Results & Report 2024 Miami Formula 1 Sprint
Event: Miami Grand Prix
Track: Miami International Autodrome
Weather: 28.8°C, sunny and dry
Tarmac: 43.4°C, dry
Humidity: 58.0%
Wind: 8.6 km/h South
Verstappen Wins Action-Packed 2024 Miami F1 Sprint
Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Sprint, finishing ahead of Charles Leclerc and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez after 19 laps around the Miami International Autodrome.
Behind the leading trio, Daniel Ricciardo produced one of his strongest performances of the season to finish fourth, while an opening-lap collision eliminated Lando Norris and Lance Stroll and triggered an early Safety Car.
Verstappen Starts from Pole
Verstappen started from pole after narrowly beating Leclerc in Sprint Qualifying, with Perez third and Ricciardo an impressive fourth for RB.
Carlos Sainz lined up fifth ahead of Oscar Piastri, while the Aston Martins of Stroll and Fernando Alonso started seventh and eighth. Norris was ninth and Nico Hülkenberg completed the top 10.
Most of the field started on medium tyres, while Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant opted for softs.
Chaos at Turn 1
Verstappen defended aggressively from Leclerc on the run into Turn 1, while Perez attempted to attack around the outside. The Mexican ran wide, allowing Ricciardo to move into third.
Further back, Hamilton attempted to move down the inside of Alonso into Turn 1. Contact between the pair pushed Alonso into teammate Stroll, who was then sent into Norris.
Norris was eliminated immediately, while Stroll returned to the pits and retired with damage. Alonso continued after stopping for a replacement front wing.
The debris left by the incident brought out the Safety Car. The stewards reviewed the Turn 1 collisions but decided that no further action was required.
Ricciardo Holds Third After Restart
At the restart, Verstappen retained the lead ahead of Leclerc, with Ricciardo third and Perez fourth.
Perez quickly began pressuring Ricciardo and used DRS to pass the RB driver into Turn 11 on Lap 5.
Ricciardo nevertheless remained highly competitive and spent the remainder of the Sprint defending fourth place from Sainz and Piastri.
Verstappen Controls the Lead
Verstappen gradually increased his advantage over Leclerc after the Safety Car despite reporting balance problems and a lack of rear grip to Red Bull.
Leclerc remained comfortably ahead of Perez but was unable to get close enough to challenge Verstappen for the lead.
The Dutchman eventually crossed the line 3.371 seconds ahead of the Ferrari to claim maximum Sprint points.
Ricciardo Holds Off Sainz and Piastri
One of the strongest performances of the Sprint came from Ricciardo.
The Australian spent much of the race under intense pressure from Sainz and Piastri but defended successfully to secure fourth place and five championship points for RB.
Sainz finished just 0.251 seconds behind in fifth, with Piastri another 0.528 seconds back in sixth.
Hülkenberg completed a strong Sprint for Haas by finishing seventh.
Magnussen and Hamilton Battle for the Final Point
The most controversial battle of the Sprint involved Magnussen and Hamilton as they fought over the final points-paying positions.
Magnussen repeatedly defended against the Mercedes driver and received three separate 10-second penalties for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage.
The Haas driver also received an additional five-second penalty for repeated track-limit infringements, giving him a total of 35 seconds in time penalties.
Magnussen later acknowledged that he had used aggressive tactics while attempting to protect teammate Hülkenberg's position further up the road.
Hamilton Loses P8 After Pit-Lane Penalty
Hamilton eventually cleared Magnussen and passed Tsunoda to cross the line in eighth position.
However, the Mercedes driver was subsequently penalised for speeding in the pit lane while the field passed through during the early Safety Car period.
Hamilton was recorded at 90.7 km/h against the 80 km/h limit and received a drive-through penalty, which was converted into a 20-second time penalty because it was imposed near the end of the Sprint.
The penalty dropped Hamilton to 16th in the final classification and promoted Tsunoda to eighth, giving RB a double points finish.
Ocon Penalised Before the Start
There was drama even before the Sprint began when Esteban Ocon and Leclerc made contact while leaving the pit lane.
Ocon was released into the path of the Ferrari and damaged his front wing in the collision. The Alpine driver received a 10-second time penalty for the unsafe release.
He eventually finished 15th after serving the penalty during the early Safety Car period.
Verstappen Takes Miami Sprint Victory
Verstappen crossed the line ahead of Leclerc and Perez to claim his second Sprint victory of the 2024 season.
Ricciardo secured fourth ahead of Sainz and Piastri, while Hülkenberg finished seventh and Tsunoda inherited the final point following Hamilton's penalty.
The result gave RB an important double points finish and represented Ricciardo's best result of the season up to that point.
Classification 2024 Miami F1 Sprint
Penalties:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes #44 – drive-through penalty converted to a 20-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas #20 – three 10-second time penalties for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage, plus a five-second penalty for repeated track-limit infringements.
Fastest lap: 1:30.415 min by Max Verstappen, Red Bull RB20 #1 on Lap 4 @ 215.486 km/h.
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