F1

The Red Bull defending world champion overtook pole-position Charles Leclerc early in the race and held the position to the chequered flag.

33/57 Hamilton is in seventh and George Russell is in fifth. 32/57 Verstappen’s lead over Leclerc is 7.5 seconds, and those two look the likely 1-2 come the end of the race. 42/57 Hamilton is coming in while the safety car is out, and on soft tyres. Leclerc is showing the fastest times around the middle section, and in comes Sainz to change his tyres, having led for barely a lap. 38/57 Verstappen has the fastest lap now, worth an extra point, of course. 41/57 Famous last words from Phil as Lando Norris comes a cropper, and there is a safety car. 51/57 Leclerc continues to chase down Verstappen, who is better round the bends even if the Red Bull has the better on the straight. 46/57 The fans in the stands look a bit perplexed by this safety car malarkey, it’s not the racing they came to see. Verstappen gets a jump on Leclerc as Perez chases Sainz. Is there a yellow flag on the play? Perez in fourth, with the Mercs of Russell and Hamilton in fifth and sixth. 53/57 This is close at the front, and any mistake now would surely decide the outcome. 52/57 Leclerc and Verstappen go at it once more.

Formula 1 drivers have criticised the surface of the new Miami Grand Prix track, leading to Red Bull driver Sergio Perez calling it “a joke.”

So when you come to it, and then they're trying something new with the surface, and something they've not really done before, then I think we end up in a position like we are. So I don't want to lie and say I like the surface.” “You literally have to just stay on that one line,” he said. “There's like rubble out of line, so it's going to be difficult. It's very difficult to race like this.” “It's still very difficult to go offline,” he said.

Max Verstappen edged past Charles Leclerc, and Mercedes had a topsy turvy weekend. But was the track actually successful?

The important thing is that we’re able to race, and I will be able to race as well.” Ocon said on Sunday that he felt “50%” after the race, still feeling the after effects from Saturday’s crash. That was a shame not to see that implemented.” “When the car and tires are in the right window the car, except for the bouncing, feels really good to drive. Sainz and Esteban Ocon crashed in the same turn a day apart from each other, but both said the crash was harder than it should have been. So, I’m just grateful for everyone continuing to keep their heads down and for the amazing hard work that everyone is putting in.” There was improvement in terms of how the team was finishing. George Russell previously highlighted that Imola was “the first weekend where I’ve been truly struggling with my back and, like, chest pains from the severity of the bouncing. With over 20 laps to go, the AlphaTauri star had contact with Fernando Alonso and was running slower. Typically the cause is related to the cars’ aerodynamics. Meanwhile, the Ferrari star appeared to struggle despite running in the top two spots consistently throughout the afternoon, saying at one point “The car is so difficult to drive,” before pitting for hard tires. Weather, including the heat, aside, numerous drivers complained about the track, and Mercedes had a topsy turvy weekend that leaves everyone wondering if they have found a possible fix for the porpoising.

Charles Leclerc hopes upgrades can help Ferrari make a step up at the next Formula 1 race in Spain following defeat to Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand ...

“Today they had the advantage in terms of pace. But it was fun. Speaking after the Miami race, Leclerc said: “We need to we need to keep pushing.

Miami Formula 1 chiefs have vowed to make whatever changes are needed at their track for next year to ensure the race is a success.

And we'll make whatever changes we need to, if we need to, to make the track as good as we can." "But if you can't get out the racing line, you can't pass. But it is a bit of a necessary evil through there to get them to slow down."

A joke”, “not Formula 1 standard” and like it's “wet” off-line – drivers have slammed the surface of Miami's new stadium track.

But it’s a shame. “But in saying that, this isn’t a nice surface to drive on. “It’s not our fault. “It’s basically like driving on a dry line and out of the line is feels like it’s wet – so we need a bit of help there from the race direction.” “There’s nothing we can do. We can’t race.

Things immediately felt different when former American race car driver Willy T. Ribbs was handed the microphone to conduct the post-race top-three interviews.

Once at the podium, Verstappen, Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were handed American football helmets which they were forced to wear. Christian Horner and his wife Geri broke out into a run as they were forced to make the long journey while escorted by police bikes. Next, personnel from Red Bull and Ferrari made a long journey under Hard Rock Stadium to the podium on the other side.

F1 is riding a wave of popularity not seen since the 60s and 70s and the former champion could not be more delighted.

