From bloodied nose to King of Miami: Lando Norris an F1 winner at last
Lando Norris began the week with his face wrapped in bandages after drunken King’s Day celebrations aboard a boat in Amsterdam ended in a badly-cut nose. He ended it the King of Miami, finally breaking his Formula One duck at the 110th attempt to spark wild celebrations at McLaren. And across the sport.
What a day. For Norris first and foremost. The 24 year-old has for some time been a race-winner-in-waiting. But he has suffered so many near-misses – Sochi 2021, when he stayed out on dry tyres as rain fell in the final laps, and he was caught at the death by Lewis Hamilton – he must have felt cursed at times.
The sight of the young Briton leaping over the parc ferme barriers into the arms of his ecstatic mechanics, being hoisted onto their shoulders in tears, before wrapping McLaren chief executive Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella in big bear hugs, showed just how much this meant to him. And to the team. McLaren have been to rock bottom and back since Lewis Hamilton won their last world title back in 2008. The Woking team are starting to look seriously competitive once again.
A PAPAYA PARTY! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/B6FdepZtdT
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
Norris was clearly still in shock by the time Jenson Button approached him with a microphone for the pre-podium interviews. “About time eh? F---”! he replied when asked how it felt to be a race winner, at long last. “Sorry! But yeah it’s been a long time coming. I’m so happy for my whole team. I finally delivered for them.”
What a day, too, for Formula One as a whole. Three-time world champion Max Verstappen may still be cruising towards a fourth successive world title – the Dutchman did not lose much ground here, finishing second to claim 18 points and extend his lead over Sergio Perez in the drivers’ standings to 35 points. But maybe, just maybe, we are going to have a fight from here on in.
McLaren arrived at this race with a significant upgrade package; a new front wing, new front suspension geometry, a revised front-brake duct and winglet, a completely revised floor and new bodywork and engine cover. And by the looks of it, it works.
Norris’s pace was evident when he almost took pole for Saturday’s sprint race. And although he needed a helping hand in Sunday’s main feature race, a safety car coming out at an opportune moment from his perspective, he thoroughly deserved the win, pulling away from Verstappen over the final laps to win by 7.6secs. It was the first time Verstappen had been beaten on track in over 20 races.
Lando Norris LEADS the Miami Grand Prix and we get back underway in the 305! 🤯🟠 pic.twitter.com/DQB3mLklHn
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
“Woooooo! Wooooo!” Norris screamed over his radio as he took the chequered flag, thanking his team and particularly his race engineer Will Joseph. “Oh my ------ ----! I love you all. I love you so much. We did it, Will! We did it! Finally!
“I knew it when I came in this morning. I nailed it. You nailed it. Thanks Mum, thanks Dad. This one’s for my grandma. Thank you very much.”
"LANDO HAS LANDED!"
LANDO NORRIS WINS THE MIAMI GP! 🟠🏆 pic.twitter.com/IPqm6y9A2n— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
Perhaps it was written in the stars for McLaren to win this race given the presence of Donald Trump as their guest at this race. Orange was certainly the colour of the day.
But the truth was you could feel it coming all week. McLaren were on the front foot throughout, Brown throwing some jabs at Red Bull and Christian Horner over the impending exit of Adrian Newey, saying he was unsurprised the engineering supremo was leaving given he was a “man of integrity” and predicting it might cause a “domino effect” of departures from that team.
Norris, meanwhile, did the Lie Detector feature on Sky Sports F1 and told them he would win a race this season. “I’m fed up of not believing so I changed my attitude,” he said. The machine said he was telling the truth.
Heading into the race Norris held the record for the most podiums without a win (15), as well as sharing the record for most second-place finishes without a win (eight) with Nick Heidfeld. And it looked as if his optimism might have been in vain when he lost a place at a frantic start.
