Max Verstappen, representing the Netherlands and driving for Red Bull Racing, emerged victorious once again at the Sprint event of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. This win further solidified his position as the leader of the championship. Despite a challenge from Charles Leclerc at the start, Verstappen managed to maintain his pole position and secure his fourth consecutive Sprint triumph. Sergio Perez of Red Bull finished in third place, completing the top three.
Prior to the race, there was already some controversy as Esteban Ocon received a 10-second penalty for colliding with Leclerc’s Ferrari during the reconnaissance laps. The entire field of 20 cars opted for the Medium compound tires, except for Yuki Tsunoda of RB and Logan Sargeant of Williams, who took a gamble with the Softs.
Leclerc, starting on fresh Softs, made a strong attempt to overtake Verstappen at the beginning of the race. However, Verstappen skillfully defended his position and forced the Ferrari towards the barrier, maintaining his lead. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo managed to surpass Perez and claim third place. Chaos ensued further back in the pack, as Lando Norris was eliminated at Turn 1.
A collision between the Aston Martins at Turn 1 resulted in Norris being caught in the crossfire while trying to navigate around the outside. This unfortunate incident ended Norris’ race prematurely. Additionally, Lance Stroll suffered damage that forced him to retire, and Fernando Alonso, who blamed Lewis Hamilton for the contact, experienced a puncture.
The presence of the stranded McLaren at the opening corner prompted the Safety Car to intervene, temporarily halting the race. Verstappen continued to lead, with Leclerc, Ricciardo, Perez, and Sainz following closely behind.
The race would continue after the completion of the third lap and Verstappen effortlessly pulled away from the pack, establishing a one-second lead over Leclerc in the initial two sections. Ricciardo’s spot in the top three was in jeopardy, and Perez managed to reclaim the position he lost at the beginning of Lap 5 by executing a maneuver at Turn 11 towards the end of the straight. Hamilton took advantage of the events at the start to advance three places to ninth, but he expressed frustration over his lack of speed on the straight as he found himself stuck behind the Haas drivers. Magnussen, who had cut Turn 12 and remained ahead of Hamilton when the latter was preparing to overtake, was penalized with a 10-second time penalty by the stewards. On Lap 14, Hamilton seemed to have gained momentum on the outside into Turn 11, but Magnussen released his brakes, forcing both drivers to miss the turn. Tsunoda, who had started 15th on the grid, took advantage of the situation and moved ahead of Hamilton to claim eighth place, with both drivers subsequently pushing the penalized Magnussen down to 10th. Magnussen was given an additional 10-second penalty, resulting in a drop to 17th in the race order. Verstappen successfully held off Leclerc and crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead, while the Ferrari managed to stay outside of Perez’s DRS range to secure second place. Ricciardo effectively frustrated Sainz throughout the race, securing a season-best fourth place and his first points in 2024, while Sainz had to settle for fifth. Piastri claimed sixth place in the only remaining McLaren in the shortened race, while Hulkenberg earned two points for Haas with a seventh-place finish. Hamilton narrowly beat Tsunoda for eighth place, but the seven-time champion was penalized with a drive-through penalty for speeding, relegating him to 16th.