FP1 in Miami: Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari leads the way in sprint pre-qualifying, with Verstappen and Piastri right behind, while Mercedes occupy the third row
The Formula 1 circus fires up its engines again after more than a month. A forced break that has left teams, insiders and fans eager and impatient, making this American weekend in Miami an even more anticipated event.Action gets underway with the sole free practice session at 18:00 italian time, before the weekend really comes alive with sprint qualifying at 22:30.
FP1 in Miami LIVE:
19:30 – FINAL FP1 CLASSIFICATION in MIAMI:
19:28 – Super lock-up for Bearman’s Haas at Turn 1.
19:27 – Charles Leclerc improves further by 0.133 seconds.
19:25 – Piastri climbs to third place, overtaking Lewis Hamilton..
19:23 – Problems for Antonelli’s Mercedes, which remains stuck in the garage. Kimi now climbs out of the car.
19:22 – Hamilton runs wide at the final corner. The Briton finishes in third place, three tenths behind his teammate’s fastest time.
19:20 – Leclerc sets a purple sector one on soft tyres. He posts the fastest time overall, ahead of Verstappen and Piastri.
19:15 – Another lock-up at Turn 1, this time with Valtteri Bottas running wide.
19:12 – Piastri reports the smell of smoke in his cockpit over the radio. The team responds that it’s likely coming from the brakes.
19:10 – Tyre runs completed: Leclerc 30 laps, Hamilton 28, Norris 26, Verstappen 23, Piastri 27.
19:06 – Teams continue with their race pace programme. Latest laps: Leclerc 1:32.869
Hamilton 1:33.710
Verstappen 1:33.638 (medium tyres)
Piastri 1:33.449
19:00 – Current classification with 30 minutes to go:
18:59 – Sergio Perez also takes aim at Stroll: “Tell him to check his mirrors.”
18:50 – Work is focused on race pace on track, while Antonelli complained about Stroll’s movements during the out lap.
18:45 – Max Verstappen complains over the radio, saying the shift is terrible.
18:43 – Leclerc takes first place with a 1:29.855.
18:41 – Norris aborts his attempt after a slight mistake at the final corner.
18:38 – Red Bull and Cadillac are the only teams running on the Medium tyre.
18:37 – Norris goes purple in the middle sector, finishes the lap improving his time and moving up to second, just over a tenth behind Antonelli.
18:36 – Piastri moves up one position, placing sixth ahead of Russell.
18:30 – Lock-up for Russell’s Mercedes, forcing him to run wide at Turn 1.
18:30 – The FP1 standings after half an hour, i.e. one third of the session’s total duration:
18:28 – Fernando Alonso is out on track.
18:25 – Ferrari closes in on Mercedes, with Leclerc within two tenths of Norris. Verstappen switches compound, opting for the Medium tyre.
18:23 – Antonelli takes leadership with a 1:30.079.
18:22 – Lance Stroll heads out onto the track.
18:19 – Waiting in the Aston Martin garage: both cars remain in the pits due to Power Unit issues.
18:18 – Hamilton moves up to second, half a second behind the reigning world champion.
18:17 – Norris trims the fastest lap by 353 thousandths, strengthening his lead in first place.
18:15 – Lock-up for Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bull. Russell asks for information over the radio about the turbo.
18:12 – Leclerc and Hamilton are third and fourth respectively, while Verstappen retakes second place.
18:11 – Antonelli overtakes Verstappen and moves into a position 740 thousandths off Norris’s fastest time.
18:09 – 1:30.688 for Lando Norris, with Verstappen in second, 1.021 seconds behind. Everyone is on Hard tyres except the two Cadillac cars of Pérez and Bottas.
18:08 – Kimi Antonelli and George Russell also leave the pits. Meanwhile, Norris goes purple on the Hard tyres.
18:06 – Several updates have been brought to the United States by top teams such as Ferrari and McLaren in an effort to reduce the gap to Mercedes.
18:04 – For the moment, the Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Alpine cars remain in the pits. All the other drivers are out on track.
18:01 – FP1 begins in Florida, with the session duration exceptionally extended from 60 to 90 minutes.
18:00 – Green light! Formula 1 resumes with the free practice session in Miami.
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool.