But the safety car which came out following a collision between Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Williams’ Logan Sergeant on lap 28 proved a gift. Norris, who had not yet stopped, was able to dive into the pits for some fresh rubber while marshals cleared the debris, and still come out ahead of his rivals, who had pitted earlier.
THE SAFETY CAR IS OUT! ⚠
Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant collide! Thankfully both drivers are okay 💥😲 pic.twitter.com/0XE1CIOS3s— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
And when the race restarted on lap 33, Norris was unstoppable on the hard tyre. By lap 34 he was out of DRS range at 1.3 seconds. By lap 44 the gap had risen to 3.5 seconds and Norris was setting fastest laps.
The Miami Grand Prix has not built the best reputation from a racing perspective. Its critics hate the fact that it’s a celebrity zoo more concerned with generating social media traffic than good racing. But in its defence, this was an entertaining race, with some wonderful battles up and down the field. Oscar Piastri’s fight with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz for fourth was a particular highlight. The Australian picked up some damage in the process, dropping him to last, and there was an amusing moment when his team had to tell him to cool his jets as he fought his way back through the field.
“A reminder Lando is leading the race. We do not want to cause a safety car!”
Fortunately, he did not. Norris held on for a thoroughly deserved win. Exactly 30 years on from the death of one McLaren legend, might we have witnessed the birth of another? It is far too early to make comparisons with Ayrton Senna, of course. But Norris is off the mark.
“I’m just proud really,” he reflected. “I mean a lot of people doubted me along the way, I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the last five years, my short career but today we put it altogether so this is all for the team. I stuck with McLaren because I believed in them and today proved exactly.”
Britain’s Lando Norris beats Verstappen at Miami GP to claim his first F1 victory: As it happened
11:44 PM BST
Zak Brown on X
P1!!! Lando is a Formula 1 grand prix winner!!! So proud of him and the whole team. Oscar very unlucky to drop to P13 after contact with Carlos. LET'S GOOOOO!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/0t743MhXoM
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) May 5, 2024
11:41 PM BST
Lewis pays tribute to Lando
"I just told him he needs to stay tonight. He's going to try and change his flight!" 🤣
Lewis Hamilton on Lando's win 😁 pic.twitter.com/AkIP3DlvZo— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
11:40 PM BST
Emotion
This is what it means. 🧡 @LandoNorris pic.twitter.com/eH4iIJpYWT
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
11:39 PM BST
Tribute to the late Gil de Ferran
That one was special. For you, Gil. 🧡#MiamiGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/398ech9id7
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
11:38 PM BST
Lando’s dad Adam talking to Sky
“It’s probably about 900 races I’ve been to over the last 16 years, it’s been a long time but we got there.
“As a parent how many hours you put in supporting them and I counted about 350 weekends away and all the races on the different weekends, it’s a lot of time but it’s brilliant, I love it, I’m so happy for him.
“He’s got one more thing now hasn’t he, world champion next.”
11:31 PM BST
Lando’s race engineer Will Joseph speaking to Sky
“I feel like we can put Russia 2021 behind us now! What a fantastic race. We said before the race, maybe our game is to go long and something happens. When the pace is there, you just do. It came out at the right time.
“We gave Lando the gaps for the first few laps then we saw he was comfortable and after that we just left him alone, he was strong, he was good.
“Everyone at McLaren does a fantastic job. The team foundation is so strong right now, Andrea’s leadership is phenomenal and we just go from strength to strength.
“What we achieve at the race track, we try to bring back to the factory and build a race team. We want to be a race team, so thank you so much to everyone.”
11:29 PM BST
Constructors’ standings
Red Bull - 237
Ferrari - 189
McLaren - 124
Mercedes - 64
Aston Martin - 42
11:29 PM BST
Zak Brown speaking to Sky
“This is long overdue. This is a very popular win amongst the fans, the drivers - so many drivers went up to him and congratulated him.
“He drove perfectly and the car was very fast. A lot of credit to the leadership team. Andrea, Stella I couldn’t ask for a better team principal.
