Lewis Hamilton. In a weekend that brings Schumaxer back to Earth, a prize for those who have returned to this planet for three years, through no fault of their own. The more they say that he is boiled (in Brackley on 1 February the damnatio memoriaethe same is already happening in Milton Keynes with Adrian Newey), the more Hamilton keeps Russell behind (did he run? Was he to see the Dolphins? Was he voting for Bottas?) and shows that he cares despite there being the conditions for a complete defeat. Proof of pride in the midst of the Mercedes rubble, with Wolff first punching himself in the nose and then delegitimizing the entire technical team by stating that not even a magician would resolve the situation, other than Newey. The only one who laughs about it is Sir Lewis himself, who usually doesn’t move at random and will have had very valid reasons to escape from Brackley despite having all the trust he owes to a team that has allowed him to win everything and more than everything .
3. Kevin Magnussen. He throws out every four-wheeler that gets in his way, takes 65″ (six-five) penalties in two days and collects more points on his license than Colantuono’s Salernitana. It seems he then tortured Trump with a book and with the other hand combed the hair of the jokers who voted for Bottas as driver of the day. The only one who keeps us entertained on Saturday.
F1 Miami, the report cards of those who failed
3. Fernando Alonso. Now, the place would go to Perez, who took Turn 1 in Havana. But Perez will have a thousand other opportunities to make up for it anyway. Nando, at a guess, has these weekends more rarely. When it isn’t there, it’s fair to say: in Miami as opaque as ever, at least in Aston Martin. Even beaten by Stroll twice in qualifying like any Sargeant, not even playing Mourinho with the commissioners saves him.
2. Mercedes. They don’t understand anything. They don’t know why they turn on and when they stay off, on the track they struggle to overtake the Haas with DRS, in the paddock Wolff has lost the braggadocio he had until last year. Toto is much less talkative (except when the topic is Verstappen), on the other hand the expressions in the pits speak for themselves. Meanwhile, with their engine, McLaren is developing like a master and is now also winning.
1. FIA. Magnussen made us smile on Saturday and we are all happy about it. But it is the Federation itself that allows the K-Mag circus, which provides cumulative time penalties (without punishing repetition) to pilots already penalized. Which, being penalized, should not be there and yet they influence the race of others by maintaining track position. It had already happened in Jeddah, also with Magnussen. And honestly It is difficult to understand why a driver who admits to having intentionally obstructed a colleague is not disqualified. On the Safety Car issue, we have already expressed our opinion: at most it could have been sent onto the track first, but at that point Norris would have had time to make a safe pit stop and get back to the front. On the other penalties: I understand Sainz’s, but then you at least give it to Perez too. The fact that he didn’t catch Sainz at the first corner, 1- was only thanks to Sainz, 2- affected the Spaniard’s race as if a contact had occurred. If then to give a penalty you necessarily need an accident even in the presence of immaterial damage (Sainz was not hit but was damaged, losing two positions), it would also be time to change some rules.
