F1 Miami GP: Max Verstappen charges past Sergio Perez for fightback win from ninth
Max Verstappen took back control at the top of the 2023 F1 world championship by passing Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez for an incredible fightback victory at the Miami Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion started ninth on the grid after failing to set a lap time before Charles Leclerc’s crash ended qualifying prematurely, but made light work of his recovery charge to claim back-to-back wins on the streets of Miami.
A combination of relentless pace and an ability to manage his tyre life put Verstappen in prime position to challenge Perez, who was running a different strategy.
When Verstappen finally pitted at the end of Lap 45, he remerged just 1.5s behind race-leader Perez.
Using his 20-lap fresher medium tyres, Verstappen pounced on Perez, who was on hard rubber, down the main straight but was forced the long way round at Turn 1.
Having completed the move, Verstappen pulled clear and claimed his third win from five races to move 14 points clear of his teammate at the top of the world championship standings.
Over 20 seconds behind the dominant Red Bulls, Fernando Alonso continued his superb run of top-four finishes with his fourth podium of the season for Aston Martin in third.
George Russell impressed on his way to fourth as the lead Mercedes driver, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton bounced back from a dreadful qualifying to take sixth, overtaking Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari in the closing stages.
The Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon took eighth and ninth, while Kevin Magnussen claimed the final point in 10th for Haas.
