Miami: With Formula One drivers facing off at the Miami Grand Prix, the Florida Panthers making a surprising Stanley Cup playoff run and Miami Heat facing the New York Knicks in the NBA - there is no shortage of sporting buzz this week in South Florida.But sport fans may have to look to the Panthers and Heat for some genuine excitement, warned Aston Martin’s double world champion Fernando Alonso, with the Miami Grand Prix shaping up as another Red Bull victory parade."Maybe not too many surprises," Alonso told reporters yesterday. "If you have the fastest car, you can start a little bit behind and you are still maybe making some moves and overtakes."Once again in a league of their own, Red Bull have won every Grand Prix this season, with three of the four races one-two finishes. While Miami can deliver plenty of Monaco like pizzazz, the action on the track could also be similar to Monte Carlo with precious little overtaking. Double world champion Max Verstappen (93) leads Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez (87) in the drivers standings and a resurgent Alonso a distant third on 60 points. There has been a massive surge in Formula One’s popularity in the US, which for the first time will host three races this season in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.Some of that excitement can be traced to the hugely successful NetFlix series ‘Drive to Survive’, which packaged the glitz and danger of the sport through spectacular crashes, compelling figures and storylines.But Red Bull’s early season dominance has removed some of the shine, particularly in the US, with critics labelling the first four races as "boring"."I’ll do my best to not make it boring but at the end it’s a sport," said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.Mercedes seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton said he understands fans frustration over the lack of action but that it is not his job to convince them to watch."It’s not boring for me, I’m challenged every single day trying to get back to the front," said Hamilton. "But as a racing fan watching I can understand because there’s not as much competition as perhaps they are used to with the NFL and NBA. They have tried to bring the teams closer but it never seems to work."
May 06, 2023 | 12:25 AM