Mercedes offer up Miami hope as Leclerc shines
Mercedes offer up Miami hope as Leclerc shines
F1 championship leader Charles Leclerc struck the first blow ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix at the end of a first practice session in which Mercedes suggested it could again be a threat.
Leclerc finished with the leading time of one minute 31.098secs as F1's weekend in south Florida finally got underway following plenty of hype over the inaugural event.
The Ferrari driver finished just 0.071secs ahead of Mercedes' George Russell around the 5.41-kilometre, 19-turn circuit as the reigning constructors' champions showed a glimmer of form with its W13 sporting a number of updates.
They notably included a new rear wing designed to reduce rear downforce and drag, and the effect was noticeable as there appeared to be considerably less porpoising than has been evident in the opening four races.
Although team-mate Lewis Hamilton was only eighth quickest, 0.858s behind Leclerc, Mercedes will likely be pleased it has found a solution to its issues, at least for now on this track given its characteristics.
For Hamilton, his build-up to practice had been overshadowed by the jewellery furore that has played out of late, with the 37-year-old taking to the track in adherence of the rules despite insisting beforehand he would defy motorsport's governing body.
On Thursday, the FIA made it mandatory for all teams to submit in their scrutineering reports that a driver was compliant with the newly-enforced rules regarding a ban on the wearing of jewellery, in particular, body piercings.
In the drivers' press conference on Friday morning ahead of practice, Hamilton made clear that he felt such a rule was "very, very silly" and that he would not be complying given he wore piercings he was unable to remove.
With the threat of a sanction hanging over him, Hamilton headed into FP1 having removed as many of his piercings as was physically possible but still wearing a nose ring that could not be removed, along with a second body piercing.
Hamilton has been given a two-race exemption to comply so will race in Miami and the next event in Barcelona but must be in conformity by the Monaco Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen, winner last time out in Imola to close the gap on Leclerc at the top of the drivers' standings to 27 points, was third fastest, 0.179s adrift.
In between Verstappen and Hamilton were Red Bull's Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly in his Alpha Tauri, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and, remarkably, Williams' Alex Albon.
The contrast in form this season between Albon and team-mate Nicholas Latifi was underlined by the fact the Canadian propped up the timesheet, 4.539s behind Leclerc and almost 3.8s behind Albon.
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo completed the top 10, with the latter 1.5s down, with the Australian followed closely by team-mate Lando Norris.
Miami Grand Prix first practice standings
1. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] 1:31.098s
2. George Russell [Mercedes] +0.071
3. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] +0.179
4. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] +0.203
5. Pierre Gasly [AlphaTauri] +0.400
6. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] +0.430
7. Alex Albon [Williams] +0.756
8. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] +0.858
9. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] +1.461
10. Daniel Ricciardo [McLaren] +1.494
11. Lando Norris [McLaren] +1.517
12. Fernando Alonso [Alpine] +1.786
13. Zhou Guanyu [Alfa Romeo] +1.922
14. Sebastian Vettel [Aston Martin] +1.926
15. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] +2.319
16. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] +2.478
17. Valtteri Bottas [Alfa Romeo] +2.675
18. Yuki Tsunoda [AlphaTauri] +2.945
19. Mick Schumacher [Haas] +3.847
20. Nicholas Latifi [Williams] +4.539
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Sainz hints at sensational move to rival series
- 33 minutes ago
McLaren star DROPPED following serious injury
- 1 hour ago
F1 legend confident about Newey to Ferrari
- 2 hours ago
F1 rivals' UPGRADES provide Red Bull title charge doubt
- 3 hours ago
Max Verstappen's preferred Red Bull team-mate REVEALED by F1 pundit
- Today 16:57
F1 News Today: McLaren boss keen for stunning REUNION as Horner BLAMED for Newey nightmare
- Today 16:07
Related news
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
Miami GP organiser opens up on MAJOR plans to reinvent race
Tennis legend Federer addresses INFAMOUS Jackie Stewart moment at Miami GP
F1 in the US dealt HUGE blow by one Miami GP stat
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860