Max Verstappen WINS the Miami Sprint Race! Incident at the start involving Norris, Alonso, and Stroll, with Leclerc doing well.
Max Verstappen WINS the first of the two weekend races! The Dutch driver dominated the race, winning the Sprint Race in Miami with almost a 3-second lead ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez, who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. The race order remains unchanged from yesterday’s qualifying: the appointment to change the story is today at 10:00 PM, with the qualifying
Behind the podium, the battle unfolds another splendid performance by Daniel Ricciardo: the Australian driver secures fourth place, ahead of Sainz, Piastri, Hulkenberg, and Hamilton to close the top-8. Just one point for Lewis Hamilton, involved in an exciting duel with Kevin Magnussen that thrilled the spectators more than the British driver himself.
The race report
THE START – Leclerc gets off to a good start, but Verstappen is incredibly aggressive: Max almost pushes Charles towards the wall, forcing him to lift off the throttle and letting the number 1 car go. However, chaos ensues behind the race leaders: Alonso misses the apex of the corner and collides with Stroll, who in turn hits Norris. The McLaren driver is out, while the two Aston Martins have to return to the pits due to damage and punctures: Alonso (the one at fault in the collision) manages with a pit stop, while Stroll, after checking the damage, also has to retire from the race.
Surprisingly, Ricciardo clinches third place: after yesterday’s splendid qualifying, Daniel continues his dream weekend, although he had to surrender the podium on lap 6 after being overtaken by Sergio Perez. Meanwhile, there’s also an investigation for Lando Norris: the British driver indeed crossed the track after his incident, a move prohibited by the regulations, thus under the scrutiny of the stewards at the end of the race.
The race is ignited by the battle for eighth place between Magnussen and Hamilton. 2 / 2: the two are fighting tooth and nail, with Lewis trying every way to pass, but the Haas driver, even resorting to maneuvers beyond the regulations. (to the point of receiving a 20-second penalty and risking a black flag) responds blow for blow with counter-overtakes and excursions off the track.
Positions, however, remain unchanged: a last-lap duel ignites the challenge between Ricciardo and Sainz, with the Australian defending and the Spaniard applauding Daniel.
Photo: Formula 1