Miami Grand Prix – Free Practice: Max Verstappen leads a shortened session due to Charles Leclerc
The only free practice session for the Miami Grand Prix took place shorter than planned due to a red flag caused by Charles Leclerc. Drivers will only have had 45 minutes to prepare for this sprint format weekend. Under these conditions, it's Max Verstappen who sets the fastest time in the very last minutes. Gaps are very close after this first hour.
The Miami Grand Prix is being held in sprint format this weekend. Starting this Friday afternoon, the drivers will have to complete a qualifying session for the grid of the sprint race that will take place this Saturday morning here, in Miami. The first and only free practice session is therefore crucial to have a successful weekend.
Charles Leclerc decided otherwise. The Monegasque driver lost control of his red Ferrari, with a slightly blue livery, on his third lap, completely blocking the track. Fortunately for the Ferrari driver, no damage is to be reported, although the engine was cut off, and the session was interrupted by a red flag.
DRAPEAU ROUGE 🚩
Après seulement 6 minutes de séance, Charles Leclerc part en tête-à-queue au virage… 16 !
Il ne touche aucun mur mais bloque Hamilton et ne peut pas repartir… ❌ #MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/oS2GalGQXJ
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) May 3, 2024
Stopped for 15 minutes, the session resumed for the other 19 drivers with only 45 minutes left. Not ideal for preparing for a Grand Prix in sprint format, especially when it’s the second in a row after China.
The drivers have therefore driven very little, with around twenty laps each. The dusty track was only cleaned before the qualifications later in the day. So, it is likely that mistakes will occur throughout the day, as the limits have not yet been pushed.
For a long time in the 19th, Max Verstappen finally set the fastest time in the very last minutes of the session. He leads the McLaren of Oscar Piastri by 105 thousandths. McLaren arrived here with aerodynamic updates notably on the front and rear wings. Lando Norris, 16th, also experienced some issues with his steering.
Third, Carlos Sainz Jr is 11 thousandths of a second behind McLaren. The gaps are very close after these few laps completed. Only 1 second separates the top 17.
The lap times are not yet really representative. We can therefore expect some surprises in qualifying.
Note the good performance at the moment of the Alpine cars, which are entering the top 10.
The results of the free practice sessions of the Miami Grand Prix
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1.28.595 | 25 | |
| 2 | Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1:28.700 | +0.105 | 24 |
| 3 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:28.711 | +0.116 | 24 |
| 4 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:28.784 | +0.189 | 26 |
| 5 | Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:28.817 | +0.222 | 25 |
| 6 | Perez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:28.868 | +0.273 | 23 |
| 7 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:29.012 | +0.417 | 24 |
| 8 | Tsunoda | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:29.056 | +0.461 | 25 |
| 9 | Ocon | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:29.163 | +0.568 | 23 |
| 10 | Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:29.175 | +0.580 | 27 |
| 11 | Ricciardo | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:29.178 | +0.583 | 27 |
| 12 | Magnussen | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:29.189 | +0.594 | 26 |
| 13 | Hülkenberg | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:29.314 | +0.719 | 25 |
| 14 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:29.393 | +0.798 | 24 |
| 15 | Guanyu | Stake F1 Team | 1:29.445 | +0.850 | 24 |
| 16 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:29.495 | +0.900 | 21 |
| 17 | Bottas | Stake F1 Team | 1:29.636 | +1.041 | 23 |
| 18 | Sargeant | Williams Racing | 1:29.891 | +1.296 | 22 |
| 19 | Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:30.023 | +1.428 | 22 |
| 20 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:32.099 | +3.504 | 2 |
