Max Verstappen WINS the inaugural Miami Grand Prix after passing Charles Leclerc early on
Max Verstappen wins the inaugural Miami Grand Prix after passing Charles Leclerc early on and holding off his Ferrari following late safety car… with George Russell pipping Lewis Hamilton to fifth
Max Verstappen proved himself a worthy winner after coming home first in the inaugural Miami Grand PrixThe Red Bull racer passed Charles Leclerc early on and then held off his challenge following a late safety car Leclerc started from pole position but, after being overtaken, battled back and finished in a valiant second Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, meanwhile, with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell pipping him to fifth
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Somewhere inside this glitzy show lay a half-decent race, and as the chequered flag was waved on a sultry Floridian afternoon Max Verstappen proved himself a worthy winner.
While the scriptwriters may have preferred Lewis Hamilton capping this inaugural Miami Grand Prix spectacular with victory, the British superstar began and finished sixth — further proof that his Mercedes is out of the running even with a long-time superman at the controls.
So Verstappen, after a brilliant late defensive drive, was celebrating his third triumph in five races at the dawn of his title defence, and the sport itself was toasting an occasion they had so long dreamed of — cracking America.
Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix after passing Charles Leclerc and staying ahead despite a safety car
Verstappen crossed the line for Red Bull after Leclerc mounted pressure to close the gap on Ferrari in both championships
If there was any doubt of that you should have seen the maddest, tallest, blingy-est, most diverse pre-race grid parade Formula One has ever known. Men with eight F1 world titles between them, going by the names of Emerson, Jackie, Mario and Mika, were lost in the forest of giants from sport and celebrity.
This was the day the old game unhooked itself off the coattails of its European heritage and stamped its foot in the land of the brave. Some 80,000-fans hollered, while no gimmick was eschewed at this £100million, purpose-built confection around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins.
Only one contemporary driver holds cut-through allure to the American public, and that is Sir Lewis. Cameras turned on him like a rare tiger on safari as he walked about the paddock.
The race winner was left visibly drained in parc ferme after clambering out his car amid the sweltering conditions in Florida
Lewis Hamilton finished sixth for Mercedes with his struggles continuing, and the superstar also endured a difficult start
The rest of the F1 cast were bit-players in a new world inhabited by celebrities such NFL great Tom Brady, tennis’s Williams sisters, accompanied by Hamilton’s father Anthony, rapper Pharrell Williams, NBA legend Michael Jordan, ‘soccer’s’ David Beckham and socialite Paris Hilton. The list runneth over, and almost all were stars made west of the Pond.
Europe will remain the heart and soul of F1, Monaco in its faded glory its most totemic emblem, but Miami 2022 was a glimpse into a freer, funkier part of the future.
Hamilton knew his chances of triumph could be rated between slim and zero. His start did not help. Out of his box fast, yes, he locked up into the first corner, lost momentum, and slipped back two places. He soon zipped past Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and then AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly. The fact he was half-a-minute off the lead after 22 of the 57 laps told of his struggles.
Verstappen was left to celebrate his third triumph in five races at the start of his title defence, having bested Leclerc again
His team-mate Sergio Perez, meanwhile, came fourth despite mustering up a charge on Carlos Sainz following the safety car
It was a far cry from his six career wins in the States, one at Indianapolis and the rest in Austin, where he also clinched two of his seven world titles.
At least the fans were treated to a dash of late on-track drama, to excuse the hype. McLaren’s Lando Norris clipped Gasly and his tyre blew. The Briton apologised.
Importantly, the safety car interruption allowed Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell a free pit stop, bumping him up to seventh and right on to his senior partner’s tail in the 30C heat.
On fresher rubber, Russell’s threat was always going to be too much to resist, and so it proved. He found a way past Hamilton on lap 50 to finish fifth.
Russell, 24, has now finished ahead of his colleague in every race bar one this campaign. Luck has conspired against the fine champion, but this setback will hardly have helped his confidence ahead of Barcelona in a fortnight.
At lights out, Verstappen squeezed beyond Sainz, while Perez was unable to make up ground despite the early Miami chaos
Sainz looked to have been overtaken by Perez at one stage, but the latter’s mistake under braking saw them keep their spots
It was left to Verstappen to be the star of the day, confirming the form he demonstrated in a dominantly mature weekend in Imola last time out.
Here, he placed himself right on pole-sitter Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari down the start straight to hold the inside line at the first corner and take the lead at the beginning of lap nine. He had passed the other red car, belonging to Carlos Sainz, at the start.
So it finished: Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz — but only after the victor withstood Leclerc’s hot breath after Norris’s crash. He was handed his trophy by Dolphins legend Dan Marino.
‘It was an incredible grand prix,’ said Verstappen after narrowing his deficit to Leclerc to 19 points. ‘Very physical but I think we kept it exciting until the end.’
George Russell was fifth in the other Mercedes car on fresher rubber after he found a way past on lap 50 to beat Hamilton
Lando Norris span out to trigger the safety car, having clipped Pierre Gasly and suffered from a blown tyre before retiring
The circus returns to America for the Austin race on October 23, when there will be a more intimate feel both at the track and in the compact downtown area of the Texan city, with its cheek-by-jowl bars and restaurants. It will also attract a more petrolhead crowd than the one partying away here.
Then next year comes Las Vegas, the third of the US trio that will host F1 for the foreseeable future.
Not that Florida’s Formula One pioneers are worried by competition. As Tom Garfinkel, chief executive of Sunday’s race said: ‘Vegas joining the calendar is fantastic because all ships rise with the rising tide.’
Re-live all the twists and turns from the Grand Prix with live coverage from Sportsmail’s MAX MATHEWS…
