Another victory collected by McLaren in the Miami Sprint Race. Lando Norris wins, having managed to overtake Piastres thanks to the pit stop performed during the safety car regime. Two-faced Ferrari: Leclerc he had an accident before the start and did not take part in the race. Hamilton, however, found the right time to mount the dry tyres and conquered the podium. Antonelli was unlucky: only tenth after a contact with Verstappen in the pit-lane.
Miami hosts sprint race in rain: red flag and start postponed
There is an empty box on the starting grid: Charles Leclerc in fact he will not take part in the sprint race in Miami. The Monegasque hit the wall on the straight between turns 9 and 11 during the positioning lap on the grid. The track conditions are complicated: a lot of water on a track that, in itself, appears particularly slippery to the drivers. Precisely because of these extraordinary conditions, the race direction before the start sent the safety car, who is driving the cars around to see if it is possible to race.
The pilots immediately complained about very poor visibility. Verstappen in curve 14 he arrives long, while Oscar Piastres, with only Antonelli and the safety car in front of him, opened up on the radio saying he was in the worst track conditions of his career. The race officials didn't waste any more time and on the second lap behind the safety car they suspended the starting procedures. red flag and drivers lining up in the pit lane.
Second start: Piastri takes the lead of the race
Start rescheduled for 12:28. The riders return to the track still on intermediate tyres, with the asphalt that has improved, but still remains very treacherous. Yes restarts with two laps behind the safety car, to further check visibility. By doing so, however, they will further reduce the laps to be completed during the sprint race. In fact, the drivers will only complete 15 of the 18 planned laps. Meanwhile, the FIA has announced that the departure will be that classic from the main straight.
Finally the green light: excellent starting point Oscar piastri which in the braking of the first curve accompanies slightly Kimi Antonelli off the track. “He pushed me away” complains the Italian, who has moved up to fourth position, between Verstappen and Russell. For the rest, a very cautious start from everyone, with Tsunoda who, starting from the back of the grid, already gains two positions during the first lap. Meanwhile, Lawson moves up to ninth position ahead of his teammate Hadjar. Spectacular, then, the start of Bearman, who literally slipped between Bortoleto's Sauber and Doohan's Alpine.
McLarens lead the sprint, Verstappen chases
Rain is no longer the most dangerous threat for pilots, but rather tire temperature. The intermediates cannot overheat too much, otherwise they would wear out too much. So, in this first part of the race, the cars are looking for the wettest spots off the line. The sun is coming out from behind the clouds, but fitting the slicks could be a gamble. In addition, the teams will have to be careful not to suffer heavy damage in view of the qualifying that will take place in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the McLaren are firmly leading the race. Verstappen, in third position, is losing ground to Lando Norris, but is distancing the two Mercedes. The latter, among other things, opt for the switch of positions: Antonelli leaves room for Russell, moving up to fifth position. Ferrari, on the other hand, is doing very badly, with Hamilton pressed by the Williams of Alexander albon.
The Maranello team, however, has nothing left to lose. For this reason, it is called Hamilton in the pits to mount tires soft on lap 12. Sainz, Tsnuoda and Stroll also do the same. It seems like the right choice, however, because the times of those who have returned to the pits are dropping dramatically. The race also gets going at the front, with Norris and Piastri starting to battle among themselves. He also stops in the pits Verstappen, but when he left his pit he damaged his front wing and hit it head-on. Kimi Antonelli. The Italian, victim of theunsafe release, is forced to exit the pit lane, complete a new lap, and then stop again on the following lap. An ordeal that leads him to return in eleventh position.
Alonso in the wall and safety car on track: Norris takes the win
Ten Second Penalty for Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, however, the Miami sprint race becomes even more chaotic: Sainz, in an attempt to overtake Stroll, hits the wall of the chicane at turn 14 and irreparably damages his car. Immediately after, Fernando Alonso gets rammed at turn 12 by Liam Lawson ending up against the wall and retiring. The safety car returns to the track, but Piastri is no longer in the lead, but Lando NorrisThe Englishman pitted one lap later than his teammate, but, taking advantage of the timing dictated by the safety car, he managed to rejoin ahead of Oscar Piastri.
In the meantime, the final lap has been reached with the safety car still on the track. So positions are frozen: Miami sprint race wins Lando Norris, followed by the unfortunate Piastri. In third position, instead, we find the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton. Excellent call to the pits for the Englishman, who, once back on the track, overtook Max Verstappen in curve eleven shortly before Alonso's accident. They close the points zone Albon, in fourth position, Russell, Stroll, Lawson and Bearman, who started at the back of the grid. Unlucky Kimi Antonelli, who finished his race in tenth position.
