Red Bull Racing

FORMULA ONE needs more than a new theme tune and a paddock full of A-listers to keep the Americans interested in this procession.Max Verstappen cruised to victory as the sport served up another dud with his team-mate Sergio Perez in second.
Max Verstappen flew from ninth to win the Miami Grand PrixCredit: AP
Verstappen celebrates with Fernando Alonso on the podiumCredit: AFP
The Red Bull pair dominated once againCredit: AFP
A star-studded grid including film stars Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel, plus tennis star Roger Federer, plus countless fame-hungry photo-taking influencers, were all treated to a special driver introduction segment before the race.
Rapper LL Cool J provided the words and producer will.i.am conducted an orchestra set-up on the grid.
There is also a toe-curling new song from the latter with rapper Lil Wayne that is hilariously bad, as F1 tries to appeal to a new audience.
The music will be used at various stages over the F1 weekend and there is a video that is so terrible it could be parody.
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The lyrics are hilarious with gems such as “you a small fry, need ketchup, fall behind or you can catch up”.
And “Got ’em braided like Lewis, got a Mercedes like Lewis” plus “your girl my co-captain. Drivin’ like Max Verstappen.”
The flashy intro saw each driver called out from behind a curtain to plumes of dry ice while they were all given top billing. To his credit LL Cool J at least got all their names right while poor old F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart was caught up in the melee and manhandled by security guards as he tried to drag Federer to speak with Sky’s Martin Brundle.
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It was a mess and drivers have slammed F1’s latest attempt to appeal to US audiences.
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Lando Norris, who finished 17th, said: “None of the drivers like it, but it’s not for us at the end of the day. 
“It’s just, we do a lot of things. Probably the only sport where we’re so close to the fans, we do so much publicity for the fans.
“As drivers we all just want to sit down and focus on what we need to focus on and not do so much TV and everything.
“We’ve said it. You can’t just keep putting things in and making us do more and more, you know. There’s not one other sport where you do this.
“We do so much. There’s a limit to how much we should do. We’re here to focus on doing the job and not just be in front of a camera all day.” 
Once the stage was cleared, the influencers scraped off the grid and the racing finally got underway it was all too easy for the Dutchman as the rest of the field pulled over and allowed him to make his way up from ninth on the grid to take the chequered flag.
After an initial slow start, Verstappen started scything his way through the field.
By the fourth lap he was up to sixth place with a beautiful double overtake of Charles Leclerc and Kevin Magnussen.
He then pulled off a stunning move with the help of the DRS to pass George Russell to move up a place before hunting down Carlos Sainz, who was in third place.
Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso started at the front of the gridCredit: Reuters
Lewis Hamilton battled from 13th to finish sixthCredit: Splash
Much further back and trundling around in 13th Lewis Hamilton was not happy as he complained over his team’s radio that he did not think he’d make it to the end of the race.
He was reassured by his race engineer but struggled to get past Alex Albon’s Williams in ninth place before a late surge pulled him up to finishing sixth.
But Verstappen was having no such problems. He swooped past Sainz unchallenged on lap 14 to go into third.
A lap later he overtook Fernando Alonso to go into second place and started cutting into Perez’s lead.
The Mexican was called in for fresh tyres on lap 21 and had a quick 2.2 second pit stop, but the tyre change promoted Verstappen into the lead.
The world champion set about pumping in quick laps as he tried to open up enough advantage over his team-mate to make his necessary pit-stop.
Verstappen finally pitted from the lead at the end of lap 45 promoting Perez back into the lead.
But the Mexican’s advantage lasted just a few laps as Verstappen made up the 1.6 second deficit and passed him with ease on lap 48.
It means Verstappen has a 14 point lead in the championship after winning three of the first five races this season.
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If the 90,766 capacity crowd – plus the bumper TV audience – expected the drama and excitement depicted in Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’, they didn’t get it.
And that leaves F1 with a bit of a problem, because this was certainly not the advert they needed to show off their sport to the United States.
Hamilton rocked up in an amazing purple jumpsuitCredit: Getty
NFL star Patrick Mahomes poses with a Red Bull carCredit: Getty
Roger Federer was in attendance to enjoy the Miami Grand PrixCredit: Reuters
Tom Cruise was flanked by security as he walked around the paddockCredit: AFP
Ludacris, Venus Williams and Serena Williams enjoy the grid presentationCredit: Getty
Actor Vin Diesel poses for photos at the Hard Rock StadiumCredit: AP More