“He listens, he communicates, he’s thoughtful, he’s hard-working and demanding. That’s how everyone is at the factory. It’s all starting to come together.”
11:28 PM BST
Hugely popular win
Lots of love on the grid for Lando 🥺🧡 pic.twitter.com/sPx2GrZ2jb
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
11:28 PM BST
From boy to man
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
11:27 PM BST
Top five in the drivers’ standings
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 136
Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 101
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 98
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 85
Lando Norris (McLaren) - 83
11:26 PM BST
Lando on the podium
11:20 PM BST
Carlos Sainz talking to Sky
“I think today, everyone was racing very hard. First Checo at the start, like they said in the old days with Seb [Vettel], ‘he came like a torpedo’ and nearly took us all with him and lost me two positions.
“From then on, I was very quick. I saved my tyres and didn’t catch the Safety Car for one lap, which could have given us the win.
“Then frustrated with Oscar, because he clearly pushed us off track and cost us to lose time with Charles and Max. I saw the stewards were not being very aggressive today with penalties, so I had to be aggressive to send it.”
On Lando Norris winning:
“He deserves it for such a long time to win a race. He’s a driver that will win many races in F1.
“He’s been driving at an exceptional level. Today he was on the lucky side but luck comes to people who deserve it and today he definitely deserves it.”
11:18 PM BST
Former teammates embrace
11:15 PM BST
Danica Patrick on Sky Sports
“So much talent. He has a personality of a champion. He has confidence. He’s fast, he’s funny.
“You just get a feeling that some day he will win a championship. I’m sure it will feel so sweet after the lows and highs of the last couple races.
“It’s been up and down, so to see him put it together, and that smile on his face, he’s going to be famous in McLaren for a long time.”
11:13 PM BST
Will Donald take any credit?
Donald Trump was in the McLaren garage before the race, so will he take any credit for Lando’s win? Here is with Lando after the race:
11:08 PM BST
Lando’s journey to maiden F1 win
The top step is finally yours, @LandoNorris. 🏆
And what a journey it's been to get there. 🧡#MiamiGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/CLA0cbgZ32— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
11:07 PM BST
Former McLaren driver and world champion Jenson Button on Sky
“We saw the pace when he was catching Sainz, very impressive. Obviously, the Safety Car helped a bit but he was in the fight anyway.
“I’m very proud of him. It’s been a long time coming. Lovely to see him on the top step. Lando didn’t make any mistakes. “
11:00 PM BST
What a moment!
Lando on the top step for the very first time in F1 🥺🇬🇧🥇 pic.twitter.com/QaFS3KsTBd
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:59 PM BST
What an image!
Moments like these are what make this sport special🧡🙌#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/eyskCUmPJY
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
10:59 PM BST
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella speaking to Sky
“Most important is the victory for Lando because he deserves it SO much. We have always said, as soon as we give him the right material, he will make it and he made it.
“I know what kind of work is behind this. It’s so deserved for the McLaren team. I hope everyone enjoys this moment. This victory is for Gil de Ferran (former McLaren sporting director).”
10:55 PM BST
The thoughts of Charles Leclerc
“It was very tricky at the start. Checo was on my inside. I didn’t get a very good start, as soon as I left, I had wheelspin. I saw Checo on the right but there was very little grip, so he locked up.
“I thought we would all crash but unfortunately for everybody we all got out of the first corner. Then it was all about trying to focus on ourselves. But today, again, we were missing a little bit of pace.
“We did our best but the timing of the Safety Car wasn’t great for us and we had the oldest tyres. But we managed everything quite well and P3 was the best we could do and we are satisfied with that.”
10:52 PM BST
Quotes from Max Verstappen
“You win, you lose. I think we’re all used to that in racing, right? Today was just a bit tricky. I think already on the mediums, it didn’t feel fantastic. We were pulling away but not like it should be and once we made the pit stop and I heard the lap times the McLarens were doing, I was like, ‘wow, that’s pretty quick.
