Welcome back to another edition of F1 talking points as we go over the first of three races in the US this year in the picturesque setting of Miami.

It was another race that didn’t blow any F1 fan away but there as always are plenty of things to talk about. So let’s get into it

Red Bull so far ahead they’re in their own league

Five races into the season and no team besides Red Bull has won a race. In fact so far ahead are they of the rest of the field, no team has remotely looked close to winning a race. Red Bull are just simply so far ahead right now, they may as well be in F1 and the rest of the field in F2.

The interesting thing about this ‘dominance’ is that it weirdly doesn’t feel tiring yet. It feels different to our last three dominant eras that many bemoaned about.

The Mercedes era between 2004 and 2020 was just incredibly tedious, the Red Bull era of 2010 and 2013 was somewhat interesting, unique and exciting but also tiring while the Ferrari era of 2000 and 2004 was incredible and I won’t hear a bad word about it.

Yes I am a biased Ferrari fan so we’ll move on from that point…

My point being is that it almost doesn’t feel like Red Bull have been that dominant. The fact that Max Verstappen broke the record for most wins in a single season by a driver last year is still somewhat of a shock, given for at least the first half of the season it was a tight battle between him and Charles Leclerc.

The season before that, well we know how close it was and what happened. This actually really is the first time that Red Bull have actually ‘dominated’ a season so much early on, which shows a big turn of form from the Austrian team who were always renowned for starting slowly and finding form when it was too late by the end of the season.

With three races set to take place in three weeks as of next weekend, it will be a true test for the team to see if they can continue this dominance and look at setting records along the way with more consecutive wins.

If they can get a sixth at Imola next go around, they’ll equal Mercedes opening six wins from the 2014 season. If they win the next three, they’ll equal the eight Mercedes won from the opening of the 2019 season.

And if somehow they can win the next six and make it to Silverstone without having dropped a win, they’ll equal the longstanding record of 11 consecutive wins by a team to open the season set by McLaren in their near perfect 1988 season.

Sounds impossible? Maybe. In F1 anything can happen (and it usually does, thanks Murray) so never be certain of it. But with each race that passes by and the team continues to dominate, these records like way more achievable.
Verstappen is unstoppable

What else can you say about Max Verstappen that hasn’t already been said?

Even when he has an issue that sees him start from ninth on the grid, you just know he’s still going to win somehow. And he did exactly that on Sunday to win his third race of the season and hold on to his Championship lead just as Sergio Perez looked to take it form him.

This is a driver who only a few years ago was still being touted as too immature and reckless to ever fully come out on top. A driver who although incredibly gifted had too many lapses of judgement to ever fully take control of the sport he now owns. It’s a truly incredible turnaround and somewhat scary one to see just the level he is driving at right now.

Verstappen says records don’t phase him and that he doesn’t care about breaking them.

You know who else always said that? Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. And look where we are now.
The difference here being that Verstappen is still only 25.

If he kept racing until he was Fernando Alonso’s age, he still has another 16 years in the sport ahead of him. Imagine what he could do in that time frame if he kept up this current form.

While some may find the sport “boring” with a driver dominating like this, we certainly have to take a step back sometimes to marvel at what we are witnessing and the fact we can say we were here to witness one of the future all-time greats of Formula 1.

Booing is okay and not a big deal

Seems topical given it’s a big talking point in another sport this week, but since when have we turned into a society that is too precious around booing at sporting events?

After the Miami race, Max Verstappen was booed on the podium by some fans. Now, obviously we can assume it was due to the fact that he is winning still and that’s not good for many casual fans of the sport who expect it to be like an episode of Drive To Survive each week.

We will never know. But what that does is perhaps reflect more on the casual fans of the sport who purely don’t understand what they are watching outside of a streaming service.

The fact being that even if that is the reason he is being booed, he’s not alone. Sebastian Vettel was booed constantly at the peak of his powers.