SERGIO PEREZ has been tipped to pile the pressure onto Max Verstappen at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. However, Verstappen still retains the advantage on traditional circuits according to former Red Bull performance engineer Blake Hinsey.
Sergio Perez has been tipped to challenge Max Verstappen across the seasonCredit: Getty
But he must overcome a ‘half per cent’ gap on traditional circuitsCredit: AFP
The Dutchman leads the driver standings over his Red Bull team-mate by six points, with the duo sharing two race wins apiece this season.
But Perez, who won last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, has been tipped to keep up the pressure on Verstappen across the season thanks to his exceptional tyre management.
Although ahead of the Miami race, Hinsey has declared Verstappen is equal in this regard to “tyre whisperer” Perez.
Speaking to Channel 4, he said: “There’s the narrative of him [Perez] being exceptionally good on the tyres.
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“I think the dangerous thing for all the other teams is both Max and Checo are insanely good on their tyres. They have the conundrum. They can do it, go fast and save tyres.
“That’s the thing, most drivers, you ask them ‘we need you to increase your pace by two tenths, can you look after the tyre?’ They say ‘no’.
“Whatever it is about the car and combination with these two guys, I’ve seen Checo do it many times, and I’ve seen Max do it multiple times. They’re both monsters.
“But what is it exactly that he’s [Perez] good at? Yes, the low speed 90-degree corners, great at it, taking risks when he needs to, leaving just enough margin repeatedly over and over in the way that you need to do to do well in a race and qualifying session around the street circuit.
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“They both can do it. But he’s traditionally been much closer at the circuits numerically.”
But Hinsey added that to maintain his title charge, Perez, must make up a “half a per cent” gap on traditional circuits.
He explained: “Traditional circuits, Max was about half a per cent ahead.
“So I mean he had a clear gap to him on traditional circuits, half a per cent upwards of a one per cent gap to Checo.
“On street circuits, there was no gap in the qualifying laps they set.
“Obviously, the context from that is removed, but the numbers don’t lie. He does tend to go well there, he qualifies well there, and he tends to race well there.
“So I think it’s a little bit of everything, the killer instinct, the adaptability.”
Despite both drivers prowess, Bulls team boss Helmut Marko also backed Verstappen as being able to execute plans to the optimal level.
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Last season he said: “Max has gradually become a tyre whisperer.
“We give him a certain plan and he executes it optimally.”

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SERGIO PEREZ cruised to victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.Charles Leclerc was third to earn Ferrari their first podium of the season, having started on pole.
Perez won the Azerbaijan Grand PrixCredit: AFP
The 33-year-old is now just six points behind his team-mate in the drivers standingsCredit: AP
But in truth this was a dull procession and another crushing performance from Red Bull.
However, there were chaotic scenes right at the death when team members and photographers were allowed into the pitlane BEFORE Esteban Ocon had made his pitstop.
Serious safety concerns will be raised as to how it was allowed to happen for it could have had devastating consequences.
It was the only abnormality in a routine race.
It took just four laps for Verstappen to catch and pass Leclerc, who had taken pole for the race on Friday.
It was all too easy for Verstappen’s rampant Red Bull as he powered past the Ferrari man with ease to move into the lead.

Perez was next past Leclerc just two-laps later as the Mexican made it a Red Bull 1-2 in an ominous sign with the Dutchman out in front.
However, his hopes of a win were dashed when the safety car was deployed when Nyck de Vries stopped on track.
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Red Bull finished 1-2Credit: Getty
Leclerc claimed the final spot on the podiumCredit: AP
While Verstappen dived into the pits from the lead, Perez stayed out but was given an advantage when the race was neutralised behind the safety car.
It meant that Perez was able to make his pitstop and maintain the lead he had taken from his team-mate.
He then set about trying to keep out of Verstappen’s reach by plotting his way around the Baku circuit.
He looked comfortable, but for a brush with the wall at Turn 15, and crossed the line two seconds ahead of his title rival.
It means Verstappen’s lead is cut to just six points in the Drivers’ Championship while Leclerc was third.
It was another disappointing result for Lewis Hamilton in sixth while his team-mate George Russell was in eighth.
Meanwhile, Landon Norris came home in ninth place and took two points for his effort.
Hamilton finished the race in sixthCredit: Splash More