Verstappen Pips Leclerc to Miami GP F1 Victory as Hamilton Fails to Defend Against Feisty Russell

Max Verstappen, after what was yet another breathtaking battle with childhood F1 rival, Charles Leclerc, clinched his third race victory of the year at the Miami Grand Prix. Behind the two hard-racing rivals arrived Carlos Sainz, completing a strong double podium for Ferrari. But, will they be happy enough with the result?

Absolutely not! Verstappen is getting closer and closer to the Monegasque and it could only be a matter of races before the Dutchman finds his way past Leclerc in the championship.

How the F1 race unfolded

Race start at the Miami GP

Leclerc enjoyed a decent getaway and so did Verstappen as the Dutchman managed to make an incredible move on Sainz, pushing the Ferrari down to P3. It was a misery-ridden start for Hamilton as well who ended up losing multiple positions including a spot to former rival, Alonso. The other Mercedes of Russell fell down the grid into P15, setting up one of the worst starts for the defending champions.

Formula One F1 – Miami Grand Prix – Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, U.S. – May 8, 2022 General view at the start of the race REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Nevertheless, Hamilton, with the damage dealt after the battle with Alonso, began his quest for the podium. The Briton jumped a position by pulling off an impressive move on Alonso followed by another on Gasly. Meanwhile, another heartbreak for rookie, Zhou, as the Chinese driver’s race only lasted for a mere 8 laps.

On the very next lap, Verstappen blitzed past Leclerc on the main straight, finding himself leading the race for the first time in Miami.

Formula One F1 – Miami Grand Prix – Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, U.S. – May 8, 2022 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in action during the race REUTERS/Brian Snyder

The Monegasque did push his Ferrari hoping to reclaim the lead, but in vain, as Verstappen took full advantage of Red Bull’s mad straight-line speed. Hence, tire strategy turned out to be the only remaining hope for Ferrari to win the Miami GP.

Hard tires fire up as Russel & others gain positions

By lap 22, Russell, who was once down in P15, found himself in P7 barely 13 seconds away from his own teammate. Reason? Well, the tires, obviously! Hamilton’s medium tires were beginning to wear out while Russell’s hard tires were just starting to gain momentum.

Formula One F1 – Miami Grand Prix – Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, U.S. – May 8, 2022 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the pits during the race Pool via REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski

Hence, to keep the seven-time world champion safe enough from other threats, Mercedes opted for a tire switch on lap 24. However, apart from this particular scrap, there weren’t many actions unfolding around the circuit. The only other battle that managed to attract attention was the DRS train between Stroll in P11 and Vettel in P14.

As the excitement began to subside, the clouds managed to up the ante as one of the engineers affirmed that light rain was around the corner.

Lando Norris crashes out of the F1 race

Gasly’s scrappy race managed to get further worse on lap 41 as the Frenchman endured an awful set of corners, losing a couple of positions in the process. However, as Norris attempted to find his way past the struggling Gasly, the duo came together barely meters into the long straight.

While Gasly managed to keep his AlphaTauri going, Norris’ McLaren picked up a rather hefty blow forcing the Briton to retire from the race altogether. Hence, the safety car was out, bunching up the grid yet again and hinting at an exhilarating end to the Miami weekend.

Nail-biting end to Miami GP

The lights went green again on lap 47; Verstappen yet again found himself under immense threat from Leclerc. But, that wasn’t the only battle to keep an eye on as Sainz, after suffering a poor getaway at the safety car restart, found himself under extreme pressure from Perez.

Formula One F1 – Miami Grand Prix – Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, U.S. – May 8, 2022 Mercedes’ George Russell in the pits during the race Pool via REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski

Behind the two battles, there was also the rare battle for position between Hamilton and Russell. Only in the lattermost case, Hamilton ended up yielding his P5 to the much younger and feistier teammate. To add more spice to the weekend, Vettel and Schumacher, came together for the first time which cost Vettel his race and Schumacher his first championship points in F1.

Read More: Nightmare Turn 14 at F1 Miami GP Claims Sainz & Ocon as Victims – The FIA Turn a Blind Eye

But, well, that hardly ever bothered the race leader, Verstappen, as the Dutchman went on to win his third race of the season, closing down the massive championship deficit to Leclerc and re-announcing his return to the title fight.

The post Verstappen Pips Leclerc to Miami GP F1 Victory as Hamilton Fails to Defend Against Feisty Russell appeared first on EssentiallySports.