Miami Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

As a street-track spectacular, the Miami International Autodrome features three long straights and an equal number of DRS zones that offer a good opportunity to showcase a car's top speed.

Theoretically, teams will settle for a lower drag configuration when setting up their car for race day, assuming an outfit favours a race spec over a qualifying spec.

Since the start of the season, the straightline speed of the Red Bull RB19, particularly with the DRS open, has been a big talking point among the teams.

Many rival engineers are still scratching their head trying to figure out the sneaky aero trick that Red Bull has uncovered to allow its car to carry such a top speed advantage.

Unsurprisingly, F1's usual suspects, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, were fastest through the speed trap in qualifying as measured by the device at the end of the long strait in Sector 3, with a top speed of 342.8 km/h.

But beyond the RB19's unmatched DRS effectiveness, the car's overall efficiency is also top notch.

Charles Leclerc looked to be a man on a mission in qualifying, but unfortunately the Ferrari driver self-destructed once again at Miami's Turn 7, while teammate Carlos Sainz was third quickest in qualifying.

• Read also: Mercedes baffled by 'unacceptable' inconsistency of W14

One will note however the massive top speed differential between Maranello's prancing horse and Milton Keynes' runaway bull: a whopping 8 km/h on average according to the speed trap readings.

Over at Mercedes, the contrast between FP1 and qualifying was stunning, and pointed once again to the W14's bizarre performance fluctuations.

Like Ferrari's drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russel were in the second half of the field in terms of maximum velocity. It is believed that the Brackley squad's engineers opted to increase the car's ride height after porpoising reappeared again in FP1, a change that will cost the W14 downforce.

Verstappen's mistake and Leclerc's crash has produced a mixed-up grid that should prove entertaining for fans on Sunday.

But Miami's new low-grip track surface and tyre strategies are wicked wild cards that are also likely to spice up proceedings.

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