Miami – Sprint: Norris lucky winner of a crazy race

UPDATE: After the race, Albon, Lawson and Bearman were penalized, which upset the standings. Discover the final sprint standings by clicking here.

It took nearly thirty more minutes to see the drivers finally take to the start line in the sprint race of the Grand Prix of Miami, but the wait was worth it! A violent thunderstorm hit the Florida circuit just minutes before the start, flooding the asphalt. Charles Leclerc was the first trapped from the grid placement round: Ferrari ended up in the wall due to intermediate tires that were unsuitable for the amount of water on the track.

The Monegasque was unable to start a crazy race which was ultimately won by Lando Norris, who had an insolent stroke of luck with the safety car coming out at the right time, like last year when he achieved his first success in Miami. McLaren, victory has long seemed promised to Oscar piastriThe Australian (23 years old) formed with poleman Kimi Antonelli (18 years old) the youngest front row in the history of the F1, but the McLaren driver has a little more experience than his younger brother and this showed when the lights went out.

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Piastri surged on a still-wet track to take the inside from Antonelli at the first corner. The Italian tried to resist, but by delaying his braking he had to go off the track and also lost positions to Norris and Russell. The race then became more lively when the track dried and Yuki tsunoda and Lewis Hamilton launched the salvo of pit stops to switch to slick tires.

Verstappen, penalized, spoils Antonelli's dream 

On a still-damp track off the racing line, Norris had to pit after his teammate Oscar Piastri, but this strategy, which was supposed to cost him everything, ultimately served him perfectly. The Briton had a monumental chance as Liam Lawson harpooned Fernando Alonso, whose car ended up in the wall and caused the safety car to come out just as Norris was entering the pit lane.

The winner of the last Miami GP raced to victory behind the safety car ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton, whose early and quick pit stop (2 seconds) paid off. Max Verstappen, 4th at the crossing of the line, slipped out of the points after hitting the Mercedes Kimi Antonelli's car in the pit lane. The Dutchman received a 10-second penalty due to an error by his mechanics, who released him unsafely. The Italian, a victim of the contact, was unable to stop in front of his garage and had to return a lap later, losing all hope. Antonelli's first race as polesitter turned into an ordeal, but it didn't erase the promise shown during qualifying.

Max Verstappen's penalty allowed Alex Albon to move up to 4th place, while his teammate Carlos Sainz made a mistake on slick tires, hitting the rear left and puncturing his tire. Lance stroll is 6th and brings valuable points to Aston Martin, while Liam Lawson's 7th place is in doubt after his collision with Fernando Alonso. Seven of the eight teams scored points: only Sauber, Alpine et Red Bull missed the top 8.

F1 – Miami GP 

The sprint race classification