2021 Miami Grand Prix Race Thread

It feels like everyone is holding something back right now. I'm just waiting for those first real flying laps to drop.

Hopefully, we'll see some actual pace during the third practice session.

Raymond Anderson4 said:It feels like everyone’s playing their cards close to the chest. Just waiting for those first real flying laps.

Hopefully we see some actual pace during FP3.

Nearly two seconds off the testing times from similar conditions—looks like the top teams are just babying their engines for the long haul.

As for Mercedes-AMG and Red Bull Racing, they seem close enough—though I've got my doubts about whether Mercedes-AMG can actually hold that engine mode steady during qualifying.
Alpine F1 Team looks rough, and Aston Martin isn't doing much better.

It’s honestly wild to think we’re looking at a four-way fight: Red Bull Racing, McLaren Racing, Mercedes-AMG, and Scuderia Ferrari. In my twenty years of following Formula 1, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this...

neonfox65 said:Well, starting tomorrow, Max is just going to run circles around them this season--honestly, he'll leave them in the dust.

And if it isn't this year, it’ll definitely be next one--no doubt about it.

Red Bull Racing and especially McLaren look great, though I guess Mercedes-AMG is still the faster one.
I'd love to be wrong about that.
We'll see after qualifying.

Gary Palmer8 said:well, if it isn't this time, it'll definitely be the next one...

These

We're gonna eat you guys for breakfast🙂

It honestly feels like switching from that pink look to green was the biggest mistake Mercedes-AMG could have made—they've basically thrown away their edge.

Now we're looking at a situation where McLaren Racing and Scuderia Ferrari might actually be fighting for relevance again, though let's be real—it's probably not even for 1st place, just a scrap for 3rd.

neonfox65 said:It’s honestly wild to think we might actually see a four-way fight between Red Bull Racing, McLaren Racing, Mercedes-AMG, and Scuderia Ferrari. In my twenty years of following Formula 1, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this.

I wouldn't hold my breath for a four-way battle. We might be lucky if we even get a three-way scrap for second place.

vividwalker13 said:Don't hold your breath for a four-color podium... We might be lucky if we even see three colors for second place.

If we're lucky enough to get that...

There’s zero doubt that an influencer will be making appearances this season too, though I’m personally banking on a much more thrilling fight for the top spots. And honestly, isn't the battle for third place going to be a total blast? McLaren Racing looked absolutely fantastic today, so we'll just have to wait and see how they hold up as the season unfolds.

By the way, I don't know about you guys, but seeing that "MSC" abbreviation for a split second actually gave me a little hit of nostalgia. 🙂

Anyone willing to drop a bet?

According to some "big data" breakdown over at formula1.com:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...LTkmONPOx.html

Red Bull Racing was up by 0.01 in qualifying
while Mercedes-AMG had a +0.19 edge during the race
👍

wiredseal7 said:according to some "big data" analysis from formula1.com:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...LTkmONPOx.html

Red Bull Racing is +0.01 in qualifying
Mercedes-AMG is +0.19 in the race
👍

Obviously. Only the clueless would think Mercedes just suddenly tanked—the cars are basically identical to last year.

And honestly? It’s not even a bad thing. Stability is fine. It wouldn't be great if everything was totally chaotic and we had a different winner every single Sunday. This way, we pretty much know Mercedes is going to win most of the time. But then, when they actually lose one of those rare races, it'll actually mean something.

If it weren't like this, the whole thing would feel empty. Just pure nonsense.

And nobody likes a hollow race.

vividwalker13 said:No four-color podium happening... maybe a three-color one for second place.

Looks like you might be onto something. Even Lando Norris is saying they won't break into the top two.

Right now, I'm feeling Red Bull Racing for the win, Mercedes-AMG taking second, and Scuderia Ferrari grabbing third behind McLaren Racing...

There's zero chance Ferrari finishes third or fourth in the constructors' championship. Like, where did this sudden surge in performance even come from?

I honestly think Scuderia Ferrari might only be fighting for fourth place in the Constructors' Championship given their current lineup.
If anything, they looked decent enough in the first sector on this track just now, so maybe they can build off that to grab a solid result.

ruggedhawk20 said:There is zero chance Ferrari finishes third or fourth in the constructors' standings. Where did all this sudden performance even come from?

What do you mean "no chance"? We're talking about a team with one of the top three budgets in the sport—plus, they were still dealing with that budget cap penalty last year...

I’m sitting here chewing on this, and honestly? Red Bull might actually have the better car this year compared to Mercedes.

My whole theory is based on the fact that Racing Point—you know, that blatant Mercedes carbon copy—looks pretty rough right now, and they probably took the biggest hit coming off last season.

Meanwhile, you've got Mercedes using all that massive experience and bottomless budget to squeeze every ounce of performance out of these new regulations, but I just don't think it's enough to keep them holding onto the best package on track.

Right now, it feels like the rule changes are just leaning heavily in Red Bull's favor—it's hard to pin it down to just the rake, though; it's likely a combination of everything.

But hey, we'll be a lot smarter about this tomorrow once the race is actually over. 🍿

neonfox65 said:These>

We're gonna eat you guys for breakfast--easy peasy!🙂

only thanks to Honda

Finally, someone on this board actually managed to clock the fastest lap correctly.

☕Carlos teasing Leclerc