Miami, Florida: Lando Norris of McLaren clinched a thrilling victory at the Miami Grand Prix, his first-ever win in Formula 1! Verstappen, despite his struggles, managed to hold on to second place. Charles Leclerc secured the third and final podium step for Ferrari, ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz. However, Sainz’s late-race clash with Piastri left him needing a new front wing, dropping him down the order.
Norris started the race in sixth but capitalized on a perfectly timed Safety Car to pit and emerge as the leader. Max Verstappen, who dominated qualifying and led most of the race, was forced to settle for second due to tyre woes.
Further down the field, the point’s battle continued
Sergio Perez, in the second Red Bull, finished a respectable fifth after another pit stop under the Safety Car. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell salvaged some points for Mercedes, claiming sixth and eighth respectively, despite a difficult weekend for the team.
Yuki Tsunoda added to Red Bull’s point haul with a seventh-place finish. Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, crossed the line in ninth. Esteban Ocon, capitalizing on Piastri’s misfortune, finished tenth and secured the first point of the season for Alpine, a much-needed boost for the team. Despite a strong performance in the Sprint race, Daniel Ricciardo finished the Grand Prix in a disappointing 15th place.
The Back of the Pack Saw Penalties and Drama
Following Ricciardo were Valtteri Bottas of Kick Sauber and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin. Stroll’s intense battle with Williams driver Alex Albon resulted in a 10-second penalty for the Canadian, as he gained an advantage by going off track.
Alex Albon crossed the line in last place (19th). This came after a collision with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who also received a 10-second penalty for the incident. The clash unfortunately put the American driver, Logan Sargeant, out of the race. McLaren had a promising start with Oscar Piastri initially challenging the frontrunners, but he later tangled with Carlos Sainz and eventually fell back after a front wing change.
Verstappen’s Struggles
Verstappen faced car balance problems throughout the race, hindering his ability to challenge Norris. He also made a mistake by clipping a bollard, requiring a front wing check and impacting his strategy.
Formula 1 heads to Italy next for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on May 17-19!
Race results – Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix 2024
Position 1: Lando Norris (Team – McLaren), Time: 1:30:49.876, Points: 25
Position 2: Max Verstappen (Team – RedBull Racing Honda RBPT), Time: +7.612s, Points: 18
Position 3: Charles Leclerc (Team – Ferrari), Time: +9.920s, Points: 15
Position 4: Sergio Perez (Team – RedBull Racing Honda RBPT), Time: +14.650s, Points: 12
Position 5: Carlos Sainz Jr (Team – Ferrari), Time: +16.407s, Points: 10
Source: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2024/races/1234/miami/race-result.html
Content Reference: https://www.formula1.com/