The double-header of the Sprint race and Grand Prix qualifying, dominated by reigning world champion Verstappen, led to an exciting main event on Sunday with 57 laps around the Miami International Autodrome.
The starting order saw just one alteration after the grid-deciding session, with Ricciardo being demoted from 18th to 20th due to a three-place penalty he incurred at the previous race in China for violating Safety Car rules.
As the drivers lined up on the grid and the tyre covers were removed, it was revealed that the majority would be starting on medium tyres, with Hamilton, Alonso, Magnussen and Ricciardo choosing hard tyres, and Bottas opting for softs, in what was anticipated by Pirelli to be a one-stop race.
Start Of The Race
Verstappen, the pole-sitter, successfully maintained his lead at the start of the race for the second time this weekend, positioning himself ahead of his teammates Leclerc and Sainz, who had to swerve to avoid Perez as he abruptly braked and veered into the first corner.
Perez’s error, coupled with the near contact between the Ferraris, gave Piastri an opportunity to ascend from sixth to third by the end of Turn 1, trailing just behind Leclerc. Sainz dropped to fourth position, followed by Perez, Norris, Hamilton and Hulkenberg who were all recovering ground.
In a nerve-wracking encounter, Alpine’s Ocon and Gasly battled fiercely through multiple turns. This duel, which undoubtedly spiked tension in the Alpine pit, ended with Gasly prevailing. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg overtook Hamilton, who was on hard tyres, at the beginning of Lap 2 to secure seventh place.
Initial Laps
Shortly afterwards, Piastri, rather than focusing on his rear-view mirror, closed in on Leclerc and utilised the Drag Reduction System during the extended stretch between Turns 16 and 17 to overtake him for second place. At this point, race leader Verstappen was two seconds ahead.
As the race progressed, replays from the opening laps revealed that Perez had a narrow escape from colliding with his teammate Verstappen at Turn 1. The stewards considered a possible jump start but ultimately chose not to take further action.
Hamilton, with his hard tyres now in their prime, managed to pass Hulkenberg for the seventh position at Turn 11. However, he lost it again due to a lock-up at Turn 17. Hamilton, who had been pushed towards the wall during the first overtake, reported a near-miss accident over the radio.
Regaining his balance, Hamilton made another attempt at Hulkenberg in the subsequent laps. This time, his manoeuvre at Turn 11 was successful, and it wasn’t long before Hulkenberg lost his eighth position to Russell, Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate.
First Round of Pit Stops
Williams and Kick Sauber were the first to make pit stops as the race progressed, all four deciding on hard tyres. Hulkenberg, after falling behind the Silver Arrows, also opted to switch to the white-marked tyres.
The focus then shifted towards the lead pack’s pit-stop strategy. Verstappen managed to extend his lead over Piastri to around three seconds. He was followed by Leclerc, Sainz, Perez, and Norris, who was trying his best to overtake the second Red Bull, albeit with little success.
Perez gave Norris some much-needed breathing room when he was the first of the front-runners to pit for new tyres on the 18th lap, rejoining the race in 10th place, behind Hamilton, Russell, Tsunoda, and Ocon.
The pit stops continued as Leclerc made his on the 20th lap, following Perez’s choice of hard tyres. Ferrari’s impressively quick pit service, under two seconds, added pressure on Piastri and McLaren before their pit stops.
Verstappen appeared to have everything under control until he overshot the Turn 14/15 chicane and hit a bollard, which he dragged for a few meters before discarding at Turn 16’s exit. This prompted Verstappen to request a front wing check from his team via radio.
Mid-race Incidents
A marshal was dispatched under the protection of a Virtual Safety Car to remove a stray bollard from the track, allowing Ocon, Alonso and Magnussen to make quick pit stops under the caution. Verstappen, the race leader, made his pit stop after the VSC period ended at the conclusion of Lap 23.
Piastri, Sainz and Norris chose to stay on track instead of immediately pitting like Verstappen. Meanwhile, a captivating battle ensued between Ocon, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Gasly as they rejoined the race after their pit stops.
