Beautiful sunny Saturday and red Ferrari on the front row. Leclerc was counted on, but Sainz had been expected for a long time and he did not finish arriving. His solid classification this Saturday, especially taking into account the accident on Friday, scares away any doubt: The Madrid native starts second and aspires to everything in the Miami GP with Verstappen and Checo Pérez behind him. The two Red Bulls seemed to be the benchmark on this circuit full of straights, but when Ferrari pushed, they did what they had to do.
Everything was decided in the decisive attempt of Q3, there Mad Max He started with an advantage. The first round of the three tenors was impressive, Max, Charles and Carlos in less than a tenth. In the second, the Monegasque stood out in the second sector and there the Spanish could no longer catch up with him, he lost two unrecoverable tenths. The surprise was to see Verstappen offside due to an error in the first sector, accusing the oversteer, and a final lap in the garbage. Still, he will fight for victory. Like Perez. Like Leclerc. Like Sainz.
In Q1 Hamilton and Alonso had some trouble, who until the last moment did not save the cut. And that there would only be four eliminated instead of five, because Ocon did not participate in the qualifier. His serious accident in practice forced Alpine to replace the damaged chassis, which could not be repaired in time. In Q2, the Spaniard was 32 thousandths away from saving the bar. His weekend promised training, but the extreme equality in the middle zone sends him to the center of the peloton. He starts eleventh, in front of a Mercedes, Russell’s. The stewards checked if Sainz hindered Fernando in his last attempt, but found nothing that should be sanctioned.
Expectation in Miami
82,500 fans are expected in Miami Gardens, bringing the weekend total to around 240,000. Among the familiar faces, LeBron, Jordan, Beckham, the Williams sisters and countless celebrities who come to Hard Rock Stadium to see and be seen. This grand prix stands as the event of the year on this side of the Atlantic, or so Liberty Media is pursuing. The stands haven’t looked completely packed yet, though seatless attendees crowd every crack around the lanes to feel the speed of Formula 1. hype It is maximum, but the most important thing is still missing to convince North America of the benefits of this sport: a race show.