Nico Rosberg during his heated rivalry with Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton by his nemesis Dutch fans. Michael Schumacher back in the day by British fans and during his dominance. Ayrton Senna. Alain Prost. You name it, they’ve all been booed.

And you know what each of them did after that? Took it as inspiration to become even more stronger and dominant and silence their critics.

Fandom is part of any sport. And fandom isn’t always cheering. There is booing. There is criticism. There is passion. That’s why we love it so much. Take that away, and you just have a bunch of robots watching something that becomes more and more artificial.

Perhaps I should summarise this point best with a quote by Verstappen himself when asked about the booing.
“I think it is normal when you are winning, and they don’t like who is winning. It is something or me, which is absolutely fine as long as I am standing on the top.”

‘nuff said.

Let’s take a step back from the “Americanisation” shall we?

I absolutely love America and all of its pomp and pageantry that make their sports so damn entertaining to watch and experience. It’s so unique and grandiose and just so damn fun.

But here’s the thing: it only works in America for American sports. It doesn’t work in Formula 1.

It’s so great to be able to see this boom in the one place F1 has been so desperate to crack for many many years but at the expense of the history and culture of the sport? No thank you.

The cringe factor of having LL Cool J announce the drivers on to the grid while will.I.AM conducts an orchestra was beyond any measurable scale.

Having Michelle Rodriquez and Vin Diesel introduce the race in an awful video was embarrassing. And presenting the drivers with mock NFL jerseys as part of their prize for finishing on the podium? Ugh. No.

This also stems to the absolute farcical scenes we now see on the grid at every single American F1 race. Let’s bring in the big name celebrities.

Great. But why do you need to cordon them off and protect them from the media personalities and stars of the sport that everywhere else make it run and know what they’re doing, when they’re doing it and how to properly engage with F1 fans?

Sure it was fun to see Sir Jackie Stewart ignore every security guard and risk getting shot in order to get Roger Federer to do an interview with Martin Brundle for Sky Sports F1, but why was that even an issue?

This is Sir Jackie Stewart and Martin Brundle. Two legends of the sport who are highly regarded and respected beyond measure and two people who Roger Federer should be beyond honoured to speak to in the environment he stands in.

How do we think people would react if at the US Open Tennis, Roger Federer attempted to interview Lewis Hamilton in the stands, only to be blocked and warned by thug security guards who think they’re the coolest people on the planet in a country that makes such a big deal over things that don’t need to be made a big deal of?

Growth is great. But calm down and respect the sport you’re attempting to grow. F1 is at the core of it a European product that doesn’t need to be Americanised. Never forget that.

Tsunoda is the most underrated driver of 2023 so far

While all the praise of this season, and rightfully so, is on a certain Red Bull team and both of its drivers, one driver in another Red Bull car is doing a lot with a little and getting no praise. That driver is Yuki Tsunoda.

The popular Japanese driver had all the pressure on his shoulders this season after two so-so seasons with AlphaTauri and lining up against a red-hot rookie in Nyck de Vries who finally got his big break on the F1 stage with a full time drive in 2023.

The opening five races have seen Tsunoda blow de Vries away in a car that, let’s be honest, is rubbish.

Tsunoda has finished every race in either 11th or 10th, somehow always finding his way in the battle for points in a car that really has no place getting points right now. De Vries on the other hand has struggled big time, is one of only two drivers to have not scored points in 2023 so far, finished no higher than 14th and looks like the driver most under pressure to retain his seat into next season.

The best part of all of this for Tsunoda is that he can continue to lay his claim by driving strongly and putting in the performances and not only help push him towards the senior Red Bull team, but potentially for other seats in the sport and showcase his true skills that perhaps haven’t quite shone through yet.

Expect many more strong finishes and points to come for him in 2023.

Formula One team power rankings

It’s time to once again go over where all the teams rate in my post-race F1 Team Power Rankings, where we try to see which teams are really where in the pecking order and where the true form guide lies.

A quick disclaimer before we get into these. As always with any power rankings, these are subjective and based purely on opinion mixed with results.

