Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) today won the sprint race of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, the sixth race of the championship.
The three-time world champion spent 31,31,383 minutes to complete the 19 scheduled laps, beating Monegasque Chares Leclerc (Ferrari) by 3,371 seconds and Mexican Sérgio Pérez (Red Bull) by 5,095.
This was Max Verstappen’s second consecutive victory in sprint races this season, after already winning at the Chinese GP two weeks ago.
The Red Bull driver started from pole position and held off Leclerc’s attack in the first corner. The British Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) tried to find the eye of a needle in the middle of the field, causing a carmbola that ended with the Canadian Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) crashing into Lando Norris’ McLaren, leaving both of them out of the race and the Aston Fernando Alonso’s Martin damaged.
It was necessary to put the safety car on the track, so the race only really started on the fourth lap.
Verstappen was showing signs of dissatisfaction with the general balance of his Red Bull, but he never allowed Charles Leclerc to pretend, who was always at a safe distance of more than one second.
Sérgio Pérez still had to overcome Australian Daniel Ricciardo (RB) to reach the podium, with the former Toro Rosso driver managing to resist attacks from Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who was fifth.
Fourth place allowed Ricciardo to score his first five points of the season.
Max Verstappen extended his lead even further, now having 118 against Sérgio Pérez’s 91, who is second.
On Sunday, the main race of this sixth round of the season takes place.
