Miami Grand Prix – Sprint Race: Verstappen winner, Ricciardo 4th
Max Verstappen was never threatened throughout the race. But the big news is that Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth and Nico Hülkenberg seventh. Unusually, Esteban Ocon received a 10-second penalty.
On the occasion of the Sprint Race of the Miami Grand Prix, the clouds have decided to make their appearance. If the temperature in the air was identical to yesterday (28°C), the track was a little less hot (43°C).
The first heated moment of the race took place right from the grid, more precisely in the pit lane. Indeed, Esteban Ocon hit the rear tire of Charles Leclerc as he exited his garage. The Frenchman had to change his front wing while the Monegasque driver suffered no visible damage. But most importantly, the FIA stewards decided to impose a 10-second penalty on the Alpine driver! Alex Albon, on the other hand, started from the pit lane.
The first corner was eventful as Lando Norris was the victim of a pile-up initiated by Lewis Hamilton, who dove inside the first corner. The Briton then collided with Fernando Alonso, who in turn was propelled onto his teammate, who ended up hitting Lando Norris’s McLaren. The Spaniard found himself last and the Canadian was also forced to retire. However, the stewards found nothing to complain about and no penalty was imposed…
Obviously, the safety car appeared to evacuate the McLaren. But before that, Daniel Ricciardo managed to get the better of Sergio Perez. Among the big winners, Kevin Magnussen managed to climb from 14th to 8th place, just behind his teammate, Nico Hülkenberg.
The race was restarted on the fourth lap. A lap later, Sergio Perez found an opening on Daniel Ricciardo. But the Australian managed to stay in the DRS zone for many laps. Even when he was over a second behind, the Racing Bulls driver resisted Carlos Sainz throughout the race. It was even the Spaniard who found himself threatened by Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. In the end, they all kept their respective positions.
The battle between Kevin Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton also lasted for many laps but the Dane was penalized ten seconds for cutting the chicane. Even after this decision, the Haas driver continued with his very aggressive defensive style. On the 14th lap, both drivers went off track at the end of the straight, allowing Yuki Tsunoda to slip between the two drivers. The Japanese then found an opening on the Dane, as did the Briton. Although Kevin Magnussen received a second penalty, he once again allowed his teammate to take a 6.5-second lead and secure two additional points for Haas.
Daniel Ricciardo therefore had a very good day, especially since Yuki Tsunoda was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton on the last lap for eighth place and the associated point. But ultimately, the seven-time world champion also received a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane during the safety car intervention. So, it is indeed the Japanese driver who secures this valuable point.
From our special correspondent in Miami
