Max Verstappen fastest in 2024 Miami GP practice, Leclerc spins

MIAMI — Cars are officially on the track and going at it in anger here in Miami as the first and only practice session of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix weekend just wrapped up. We’re on the ground, too, bringing you coverage of what’s going on here live from Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. It’s going to be busy, as Miami hosts its first Sprint race this year.

Max Verstappen put in the fastest lap of the session with a 1:28.595, followed by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz by about a tenth of a second.

The brutally humid and windy practice session was cut short for the whole grid thanks to Charles Leclerc spinning his red and blue Ferrari – running a Miami-specific livery – right toward the start of the session, but thankfully avoiding any real damage. It was rolled away, and Leclerc is now on the back foot with very little knowledge gained from the running.

The McLarens brought big upgrades to Miami this weekend in hopes of closing the gap to Red Bull. Things didn’t start off well as Norris went out and immediately returned to the pit lane, noting a steering issue. We won’t know where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are truly stacking up until Sprint Qualifying later today, but Piastri’s second-place in practice is at least promising. That said, Norris only managed to put his McLaren in 16th, and his car is carrying even more extensive upgrade than Piastri’s.

The weekend’s been full of interesting sound bites so far, too. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was queried about potentially working with Adrian Newey at Ferrari and said it would be “a privilege.”

“Adrian has got such a great history and track record,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “He’s obviously done an amazing job through his career and engaging with teams and the knowledge he has. I think he would be an amazing addition.”

Verstappen’s been relatively quiet as it concerns comments on Newey, but this practice session was a struggle for him as he dealt with some car setup issues. Of course, Red Bull seemed to sort things out, helping Max set the fastest time of the session.

And lastly, hometown driver Logan Sargeant finished 18th fastest in practice, but pressures continue to mount as Mercedes continues testing with up-and-comer Kimi Antonelli.