Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won the first Miami Grand Prix. The Dutchman overtook the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Verstappen takes the 23rd race of his F1 career. But Charles Leclerc retains first place in the World Championship with 19 points ahead of the winner of the day.
The decisive maneuver came following 9 of the 57 laps, when Verstappen overtook Leclerc, who started from pole position, thanks to considerable good speed following crossing the line. Shortly following the start, Verstappen had already overtaken Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari.
Verstappen led a solitary race for a long time, until the peloton reformed following a safety car phase due to a collision between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly. But even following the re-start with ten laps to go, Leclerc mightn’t really put Verstappen in trouble. In the end, Verstappen kept four bonus seconds.
Note the beautiful 7th place of Valtteri Bottas with his Alfa Romeo. The Finn scored points for the fourth time this season. He might have claimed better without an error which allowed George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to overtake him.
After this detour via the United States, Formula 1 returns to Europe, where the Spanish Grand Prix will take place in two weeks at Montmeló, near Barcelona.
/ATS