Oscar Piastri was the fastest in the first and only free practice for the Miami GP. The first race weekend on American soil is once again characterized by the sprint format. As a result, the drivers only have one hour to prepare for the upcoming sprint qualification. Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull are showing speed at the Miami Autodrome. Max Verstappen, in his first session as a father, records the third-fastest time.
The talk of the day in the paddock was Max Verstappen skipping his media obligations in Miami this week to be with his girlfriend. Naturally, this fueled speculation that the heavily pregnant Kelly Piquet was about to give birth. On Friday, the new parents confirmed the news that their daughter Lily was born in good health. Verstappen arrived in the paddock as a father in the morning, although, as usual, he was primarily focused on the upcoming Miami GP.
Back to FP1. Because the drivers only get one practice session leading up to the Miami GP, it’s crucial that they make good use of their time on the track. No mistakes, then. This is something that McLaren and Red Bull haven’t quite understood yet. Lando Norris complains about loose tools in the cockpit in the first lap. When he re-enters the pit lane, he throws out a flashlight and another device from the car. Yuki Tsunoda is also uncomfortable in his RB21 – the Japanese driver has to sit out a large part of FP1 because he notices in the first lap that his seat is set too high.
Mercedes Shows Strength
In the initial phase of the free practice, Mercedes demonstrates its strength. A lightning-fast George Russell dominates the time charts, with teammate Kimi Antonelli closely following. Williams also makes — for what it’s worth — good progress in this training hour for the Miami GP; both Carlos Sainz Jr and Alexander Albon secure a spot in the top five. Is the Mercedes engine turned up for this session? We can only speculate.
Max Verstappen takes it easy. For the majority of the session, his lap times are good enough for the bottom of the top ten. With fifteen minutes left on the clock, several teams switch to the softest tires. Sainz and Albon take the lead in the time charts, in that order. Max Verstappen follows later, also on the red tires. However, Oscar Piastri quickly flexes his McLaren muscles and surpasses him by over four-tenths. With five minutes left on the clock, Oliver Bearman provides some spectacle — he loses the rear of his car and hits the wall, relatively gently. This brings the session to an end, even before many drivers can complete their fast laps. At 21:30 UTC, they can immediately start qualifying.
