2024 Miami GP FP1: Verstappen Tops FP1 From Oscar Piastri

In the only practice session at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen delivered a last-minute quick lap to edge ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

Ben

By Ben Bush
Published on May 3, 2024

Max Verstappen FP1 Red Bull Racing 2024 Miami Grand Prix
Verstappen led the session with a time of 1m 28.595s, which is more than a second slower than last year's pole position.

Max Verstappen was the fastest in the session, a common theme in the opening rounds of 2024, but this time the competition was closer. The top five finishers were evenly matched, separated by just over two-tenths of a second, and all from a different team.

After the chequered flag, McLaren will be encouraged by Oscar Piastri’s strong performance in coming second, especially after a practice session in which his teammate Lando Norris encountered steering problems and finished in sixteenth. At Mercedes, Russell was their standout driver, finishing fourth, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, fifth on the soft tyres, was 1.5 seconds clear of his teammate Fernando Alonso, who was down in 19th after the team split their drivers’ strategies. Alonso choosing longer stints on hard tyres.

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Similar to the previous Sprint weekend in China, the Miami International Autodrome provided just 60 minutes of track time for drivers and teams to get familiar with the 5.412-kilometre circuit ahead of Sprint Qualifying.

Many teams were busy evaluating new car upgrades; McLaren was notably active in that department, introducing significant updates from front to back in an effort to narrow the gap with the leading team and reigning world champions, Red Bull.

Red Bull was in the spotlight leading up to the event due to news that their renowned designer, Adrian Newey, would be departing early next year. However, the start of the first practice (FP1) shifted focus back to the track activities.

The session’s first major incident occurred shortly after it began when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, using a mix of medium and hard Pirelli tyres, spun out at Turn 16 after hitting the kerbs, triggering a red flag. Leclerc’s car ended up sideways, blocking the path of future teammate Lewis Hamilton and several others. Despite several attempts to manoeuvre out of the predicament, Leclerc had to abandon his car as it began to overheat, leading to its removal by the marshals.

Charles Leclerc FP1 Ferrari 2024 Miami Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc’s session came to an early close in his Ferrari during FP1 of the 2024 Miami Grand Prix due to an overheating clutch caused by an initial spin. The driver from Monaco managed only three laps, none of which were fast.

Once the session restarted, Carlos Sainz initially led, clocking a 1m 29.346s on hard tyres, ahead of Sergio Perez and Hamilton. However, as the session progressed and drivers switched to soft tyres, Verstappen, recovering from an earlier lock-up and an abandoned lap, clocked a 1m 28.595s to clinch the fastest time, finishing just a tenth ahead of Piastri and Carlos Sainz.

George Russell led the Mercedes drivers, finishing fourth, with teammate Lewis Hamilton three spots behind him. Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull split their efforts.

Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and the Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten, followed by Daniel Ricciardo in the other VCARB 01, Haas teammates Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, and Alex Albon in the Williams, who had a close call through Turn 4 towards the end of the session.

Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas placed 15th and 17th, respectively, with Lando Norris in the second McLaren in between. Norris, who had more of McLaren’s latest updates compared to Piastri, struggled with steering throughout the session.

Logan Sargeant had a subdued start to his first home Grand Prix weekend of the season, finishing 18th for Williams. Fernando Alonso, in the second Aston Martin, was 19th after only using hard tyres, and Charles Leclerc was last following his early spin.

Miami GP FP1 Results

2024 Miami Grand Prix, 3 May 2024

PosNoDriverCarTimeGapLaps
11Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:28.59525
281Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes1:28.700+0.105s24
355Carlos SainzFerrari1:28.711+0.116s24
463George RussellMercedes1:28.784+0.189s26
518Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:28.817+0.222s25
611Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:28.868+0.273s23
744Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:29.012+0.417s24
822Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT1:29.056+0.461s25
931Esteban OconAlpine Renault1:29.163+0.568s23
1010Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault1:29.175+0.580s27
113Daniel RicciardoRB Honda RBPT1:29.178+0.583s27
1220Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari1:29.189+0.594s26
1327Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari1:29.314+0.719s25
1423Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes1:29.393+0.798s24
1524Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari1:29.445+0.850s24
164Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes1:29.495+0.900s21
1777Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari1:29.636+1.041s23
182Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes1:29.891+1.296s23
1914Fernando AlonsoAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:30.023+1.428s22
2016Charles LeclercFerrari1:32.099+3.504s3

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Ben Bush
Ben

Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.

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