UNITED STATES: Max Verstappen of Red Bull set the fastest time in the second practice session of the Miami Grand Prix on Friday, as Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari into the wall. Verstappen had been battling Leclerc for the top spot earlier in the session but pulled away with a time of 1:28.255. On the other hand, Leclerc lost valuable track time due to his crash at Turn 7.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin quickly got into the push laps, but Red Bull set the early benchmark, with Verstappen clocking a time of 1:30.146.
Leclerc then decided to break FP1’s record by setting a time of 1:29.4. Kevin Magnussen, however, nearly completed a nightmare Friday for Haas as he spun and hit the wall at Turn 14.
Verstappen eventually reduced the gap between him and Leclerc to just a tenth of a second.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz completed the early top four, with Perez showing his potential by setting a purple Sector 1.
However, he received a black and white warning flag for crossing the pit-entry line on returning to the Red Bull garage.
The switch to soft rubber brought significant gains, and Lando Norris set a time of 1:28.741 as the new time to beat. However, more was needed to beat Verstappen’s time, as he lowered the benchmark to 1:28.255.
Sainz led the charge for Ferrari, reducing Verstappen’s buffer to only 0.06 seconds. Meanwhile, Alex Albon struggled with his slippery Williams, while Lewis Hamilton struggled with Turn 7 in his Mercedes.
With around 20 minutes left in the session, Verstappen pulled away from Sainz by almost four-tenths of a second. Drivers began their usual routine of piecing together race simulations, gathering vital data on the tyre compounds.
However, Leclerc’s crash stopped the session with five minutes to go. Verstappen’s fast lap time and consistent pace during the session indicate that Red Bull is in a strong position going into the Grand Prix on Sunday.
On the other hand, Leclerc’s crash will be a setback for Ferrari as they look to gain ground on their rivals.
Also Read: Mercedes Dominates Opening Practice in Miami, Haas Driver Nico Hulkenberg Crashes Out Early
