F1 champion Max Verstappen spins as Ferrari storm into the lead

Verstappen blijft kritisch op nieuwe regels na aanpassingen: "Daar moeten we vanaf" — Photo: © IMAGO

Miami Grand Prix

Max Verstappen spins as Ferrari storm into the lead

The Miami Grand Prix saw a dramatic incident

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 3 May 2026 19:28

EARLY REPORT: Max Verstappen dropped all the way from second down to ninth on the first lap at the Miami Grand Prix, as Ferrari stormed into the lead.

Pole sitter Kimi Antonelli had yet another poor start in the Mercedes, allowing Verstappen and Charles Leclerc ahead of him into turn one.

But two hugely uncharacteristic mistakes from Verstappen saw him tumbling down the order, going wide at turn one before spinning into turn two, and was ninth by the time the second lap started.

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Leclerc led the race after lap one, followed by Antonelli and McLaren's Lando Norris.

Antonelli's championship rival George Russell got past Oscar Piastri and was therefore up in fourth position.

Early safety car causes chaos

Following the lap one drama, a safety car was called just a few laps later, after Verstappen's team-mate Isack Hadjar clipped the wall at the chicane and ended up in the barrier.

On that same lap (lap six), Alpine's Pierre Gasly's car flipped on its head after an incident involving Liam Lawson, happening a little further up the road from Hadjar's incident.

That caused some drivers to gamble with a pit stop, including Verstappen, who was therefore down in 16th but with fresh tyres for the restart.

Antonelli, meanwhile, dropped down to third just before the safety car, being overtaken by Norris.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Ferrari Miami Grand Prix