Verstappen takes Sprint Race, pole position for main event at Miami Grand Prix
MIAMI GARDENS â Max Verstappen extended his South Florida dominance Saturday afternoon, winning Formula 1âs 19-lap Sprint Race around the Miami International Autodrome before Sundayâs main event, the Miami Grand Prix (3:55 p.m. EDT, ABC); a race the 26-year old Dutch driver has won the past two years.
The reigning â and three-time â world champion put his No. 1 Oracle Red Bull in pole position for the race and led every lap bettering Scuderia Ferrariâs Charles LeClerc by 3.371 seconds. Verstappenâs teammate Sergio Perez was third.
Even with the success, Verstappen said after Friday's opening practice for the grand prix around the 3.363-mile, 19-turn circuit and then again Saturday after the Sprint Race that he wasnât happy with his car.
âWhat happened to the others? My pace was terrible," Verstappen asked his team pulling into pit lane after the checkered flag. âIâll take it, but ⊠yeah.â
âWe could increase the gap a little bit, but it wasnât entirely perfect," he went on to say in interviews. âSo we still have a little bit of work to do. Hopefully, we can improve it a little bit later on for qualifying."
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Only the top eight drivers earned points in this race â one of six sprint contests on the season. Daniel Ricciardo, who drives for the secondary Red Bull team, finished fourth in his best result of 2024. Ferrariâs Carlos Sainz, McLaren Racingâs Oscar Piastri, Haas F1âs Nico Hulkenberg, and Ricciardoâs teammate Yuki Tsunoda rounded out that points-paying group.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton initially looked to have claimed that eighth, final points-paying position, but after the race, officials called him for an earlier pit road speeding violation so Tsunoda moved into that crucial spot.
South Florida driver â and the only American in the series â Logan Sargeant, 23, started 19th but finished 10th â the best result of the season for the Williams Racing driver from Lighthouse Point.
âHonestly, it wasnât the easiest race from a balance perspective so itâs something I need to try and sort out before qualifying this afternoon, but I guess it was a good learning race for tomorrow," Sargeant said. âHopefully, we can put ourselves in a better place for that.
âIt wasnât too bad, but I think I need to keep looking forward and try to have a good qualifying this afternoon. Thatâs what matters most.â
The race may have been quick but it was full of action. And that was even before the green lights to go. Alpineâs Esteban Ocon was penalized for hitting LeClercâs Ferrari on the way to the grid.
McLaren driver Lando Norris was caught up in a multicar incident with Hamilton and the Aston Martin teammates Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll on the first lap. Alonsoâs car was repairable. Norris and Stroll had to retire.
Qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Saturday.