Max Verstappen started at number nine, but masterfully cruised his way through the field and won a round of the World Cup in Formula 1 in Miami. He thus improved in the WC summary.

Verstappen started bottom of ninth on the grid in Sunday’s main race after failing to set a time in Saturday’s third and final qualifying session. The reason for this was the fall of Charles Leclerc.

However, it didn’t take the Dutchman long to firmly establish his position on Sunday. Verstappen admittedly lost ground early in Miami, but then he picked competitor after competitor.

Long before the halfway mark, he took pole position in the race while Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was in the pits. At that time, Verstappen had been chasing Perez for several laps.

– At one point there were six seconds between them. It shows how high of a speed he is able to maintain on these tough tires, said Viaplay expert Henning Isdal of the Dutchman’s speed.

– Very impressive, added commentator Atle Gulbrandsen.

Alonso on the podium

However, at the time Verstappen took the lead, unlike Perez, he was not in the depot. He did so with less than 15 laps remaining.

Once back on the track, the Dutchman was right behind his teammate Sergio Perez. At the same time, Verstappen had the advantage of much better tires and it didn’t take long to put Perez behind him.

So, the Mexican tennis player who chased his teammate at Red Bull in the WC summary had to settle for second place.

Third place went to veteran Fernando Alonso.

– Once again the Red Bull team showed they are in a class of their own, says Atle Gulbrandsen.

The win was Max Verstappen’s 33rd in WC context. The Dutch racer also recorded the best lap time.

Hamilton drove

For Lewis Hamilton, the Miami Grand Prix ended in another slump. The Briton’s Mercedes fell short of qualifying on Saturday and were already knocked out in qualifying round number two. That gave only a 13th-best start on Sunday.

From that starting point, he worked his way up to a competent sixth place, but in the end the distance to the top was a long way. His teammate George Russell fared much better. He hit a very solid main run and finished fourth.

Like Hamilton, it wasn’t a memorable weekend for Charles Leclerc. The crash on Saturday was followed by a major race where he was anything but good. Seventh place was not what Monegasque had hoped for. Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz, for his part, finished fifth.

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed in the first qualifying session on Saturday. From humble beginnings, it was also a tough Sunday for them. 17th and 19th place were the results.

(© NTB)