Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen denied Ferrari from claiming victory on Sunday at the inaugural Formula One Miami Grand Prix, which served as round five of the 2022 season and was held at the new Miami International Autodrome wrapping around the Hard Rock Stadium complex.
Verstappen managed to hold off a late attack from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to claim victory, with Leclerc then crossing the finish line approximately 3.7 seconds back. Fellow Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz was third across the line, finishing about 8 seconds behind the winner.
Leclerc started the race on pole and had the support of Sainz who also started on the front row, but a fast moving Verstappen was able to overtake Sainz on the outside of Turn 1 on the first lap. Verstappen then chased Leclerc, finally getting his chance to overtake with a DRS boost on lap nine.
Verstappen then remained in control of the race until a lap 41 crash between AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris brought out the safety car. The race resumed on lap 47, with Verstappen still in the lead but struggling to build a gap with Leclerc. However, Leclerc couldn't capitalize on this and had to settle for second.
Miami International Autodrome, home of the Formula One Miami Grand Prix
Behind them, Sainz was struggling to hold back Red Bull's Sergio Perez. Perez attempted an overtake maneuver on 52 and managed to get in front but locked up and narrowly avoided contact with the Ferrari man who was able to jump back into third and hold it to the finish.
Perez crossed the line fourth, ahead of Mercedes-Benz AMG's George Russell finishing fifth after, thanks to fresher tires, passing teammate Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps. It was yet another impressive performance from Russell who started the race at 11th on the grid.
There were few other dramas, though Haas' Kevin Magnussen was forced to retire after contact with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. Fellow Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel also had to retire after contact with Haas' Mick Schumacher.
After the weekend's action, Leclerc remains in the lead of the 2022 Drivers' Championship with 104 points. Verstappen is second with 85 points and Perez is third with 66 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari leads with 157 points, versus the 151 of Red Bull and 95 of Mercedes. The next race on the calendar is the Spanish Grand Prix in a fortnight.
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen at the 2022 Formula One Miami Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2022 Formula One Miami Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +3.786 seconds
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +8.229 seconds
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +10.638 seconds
5) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +18.582 seconds
6) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +21.368 seconds
7) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +25.073 seconds
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +28.386 seconds
9) Alexander Albon, Williams +32.365 seconds
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +37.026 seconds
11) Fernando Alonso, Alpine +37.128 seconds
12) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +40.146 seconds
13) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +40.902 seconds
14) Nicholas Latifi, Williams +49.936 seconds
15) Mick Schumacher, Haas +73.305 seconds
16) Kevin Magnussen, Haas - DNF
17) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin - DNF
NC) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri - DNF
NC) Lando Norris, McLaren - DNF
NC) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo - DNF