“Once they switched onto the hard tyre, they just had more pace, and especially Lando, he was flying. It was incredibly difficult for us on that stint, but if a bad day is P2, I take it. I’m very happy for Lando. It’s been a long time coming and it’s not going to be his last one, so he definitely deserves it today.
“I mean understeer, oversteer, just very low grip on four wheels, and that’s something that we have to understand. They came with an upgrade. For sure it looks like it works, right? So we have a bit of work to do from our side. I think definitely it wasn’t our strongest weekend in terms of race pace, but we’ll analyse it all and we’ll try to come back stronger from it.
10:51 PM BST
Lando crowd surfs
A PAPAYA PARTY! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/B6FdepZtdT
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:50 PM BST
The thoughts of Lando Norris
“About time! What a race. It’s been a long time coming. Finally I’ve managed to do it. I’m so happy for my whole team. I finally delivered for them. Long day, tough race. Finally on top, so I’m over the moon.
“The whole weekend has been good. I’ve had some little setbacks along the way but I knew on Friday we had the pace. Just a couple mistakes here and there. Today we managed to put it together. We did the perfect strategy and it all paid off. Thanks to McLaren, everyone. I’ll give a shout out to my mum and dad of course.”
On his message for McLaren:
“I’m just proud. A lot of people doubted me along the way. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over my last five years in my short career but today we put it altogether.
“This is all for the team. I stuck with McLaren because I could believe in them and do believe in them. Today we proved exactly that.”
10:48 PM BST
Norris pays tribute to his family
"Thanks Mum, thanks Dad, this one's for my Grandma" 🧡 pic.twitter.com/BwziAALSyt
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:46 PM BST
Lando wins
10:44 PM BST
Top 10
Lando Norris
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
Sergio Perez
Lewis Hamilton
Yuki Tsunoda
George Russell
Fernando Alonso
Esteban Ocon
10:43 PM BST
Race winner
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:42 PM BST
Lando’s team radio
"I LOVE YOU ALL" 🥹🧡
Lando Norris. Formula 1 race winner. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/WM76RYG7P1— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:38 PM BST
Top five
Lando Norris
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
Sergio Perez
10:37 PM BST
McLaren celebrate Lando’s maiden F1 win
LANDO NORRIS IS A FORMULA 1 RACE WINNER!
LANDO WINS THE #MIAMIGP!!! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/1wOzrE5vdf— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️
LANDO WINS‼️— McLaren (@McLarenF1) May 5, 2024
10:34 PM BST
Lando Norris wins
You beaty Lando! He comes home to win the Miami Grand Prix to take his first win in Formula One! The first of many!
"LANDO HAS LANDED!"
LANDO NORRIS WINS THE MIAMI GP! 🟠🏆 pic.twitter.com/IPqm6y9A2n— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
LANDO NORRIS TAKES HIS FIRST-EVER RACE WIN IN MIAMI! 🎊🥇 pic.twitter.com/EMiypvYAmI
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:33 PM BST
Final lap
Lando has just one lap remaining. You can do it Lando. He has over seven seconds on Verstappen.
10:31 PM BST
Lap 55 of 57- Lando closing on
Norris is nearly seven seconds clear of Verstappen and he is getting closer and closer to his maiden win in F1. Keep going Lando!
10:29 PM BST
Lap 54 of 57- Albon goes deep
Ricciardo is putting Albon under pressure for 15th and into turn 11 Albon locks up and goes way too deep, losing numerous places.
Piastri has been told on his team radio that with Lando in the lead not to cause a safety car by taking too big a risk with an overtake.