Hamilton voiced his concern over the radio about the visibility of the chicane kerb following Verstappen’s incident before he pitted alongside his teammate Russell. Hamilton switched to medium tyres, while Russell opted for hards.
On the 27th lap, Piastri, leading the race, decided to pit, followed by Sainz. Both drivers switched to hard tyres, allowing Norris to take the lead. This left Norris, Tsunoda, Zhou and Ricciardo as the only drivers who hadn’t pitted yet.
Shortly afterwards, yellow flags were waved due to an incident involving Magnussen and Sargeant. This quickly escalated to a full Safety Car deployment, which worked in Norris’ favour. He was able to make his pit stop with minimal time loss.
Tsunoda, Zhou, and Ricciardo seized the chance to change tyres, with Perez making a second pit stop. Replays revealed Magnussen’s attempt to overtake Sargeant in the Turn 2 flick, which resulted in a collision that sent the American into the barriers and the Dane back to the pits for repairs.
Despite his car sustaining terminal damage, Sargeant promptly confirmed over the radio that he was “okay”. Nonetheless, the incident prematurely ended his first of three home Grand Prix races this season.
Norris’s Battle To Hold the Lead
Following the incident, Norris re-entered the race ahead of Verstappen after his pit stop, with Leclerc maintaining third place over the relegated Piastri, Sainz, and Perez. Tsunoda, Hamilton, Russell, and Ocon rounded out the top ten scoring positions at that point.
The stewards later announced a 10-second time penalty for Magnussen for the collision that led to Sargeant’s withdrawal. This penalty added to the multiple sanctions Magnussen received for his on-track skirmishes with Hamilton in the Sprint race.
After Lap 32 and additional midfield pit stops, the Safety Car exited the track and Norris resumed the race. However, the McLaren driver immediately found himself under pressure from Verstappen, compelling him to adopt a defensive approach in the first sector to maintain his lead.
Verstappen’s mistake gave Norris the opportunity to build a lead, executing quick sector times to distance himself from the DRS range. Meanwhile, the other McLaren driver, Piastri, engaged in a heated battle with Sainz at Turn 11, with Sainz feeling he was unfairly pushed off the track.
As the race progressed, Norris continued to widen the gap from Verstappen, establishing a 2.5-second lead with 20 laps remaining. Verstappen, struggling in second place, reported difficulties in turning his car and described the situation as catastrophic.
Sainz, who was frustrated that Piastri had avoided a penalty after their earlier clash, managed to overtake him at Turn 17. Piastri tried to counterattack at Turn 1 but ended up locking up, which resulted in him losing positions to Sainz, Perez, and Hamilton.
The stewards investigated a replay showing contact between Sainz and Piastri during braking for Turn 17. This incident resulted in damage to Piastri’s front wing, forcing him to pit for a replacement and fall to the back of the pack.
Piastri then began his climb back up the rankings to score points. However, several lock-ups and close racing incidents led his race engineer to warn him against causing any incidents that could trigger another Safety Car and jeopardise Norris’s position.
Final Laps and End of the Race
In a late twist, Albon and Stroll clashed, with Stroll going off the track and receiving a 10-second penalty, ruining his chances of gaining points.
Norris, however, skillfully navigated the final laps with confidence and poise, securing his first Grand Prix victory and bringing McLaren their first triumph in nearly three years.
Verstappen finished second, trailing by about 7.5 seconds, followed by Leclerc, Sainz, and Perez in the top five.
Mercedes earned points with Hamilton and Russell finishing sixth and eighth, separated by Tsunoda. Alonso and Ocon rounded out the top 10, followed by Hulkenberg, Gasly, Piastri, Zhou, Ricciardo, Bottas, and Stroll.
The last to cross the finish line was Albon in 19th place, after a lock-up at Turn 17 and a late pit stop. His teammate Sargeant was forced to view the remainder of his home race from the sidelines after an unfortunate encounter with Magnussen, who finished 18th after an extra pit stop for repairs.
Written by Gareth Booth
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