UNITED STATES. Florida: Oracle Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, defeating pole sitter Charles Leclerc.
The podium witnessed the winners celebrate in front of Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino and his statue. Max Verstappen received a signed football helmet given to him by Dan Marino after winning the race. Verstappen was also awarded “Driver of the Day”.
Verstappen went off to a brilliant start at the Hard Rock Stadium as he overtook Sainz at turn one and then started to close the gap on Leclerc finally overtaking him on lap nine. Thereafter Verstappen maintained the gap till the end of the race.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished fourth, ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Sir Lewis Hamilton. George Russell, who started 11th finished the race in the 5th position. Sir Lewis Hamilton was promoted to P6 when Valtteri Bottas went wide at Turn 17 on Lap 49.
The Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso finished eighth and ninth respectively following Valtteri Bottas who had to satisfy himself with the seventh position. Fernando Alonso was penalized by five seconds for contact with Gasly but unfortunately was also handed over a further five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on the penultimate lap. This promoted Alex Albon to P9, Lance Stroll to P10, and demoted Alonso to 11th position.
Kevin Magnussen retired after contact with Lance Stroll while Mick Schumacher’s vehicle hit Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin at turn 1. So Vettel was forced out of the race. Norris and Gasly also went out due to accidental damage. Guanyu Zhou retired from the race first among all the drivers when his Alfa Romeo broke down.
“It’s a very good comeback,” said Verstappen and added that “I didn’t even do a [practice] start, so I didn’t know what to expect in the actual start. But we had a good launch and I saw the opportunity to go around the outside (of Sainz) in turn one, so I tried. Luckily, it worked.”
“At the safety car restart on the hard [tires], we were very strong, but four or five laps, they [Red Bull] seemed to stabilize the tires in a better window and there they are just quicker than us,” said Leclerc.
The 2022 Miami Grand Prix results: Top 5
1. Red Bull Max Verstappen Time: 1:34:24.258 secs
2. Ferrari Charles Leclerc Time: +3.786
3. Ferrari Carlos Sainz Jr. Time: +8.229
4. Red Bull Sergio Perez: Time: +10.638
5. Mercedes George Russell Time: +18.582
The Driver’s standings after the 2022 Miami Grand Prix
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 104 PTS
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 85 PTS
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) 66 PTS
- George Russell (Mercedes) 59 PTS
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari )53 PTS
The Constructors standings after the 2022 Miami Grand Prix
1. Ferrari, Points scored: 157
2. Red Bull, Points scored: 151
3. Mercedes, Points scored: 95
The championship continues in Catalunya with the Spanish Grand Prix on May 20-22. The Team Oracle Red Bull is now six points behind Team Ferrari. Verstappen is 19 points behind Leclerc.
About 2022 Miami Grand Prix and the Miami International Autodrome
The Miami International Autodrome is a temporary circuit Set in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens. The 5.41km 19-turn lap gives a street circuit vibe featuring three straights, elevation changes, and an estimated top speed of 320km/h.
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