"Oscar reminder Lando is leading the race, we do not want to cause a safety car here" 📻😅
The two Aussies battling it out on track! 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/Y36GMq0HJX— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:27 PM BST
Lap 53 of 57- five laps to go
There are just five laps remaining. Here are the current top five with gaps:
Norris Interval
Verstappen +6.4
Leclerc +2.6
Sainz +2.6
Perez +3.3
10:25 PM BST
Lap 51 of 57- nerves in the McLaren garage
A glimpse into the McLaren garage shows some nerves with Lando just over five laps away from a first win in F1. Come on Lando! Everyone is cheering on Lando and it will be such a popular win. Lando’s lead over Verstappen is now over six seconds.
Some nervous faces in the McLaren garage 🫣🟠 pic.twitter.com/fp6UQpVRtn
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:22 PM BST
Lap 50 of 57- Investigation after the race
The stewards are going to investigate the incident between Sainz and Piastri after the race.
10:19 PM BST
Lap 48 of 57- Lando flying
Norris is just 10 laps away from his first win in F1. His lead over Verstappen is now over five seconds. This is a phenomenal performance from Lando.
TEN LAPS TO GO!
The lead gap is 5 seconds between Norris and Verstappen! ⬆️#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/ThUFiugdIL— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
10:16 PM BST
Lap 46 of 57- Top five with gaps
Norris Interval
Verstappen +4.5
Leclerc +2.4
Sainz +3.5
Perez +2.4
10:13 PM BST
Lap 44 of 57- Norris out in front
Norris is driving brilliantly in his quest for a first win in Formula One. He is now nearly four seconds ahead of Verstappen.
10:10 PM BST
Lap 41 of 57- Sainz and Piastri make contact
They have been fighting hard for the last few laps and Sainz gets past Piastri into turn 17. Sainz goes deep and there is a small amount of contact between Piastri’s front wing and Sainz’s rear wheel. Piastri gets back past Sainz with DRS down the main straight but Piastri goes deep so Sainz takes fourth back.
Piastri has damage to the front wing and is overtaken by Perez and Hamilton into turn 11. Piastri is forced into the pits to change his front wing. As we are not long after the safety car, Piastri drops to the back. Such bad luck for Piastri.
Carlos Sainz SQUEEZES his way through on Oscar Piastri 😲
The McLaren has front-wing damage from the clash 💥 pic.twitter.com/LGG6mCHCMG— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
10:03 PM BST
Lap 37 of 57- Lando two seconds ahead of Max
Norris is driving superbly here and sets a new fastest lap of the race. He is now two seconds ahead of Verstappen and has the advantage of younger tyres.
Behind Sainz has been calling over the team radio for Piastri to give him the position after the battle at turn 11 but rightly so the stewards have decided no further investigation is necessary.
10:00 PM BST
Lap 34 of 57- Battle between Piastri and Sainz
Sainz tries to go around the outside of Piastri at turn 11 but the Australian holds firm. Norris has got more than a second ahead of Verstappen so has crucially got out of the DRS range.
09:58 PM BST
Lap 34 of 57- Top five
Norris
Verstappen
Leclerc
Piastri
Sainz
09:56 PM BST
Lap 33 of 57- green flag
We are back racing. Norris stays ahead of Verstappen into turn one.
Into turn 11 Leclerc looks like he is going for an audacious move up the inside of Verstappen but he pulls out as he is not close enough.
Lando Norris LEADS the Miami Grand Prix and we get back underway in the 305! 🤯🟠 pic.twitter.com/DQB3mLklHn
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
09:54 PM BST
Lap 32 of 57- Magnussen penalty
K-Mag received plenty of penalties during the sprint yesterday and he now has a 10-second penalty for that crash with Sargeant.
The safety car is coming in at the end of this lap.
09:51 PM BST
Lap 30 of 57- Norris keeps lead
The safety car has come at a brilliant moment for Norris and McLaren as he comes in and out still in first place.
09:49 PM BST
Lap 29 of 57- Safety car
Sargeant and Magnussen have collided in turn three which brings out the safety car. The McLaren pit crew are out for Norris but he has gone past the pits. Crucially for him he gets past the Safety Car before it emerges from the pits so this could be massive for Norris.
