MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lando Norris secured a victory over his McLaren Racing teammate, Oscar Piastri, in the sprint race on Saturday, setting the stage for the Miami Grand Prix qualifying session.
“My fortune in Miami seems quite favorable at this point,” remarked Norris, who aims to defend his triumph from the previous year’s Miami event come Sunday.
The 18-lap sprint kicked off with drama even before the official start, as heavy rain doused the track. This wet weather led to Charles Leclerc’s crash while navigating his Ferrari onto the grid. The damage was severe enough that he couldn’t participate in the sprint as Ferrari worked against time to fix his car for the qualifying round.
Due to driver concerns about hazardous conditions and limited visibility, the race’s start faced a delay. When it finally commenced, 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli spearheaded the standing start, marking history as the youngest pole-winner in Formula 1. However, his lead was short-lived; Piastri quickly took over at the first turn, pushing Antonelli to fourth after a brief off-track excursion.
Antonelli’s misfortunes continued when Max Verstappen penalized with a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release, collided with him during a pit stop. This incident led Antonelli to finish in 11th place, while Verstappen’s third-place run ended in a 17th-place finish, yielding no points.
The race concluded under caution conditions due to an incident involving Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso. Alonso’s crash occurred with just three laps remaining, blocking any potential attempt by Piastri to reclaim the lead from Norris. Norris, who claimed his inaugural Formula 1 victory in Miami last year, kept his win intact.
“I don’t believe I’ll be purchasing a lottery ticket here anytime soon,” Piastri admitted. “I felt like I executed everything correctly, so it’s a bit disappointing to finish second.”
Lewis Hamilton, representing Ferrari, finished in third place. He managed to surpass Verstappen after the latter dealt with his penalty.
“I’m extremely pleased with this result; it’s been a challenging year up to now,” said Hamilton, who is experiencing his debut season with Ferrari. “I never expected rain in Miami. This marks our first wet race here and what an incredible experience it turned out to be.”
Alex Albon, driving for Williams, secured a fourth-place finish, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell. Meanwhile, Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Leclerc did not complete the race.