Max Verstappen delivered a remarkable performance at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, climbing from ninth on the grid to secure victory in the Grand Prix.
This win puts him on equal footing with Sebastian Vettel’s 38 victories with Red Bull Racing.
Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Pérez, finished in second place, making it a double victory for Red Bull Racing in Florida.
Fernando Alonso took third place, achieving his fourth podium of the season.
George Russell managed to limit the damage for Mercedes by securing fourth place, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in fifth place.
Lewis Hamilton finished in sixth place, ahead of the other Ferrari driven by Charles Leclerc.
Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finished in eighth and ninth place, respectively, with Kevin Magnussen rounding out the top 10.
Great start for Pérez
Sergio Pérez had a perfect start, maintaining his lead ahead of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.
Kevin Magnussen lost the most at the start, being overtaken by Pierre Gasly, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc.
By the end of the first lap, Max Verstappen was still in ninth place.
The big winner at the start was Oscar Piastri, who gained five positions (P14).
By the fourth lap, Magnussen and Verstappen had each managed to pass Leclerc’s Ferrari.
On the eighth lap, Verstappen overtook George Russell in Turn 17, moving into fifth place behind Gasly.
The next lap, the Dutch driver repeated the maneuver on Gasly, securing fourth place in the Grand Prix.
Battle between Pérez and Verstappen
After just 16 laps, Max Verstappen appeared in Sergio Pérez’s rearview mirror. Pérez, wearing medium tires, was on a different strategy than his teammate, who was on hard tires.
Verstappen was lapping seven-tenths faster each lap. On the 21st lap, Pérez relinquished the lead to Verstappen and headed for the pits to switch to hard tires.
Carlos Sainz, who was performing well, received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Halfway through the race, Verstappen led the Grand Prix with Pérez, Esteban Ocon (0 Stops), Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz following behind. Charles Leclerc‘s Ferrari was in 13th place.
Verstappen’s victory in Miami
Verstappen was called to the pits on the 46th lap. The Red Bull driver returned to the track just behind Sergio Pérez.
A real battle between the two teammates and rivals seemed imminent. Verstappen wasted no time and passed Pérez on the first corner of the 48th lap. Lance Stroll, driving his Aston Martin, made an impressive comeback as well.
Lewis Hamilton, who started in 13th place, finally found his rhythm in his Mercedes. The seven-time world champion overtook Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari with just three laps remaining in the race.
In the end, Max Verstappen crossed the finish line in first place, followed by Sergio Pérez and the ever-persistent Fernando Alonso.
| P | Driver | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 26 | |
| 2 | Sergio Pérez | +5.3 | 18 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | +26.3 | 15 |
| 4 | George Russell | +33.2 | 12 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | +42.5 | 10 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | +51.2 | 8 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | +52.9 | 6 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | +55.6 | 4 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | +58.1 | 2 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | +62.9 | 1 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | +64.3 | |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | +64.7 | |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | +71.6 | |
| 14 | Alexander Albon | +72.8 | |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | +74.9 | |
| 16 | Guanyu Zhou | +78.4 | |
| 17 | Lando Norris | +87.7 | |
| 18 | Nyck de vries | +88.9 | |
| 19 | Oscar Piastri | +1T | |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant | +1T |