THE SAFETY CAR IS OUT! ⚠
Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant collide! Thankfully both drivers are okay 💥😲 pic.twitter.com/0XE1CIOS3s— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
09:47 PM BST
Lap 28 of 57- Piastri and Sainz pits
The current top two both come into the pits so Norris inherits the lead. Verstappen is up into second and Leclerc in third. Piastri’s tyres are nearly 10 laps younger than Leclerc’s.
09:45 PM BST
Lap 27 of 57- Top five
Piastri Interval
Sainz +2.7
Norris +1.6
Verstappen +11.0 (one stop)
Leclerc +3.0 (one stop)
09:42 PM BST
Lap 25 of 57- Lando flying
Norris has just set a new fastest lap of the race and is now just over two seconds behind Sainz, who is just under three seconds behind current race leader Piastri.
09:41 PM BST
Lap 24 of 57- Verstappen pits
The Dutchman comes in just after the VSC ended and changes to the hard tyre. He was worried about his front wing after hitting the bollard but Red Bull do not change the front wing. Piastri inherits the race lead as Verstappen is now in fourth after his stop.
09:40 PM BST
Lap 23 of 57- Virtual Safety Car
Verstappen has to cut the chicane at turn 15 as he gets out of shape and he hits the bollard. The virtual safety car comes out to pick up the debris that was on the track. But it does not last long so the frontrunners do not have the time to come into the pits under the VSC. A few of the runners further down like Fernando Alonso do come in though.
Max Verstappen hits a bollard! 😮🚧 pic.twitter.com/zNRFEhUMxE
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
09:34 PM BST
Lap 20 of 57- Norris chasing Sainz
Now that Norris has got free air, he has got permission from his team to go after Sainz. The gap between Sainz in fourth and Norris in fifth is four and a half seconds.
Ferrari have brought Leclerc into the pits to put the hard tyre on. He comes back out onto the track in sixth, just ahead of Russell crucially for Ferrari.
A 1.9 second stop for Ferrari and Charles Leclerc! ⏱🔴 pic.twitter.com/Jhuj5t4puY
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
09:31 PM BST
Lap 18 of 57- Perez dives into the pits
Red Bull bring Perez in, with Norris putting him under huge pressure. Norris is therefore sent into free air whilst Perez comes out in tenth place on the hard tyre.
LAP 18 / 57
Perez is the first among the front-runners to bail for the pit lane - he switches to the Hard tyres 🛞#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/vaiGqWCZji— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
09:27 PM BST
Lap 16 of 57- Piastri keeping up with Verstappen
Red Bull have told Verstappen to pick up the pace as Piastri is around three seconds behind the current race leader, showing good pace.
His teammate Norris is putting Perez under pressure for fifth place.
09:23 PM BST
Lap 13 of 57- more stops
It seems unlikely a number of drivers will be able to execute a one-stop as Hulkenberg and Gasly are the latest to change tyres, onto the hards.
09:21 PM BST
Lap 12 of 57- pit-stops triggered
That Albon stop has set of a chain reaction as Stroll, Sargeant and Bottas all come in to change tyres.
Meanwhile Russell has got past Hulkenberg into turn 11 and he is up into eighth place.
LAP 12 / 57
Now the other Mercedes clears Hulkenberg's Haas!
A bold dive to the inside at T17 and Russell heads off after his team-mate.#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/R1mxzHwmrs— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
09:21 PM BST
Lap 11 of 57- first stop of the race
We are only just over ten laps into the race but we have the first pit-stop in the shape of Williams’ Alex Albon. We think it will be a one-stop race but Albon will have to take his hard tyres nearly 50 laps.
