Miami Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Charles Leclerc takes the lead

Announced show, glamour present with an artificial marina, everything is there to witness a magnificent weekend in Florida. Formula 1 was moving for the first time to Miami on a brand new circuit. A rather urban layout, presented as the American Monaco for some, featuring several straight lines, as well as slow and atypical sections that could lead to interesting duels. But it was time for the drivers to focus on their work after numerous activities carried out off the track mainly during the day.

For this first free practice session, the majority of the drivers didn’t wait long before hitting the track. So fast that even Esteban Ocon and George Russell narrowly avoided a collision in the pit lane. Meanwhile, the rest of the paddock tested this new circuit which already had some damage. Dark stains had appeared on the asphalt surface, 60 days after it was laid. It was cause for concern for the rest of the weekend. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen responded to each other by fighting for the best time. It is worth noting that Ferrari made some improvements to their cars. Now it remains to be seen if these improvements will allow them to improve their top speed.

Are there any issues with Verstappen’s car?

Like Sergio Perez, a few drivers were scaring themselves between turns 11 and 14, fortunately without consequences. While the two Ferraris took the lead, the reigning world champion’s car encountered problems, forcing the Dutchman to return to the pits. Concern was growing within the team, which has been plagued by reliability issues since the start of the season. It was a close call for Verstappen, who later returned to the track in the session.

🚩 RED FLAG 🚩

Valtteri Bottas loses the back-end of the car and hits the wall 💥

He’s out of the car, and on his way back to the paddock#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/5Fa7hrs8J6

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 6, 2022

At turn 7, Valtteri Bottas lost control of his car, causing the first red flag. The damage from the impact prevented the Finn from getting back on track. With twenty minutes remaining in the session, Carlos Sainz had the fastest time of 1.32.443 on medium tires, ahead of the surprising Lewis Hamilton by a few milliseconds on soft tires. The Mercedes was bouncing much less on the straightaways. The car was even performing better on the track. Could this be the comeback for the British team?

A puncture for Sainz.

On his way back, Sainz had a puncture on his front right tyre after going off track. The Spaniard scared himself by losing control of his car in the sequence of turns 4 and 5. One set of rubber less for the Ferrari driver. After a warm-up lap, Verstappen set the fastest time against his rival with a 1.31.277, quickly beaten by Leclerc with a 1.31.098. Russell, on the other hand, was positioned between the two drivers.

After an hour of session, Ferrari continues to confirm, as seen with Leclerc’s fastest lap. Russell and Verstappen finish on the podium. It is worth noting Pierre Gasly’s good session rewarded with the fifth fastest time. Alex Albon in his Williams positioned himself in seventh place.

The ranking of the first session