Are these 100 per cent accurate? Inside my mind, yes! Outside of it, no. But it’s a nice way to spark some discussion, showcase some form and allow a conversation that brings F1 fans closer together – and maybe also further apart at the same time.

Fun, right? Always!

You can also check out my driver power rankings too for a similar analysis.

Let’s get to it.

5. Alpine (+1)

A vast improvement from Azerbaijan, Alpine went into this race under all kinds of pressure and left with six points. It’s ultimately not the end goal to only finish eighth and ninth, but they’ll take it.

4. Ferrari (-2)

A standard Ferrari race really. Show some brief moments of speed and promise and then have it all disappear on the Sunday and go backwards. It’s something sadly every Ferrari fan just expects and is used to by now.

3. Mercedes (+1)

Mercedes continue to just plod along, score points and be there don’t they? While they don’t look like winning a race anytime soon, both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton just need to keep being consistent at this rate and they’ll easily remain in the hunt for second in the Constructors Championship.

2. Aston Martin (+1)

Fernando Alonso returned the green team back to the podium with another great drive in Miami to make it four podiums from five races. Truly incredible stuff. The best part about it too was he genuinely looked fast in the race, and easily looked like the best of the rest behind the Red Bulls.

Lance Stroll unfortunately took two risks over the weekend that didn’t pay off, the first of which saw a tyre gamble in qualifying get him eliminated in Q1 and then a long stint in the race with the hope of a safety also not paying off and he finished the race out of the points in 12th.

He still drove strongly from the back though and had solid pace throughout the race. A team that continues to shine.

1. Red Bull (-)

What else can be said that hasn’t already been said? They’re so far in front I feel they should be ranked higher than number one. But given we can’t do that, number one will have to do.

Formula One Driver power rankings

It’s always fun to do a power rankings, especially when it comes to the drivers in F1! And once again I am back to do that, with my post-Miami GP power rankings set to get you excited!

As always with any power rankings, these are subjective and based purely on opinion mixed with results. Are these 100 per cent accurate? Inside my mind, yes!

Outside of it, no. But it’s a nice way to spark some discussion, showcase some form and allow a conversation that brings F1 fans closer together – and maybe also further apart at the same time. Fun right? Always!

Rather than rank all 20 drivers on the grid, I have made it more streamlined and easier by simply bringing the top 10 drivers.

As always this means that some drivers drop out, and a couple have jumped in after my last rankings.

You can also check out my team power rankings too for a similar analysis.

Let’s get to it.

5. Lewis Hamilton (+1)

Another nothing weekend for Hamilton but still got some good points after recovering from an uncharacteristically bad qualifying. Will he want to keep on continuing in the sport for much longer if this is all he can hope for? It remains to be seen.

4. George Russell (+3)

Russell’s great drive was overshadowed by those ahead of him but he had solid pace during the race and could’ve been closer to the podium had he been able to get more clear air earlier in the race.

Given the Mercedes just continues to be in nowhereville at the moment it’s hard to put any attention on Russell and his performances this year, but he has been solid and consistent and that’s all he neds to keep doing.

3. Fernando Alonso (-)

Five races. Four podiums. Would you have believed that a year ago had we told you? And at 41-years-old, the man continues to deliver. He also still has time to praise his teammate for overtaking during the race while seeing it on a big screen at the side of the track. Incredible.

2. Sergio Perez (-1)

You have to feel for Perez in Miami. Did everything right, scored a great pole position and looked set to win consecutive races and lead the Championship for the first time in his career.

It’s just a shame his teammate is Max Verstappen. Otherwise it would’ve been the perfect result from a perfect weekend. Still is driving incredibly though and I still think he will be fighting for the Championship right to the very end.

1. Max Verstappen (+1)

A bad Saturday turned into a perfect Sunday. Verstappen is just at the absolute peak of his powers right now and is driving beautifully. An easy choice to bump him back up to number one this week.

What do you think of these rankings? Do you agree with the positions? Let me know what you think in the comments below.