09:19 PM BST
Lap 10 of 57- Top ten
Verstappen
Piastri
Leclerc
Sainz
Perez
Norris
Hamilton
Hulkenberg
Russell
Tsunoda
LAP 11 / 57
Ten trips around this Miami circuit in the books! ✅
Here's the order as things stand 👇#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/MUh9M5UTCv— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
09:17 PM BST
Lap 9 of 57- No punishment for Perez
The stewards have decided that there is no further investigation necessary for Perez regarding a possible false start.
09:16 PM BST
Lap 8 of 57- Hulkenberg back past Hamilton
Lewis had plenty of fights with a Haas yesterday in the sprint in the shape of Magnussen and he is fighting with Hulkenberg at the moment. Hulkenberg has re-passed Hamilton after a huge lock-up by Lewis at turn 17.
09:14 PM BST
Lap 7 of 57- Perez under investigation
The Mexican is currently being investigated for a potential false start.
Carlos Sainz has told his team he believes Perez should be receiving a penalty for flying up the inside of turn one on the opening lap. Yesterday in the sprint Hamilton did exactly the same but the stewards decided not to penalise Hamilton.
Talking of Lewis, he has just got past Hulkenberg into turn 11 and into seventh place.
"Nearly just had a big crash there" 📻😲
It got CLOSE between Lewis and Nico 🫣 pic.twitter.com/8hSIGZpDbN— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
09:10 PM BST
Lap 5 of 57- Piastri gets past Leclerc
Piastri gets DRS down the back straight and into turn 17 he gets the move done on Leclerc. The Ferrari driver does get DRS down the main straight but Piastri holds onto second place.
LAP 5 / 57
Piastri sends it for second! 📨
The McLaren dispatches Leclerc and leaves the Ferrari the clutches of his team-mate! #F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/7mpJen9psU— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
09:09 PM BST
Lap 4 of 57- Piastri putting Leclerc under pressure
Verstappen is over a second ahead of Leclerc so the Monagasque does not have DRS, but behind him Piastri does. This has been a terrific start from Piastri, who started sixth.
09:06 PM BST
Lap 2 of 57- Hulkenberg gets past Hamilton
The seven-time world champion is under pressure in the early stages as he is on the slower hard tyres. Hulkenberg goes around the outside of Hamilton at turn one and gets the move done. He is up into seventh place.
09:05 PM BST
Lap 1 of 57- Piastri up to third
Verstappen holds first after a good start and Leclerc is unable to put pressure. There is a huge lock-up from Perez, who nearly goes piling into the back of his teammate. Piastri is the one who makes major gains as he is up from sixth to third. Super start from the Australian.
IT'S LIGHTS OUT IN MIAMI 🚥
It's a HUGE lock up for Sergio Perez at the first corner! 😲👇 pic.twitter.com/K0dLaiRW6g— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
09:03 PM BST
Lights out
We are under way in Miami.
09:01 PM BST
Formation lap
We are expecting a one-stop race today. Most drivers are starting on the mediums, but the only driver in the top ten who is not is Lewis Hamilton, who starts on the hard tyres. We have a few hard and soft tyres towards the back of the grid.
The drivers are now making their way around on the formation lap. We are just moments away from lights out.
08:55 PM BST
Five minute klaxon
The many, many celebrities on the grid are going to have to get off the track to make way for the main attraction. We are just five minutes away from lights out in Miami.
08:52 PM BST
Starting grid
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
Sergio Perez
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Nico Hulkenberg
Yuki Tsunoda
Lance Stroll
Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon
Alex Albon
Fernando Alonso
Valtteri Bottas
Logan Sargeant
Kevin Magnussen
Zhou Guanyu
Daniel Ricciardo
08:47 PM BST
1978 World Champion Mario Andretti speaking to Sky about his hopes of Andretti getting onto the grid
“All I can say is that we’re working every day on it. We’re ready to meet whatever challenge there is Just tell us what, and we’re in. We’re preparing in every possible way and our intention is to be on the grid in 2026.
“Absolutely, 100 per cent. We’re working on it already. Come to Silverstone, we’ll show you.
