Max Verstappen has won the Miami Grand Prix!
The Dutch driver has taken his third win of the season and has extended his lead ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez in the Drivers’ standings.
It was a very mixed-up starting grid following qualifying yesterday, after Charles Leclerc spun into the barriers before the drivers could set their fastest lap in Q3. With Verstappen down in ninth place and the Haas of Kevin Magnussen in fourth, the red lights went out for what was sure to be an interesting race.
Pérez held his lead from pole position into turn one, defending from an eager Fernando Alonso, who would eventually finish on the podium again for Aston Martin. It was a disappointing start from Magnussen who dropped a few places before he even started lap two. The Danish driver eventually finished in 10th to claim a valuable point.
Both McLaren drivers suffered another measly race, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piatri going into the pits on just lap 6 after their soft tyres didn’t give them the performance they needed. Home hero Logan Sargent had the same treatment after he pitted for a new front wing and tyres on lap three. The Williams driver finished last.
The Mercedes drivers were having a better day of it as they battled the Alpines and Ferraris. Lewis Hamilton was pulling off some brave overtakes on lap 17. George Russell did all he could to hold off a charging Max Verstappen, but it was to no avail. The British pair would eventually cross the line in fourth and sixth, to beat their red competitors from Maranello.
In terms of the Ferraris, Carlos Sainz was in trouble with the stewards on lap 21 when they noted him for speeding in the pitlane. His teammate Charles Leclerc, who was complaining of a stiff neck, added to his qualifying woes with a seventh-place finish, especially after his podium in Baku.
Even with blisters on his tyres, Verstappen was surging through the field to try and catch Perez, whose mediums had fallen off a cliff when he went into the pits. With hard tyres still bolted on and Perez not making an impact, Max looked like a sure winner and kept those wheel until lap 46, where he swapped to a set of mediums. He came out behind but made short work of dispatching Checo to retake the lead.
With no safety cars and all 20 cars finishing, it was a very clean race.
Formula One travels to Imola in Round Six, with practice one taking place at 12:30 on the 19th May.