“That was because of Formula 1 had an exhibition of Red Bull at the Pennsylvania Avenue and members of congress knew more than I ever thought about our plight, so they asked me to come there and explain why we’re not allowed yet. So that was the case.”
08:42 PM BST
Lights out in just under 20 minutes
The countdown to lights out in Miami continues... 👀#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/HX7C9TGyI7
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
08:40 PM BST
Brundle chatting to Cabello on the grid
The stars are out in Miami and here is Sky’s Martin Brundle speaking to popstar Camila Cabello.
"If I may be so bold and call you 'Señorita'?" 💃🎶
"Wow, you know your stuff!" 😂
Martin Brundle and Camila Cabello, the duo we didn't know we needed! pic.twitter.com/AI3NskV1wm— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
08:19 PM BST
More stars in Miami
08:15 PM BST
Lando Norris speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the race
“I’m confident. The car has been good all weekend. The results have been up and down but the team have done a great job. I’m confident we can get some good points today.
“The wind picking up is not good for us. These hot conditions are not in our favour but we are in a good position. We are fifth but were two tenths off pole. We can still do something and we’ve got two cars to use.”
08:11 PM BST
Max Verstappen talking to Sky Sports
What are Max Verstappen's goals in F1 now? 👀🥅 pic.twitter.com/oXcJl6d9SM
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
"Why would you want to leave when you're already in the best position?"
Max Verstappen on the possibility of moving to another team 👀💬 pic.twitter.com/j0UPNbL3HM— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 5, 2024
08:04 PM BST
Starting grid for Grand Prix
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Carlos Sainz
Sergio Perez
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
George Russell
Lewis Hamilton
Nico Hulkenberg
Yuki Tsunoda
Lance Stroll
Pierre Gasly
Esteban Ocon
Alex Albon
Fernando Alonso
Valtteri Bottas
Logan Sargeant
Kevin Magnussen
Zhou Guanyu
Daniel Ricciardo
08:00 PM BST
Trump everywhere
07:56 PM BST
Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh in attendance
07:54 PM BST
Drivers arriving in Miami
Style? ✅ Smiles? ✅
Checking in at Hard Rock Stadium on race day 📍#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/4DuZoIQznh— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2024
07:50 PM BST
Celebrities out in force
Will.i.am and Camila Cabello are two of many celebrities in attendance in Miami. But you feel most of the attention will be on Donald Trump.
07:37 PM BST
Preview
As has been the case at every Grand Prix so far this season, Max Verstappen will start on pole for today’s Miami Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver secured his seventh straight pole position, dating back into last season, and he made it six poles out of six to start the 2024 season. Despite taking pole, Verstappen was not entirely happy with his car.
“We definitely improved the car a bit,” Verstappen said. “I don’t know what it is, every single year we come here, I find it extremely difficult to be consistent with the car feeling, the tyre feeling over one lap. It’s super hard to make sure that Sector 1 feels good, then Sector 3 at the end of the lap. To make that happen together is incredibly tough.
“Again today, it was about finding that balance. I think we did OK. It wasn’t the most enjoyable lap of my career because of how slippery it is and you’re not very confident on the lap. But we are on pole, and that’s the most important thing.”
Verstappen’s seven straight poles takes him to within one of Ayrton Senna’s all-time record of eight. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start on the front-row alongside Verstappen, which mirrors the front row from the sprint yesterday. Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz starts in third with Sergio Perez fourth. The McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri line up alongside each other on the third row. They are followed by the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the fourth row, with Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top ten. Both Aston Martins failed to get out of Q2.
Before qualifying took place yesterday, we had the sprint which Verstappen won from sprint pole ahead of Leclerc. Norris and Stroll had to retire after an incident at turn one which also involved Fernando Alonso and Hamilton. Mercedes failed to score a point in the sprint as Hamilton received a 20-second penalty for a pitlane infringement.
The race gets under way at 9pm BST. Strap yourselves in for some fun in the Miami sun.