As the shadow of Covid began to fade, F1 discovered a new-found popularity in the US. Andretti could not have been more eager to go back to the track and an invigorated F1 was the tonic. “Nothing equalled to me the closeness of my loss that I have had but I lost some of my closest friends in the sport,” he says. “It was different because of the international aspect and the chance to measure up against the best in the world. “Individuals that I had dinner with the night before and in the next race they were gone. Yet as Andretti found himself alone, the pandemic robbing him of company and of the sport which gave him so much pleasure, he found solace in what racing had already taught him. He raced when F1 in the US was hugely popular, with thousands packing out Watkins Glen and the US often hosting two races a year. F1 is enjoying a new dawn in the Florida sunshine this weekend, the first of two races in the United States this year. He remains the only driver to have won the F1 title, the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. He could not be happier at F1’s American resurgence in the nation that took him in as a child and then took him to their heart. “It will be awesome,” he says with the zeal of a true fan. “My home is much quieter,” he says with a thoughtful honesty that brings a lump to the throat. After he had some heartbreaking personal losses in recent years, F1 at least really feels like it is coming home for the world champion who fell in love with the sport as a teenager.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz says the Formula 1 drivers have petitioned the FIA to clean the Miami Grand Prix track's first corner to reduce the risk of a start ...

"All drivers complained about the lack of grip that there is off-line," he continued. That whole area will make for some interesting side-by-side battles," he said. Williams' head of vehicle performance, Dave Robson, says the drivers back in the pack will have to "accept the lack of grip" off-line at the start in a bid to gain ground.

Miami Formula 1 chiefs have vowed to make whatever changes are needed at their track for next year to ensure the race is a success.

"The surface itself, we're evaluating," he said. But it is a bit of a necessary evil through there to get them to slow down." "And we'll make whatever changes we need to, if we need to, to make the track as good as we can."

Mercedes is trying to figure out the solution to "porpoising," the aerodynamic phenomenon that has affected their Formula 1 race cars this season.

"And that reaction is bouncing the car back up and you hit suction again, you bounce it down, you hit the ground..." "And you just go slow," Russell said. Each season, Formula 1 institutes new rules and regulations for how cars can be constructed, with the goal of eliminating "dirty air" so drivers can race closer to one another.

A machine which was being used to clean the Miami International Autodrome track damaged its surface in two places.

Even at the start it could be very tricky on that inside line, and that outside line of turn one.” “On the racing line it’s not bad grip, it’s reasonable-ish. With this treatment, you increase the level of grip.”

Charles Leclerc hopes upgrades can help Ferrari make a step up at the next Formula 1 race in Spain following defeat to Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand ...

“Today they had the advantage in terms of pace. But it was fun. Speaking after the Miami race, Leclerc said: “We need to we need to keep pushing.

The reigning champion wielded the difficult-to-pass circuit to his advantage to take another bite out of Charles Leclerc's championship lead, winning the race ...

He punted his compatriot off the road and out of the race and dropped himself to 15th after a pit stop for repairs. Also I think Checo had a few issues in the race, so we have to be on top of that. Miami has a 10-year hosting contract, and judging by the scale of the event, you wouldn’t think money is in short supply. The drivers complained about the fiddly slow second sector, but it did force teams to try to strike a set-up compromise, just as the organisers intended. The timing of the stop was confusing given Ricciardo had been losing time to every driver behind him pretty much since Norris stopped. Verstappen has won every race he’s finished this season, and his performance this weekend, particularly defending against Leclerc late, was the kind of assured drive of a world champion. Max Verstappen executed flawlessly on race day to win with the fastest lap, particularly considering he lost so much practice time to an overheating gearbox and a hydraulics problem. He was able to switch off the affected part, but Christian Horner estimated it left him down around 20 kilowatts, muting his charge. Worse still is that Ferrari appears to have lost its small edge on tyre wear, particularly on the softer compounds. “It is going to be a long championship,” he added later. After a series of compounding updates from Red Bull Racing in previous rounds, Ferrari has slowly been losing the upper hand it had earlier in the year. It was an illuminating race despite the paucity of action.

Pierre Gasly says he tried to leave Lando Norris room before their Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix crash, but struggled to steer due to damage sustained in his ...

We were ready to give back the position, but he was on the pitstop at that time, so I have to pay those five seconds.” “I saw some guys passing by, and yeah, in Turn 8, I was turning right, and he came,” Gasly said. I was trying to turn right to give room, and Norris came and clipped my front-left tyre.”

Lewis Hamilton has made clear his frustration over Formula 1's jewellery ban – and suggested that he has no intention of fully complying with it.

“I think what was needed was a dialogue between Lewis and Mohammed,” he said. But that's a part of the lessons we learned.” “When they told me about the jewellery, they were saying safety is everything.

Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C42. Formula 1 World Championship,. Crash.net F1 journalist Connor McDonagh runs through the field's driver ratings ...

Norris’ race ended on Lap 41 after contact with Gasly, who was struggling with damage to his AlphaTauri. Ricciardo endured another difficult weekend as he was knocked out in Q2 whereas teammate Norris qualified inside the top 10. Magnussen ran ahead of teammate Schumacher for much of it but was forced to let him past after the German showed better pace. An early pit stop onto the hards didn’t work out for Tsunoda as he dropped down to 19th in the first half of the race. The Canadian ran solidly but an incident with Magnussen towards the end of the race cost him a shot at the top 10. Ocon was running a solid race but he was fortunate to benefit from the late Safety Car caused by Gasly and Norris’ contact. Hamilton lost out to Gasly and Alonso at the start but within six laps was back behind former teammate Bottas. The seven-time champion couldn’t get close to the Finn and was on for a comfortable sixth. Russell struggled in qualifying as he was knocked out in Q2, securing 12th on the grid. A race of ‘what if’ for Perez after a loss of power on Lap 20 put him out of contention for the podium. The Spaniard once again didn’t have the pace of the leading duo, leaving him in third - his first podium since the second race in Saudi Arabia. Ferrari seemed more suited to the hards as he pressured Verstappen for several laps following the Safety Car but Red Bull’s superior straight-line speed meant he couldn’t get close enough to make a move. From then on, Verstappen controlled the race from the front to claim his third victory of the season to reduce Leclerc’s championship lead.

'I'm not going to do it': Defiant Hamilton set for F1 collision course.

“I got an exemption here and I will get them for the rest of the year. I will wear four watches next time!” Hamilton had worn three watches to an official pre-race news conference on Friday morning. Hamilton said: “This whole safety thing, man.

Charles Leclerc was unable to reassert his authority in the Formula One 2022 world title race with victory in F1's inaugural race around Miami.

To be honest, we’ve had the pace all weekend - qualifying was the anomaly and we were really frustrated to be P18. We benefited from the collisions in front but we were right there catching the cars in front. “But it’s just a bit unfortunate on the safety car and at least we got points today, we’re finishing, reliability is good. The track kind of kinks to the right and I’m going with the flow of the circuit and it didn’t look like he was. This is where we are, behind the Red Bulls and Ferrari. “I really don’t know, in that scenario I have no clue where everyone is. I thought I did what I normally do but it just ended up a silly accident - quite annoyed I guess as we could have scored a few points today but it happens.”

Ferrari believes that the faster Red Bull team will not be able to maintain spending on the aggressive upgrade push that has pulled it ahead in Formula 1.

“Not because of an inability, but because of the budget cap. “We do not have the money to spend for upgrades at each single race,” he said. “As usual I hope that the package we are introducing is working as expected, and in that case can be good, in order to try to catch up the current gap we've got compared to the Red Bull.”

Lewis Hamilton has conceded Mercedes have failed to improve their car over the opening five races of the season after he finished sixth at the Miami GP.

What is the good and what is the bad. “There is potential in the car and she is fast but we just don’t understand how to unlock the potential.” he said. “We have stayed committed to the current concept, we are faithful to the current concept, we are not looking at the lady next door to see if we like it more,” he said. Wolff admitted that even after five races mastering the car remained a dark art and one that he described in a clearly frustrated fashion. A challenge he is taking on the chin as a long season of a further 18 races lies ahead. Hamilton did enjoy an improved qualifying performance, taking sixth and he and teammate George Russell finished sixth and fifth respectively in the race.

DRIVERS 1 – Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing) 2 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)3 – Carlos SAINZ (Ferrari) TRACK INTERVIEWS(Conducted by Willy T Ribbs) Q: Welcome ...

The important thing is that we got a full race in, but at some stages of the race I was pretty quick and also the battles and the feeling with the car in battle with Checo, you know what to do with the battery, with the tyres, I think it gave me a good understanding of what to do in the future. MV: Yeah, I think if I would have been in a go kart, it would be a nice chicane to take, but not in an F1 car like we have at the moment. It's a corner that is just a bit unnatural and it's a corner that I think it can be easily manipulated to look a bit different and create a better combination, you know. But yeah, so it was very important to get a good run out of the chicane and actually also turn 16 onto the straight but of course with the extra top speed we had today that of course also helps. Red Bull are quite quick in a straight; we are quite quick in the medium and high speed – but today I have to say that I was quite surprised that we were struggling quite a bit more than them in the slow speed corners. I think I needed to complete a race distance, to get the body back to shape, and also get the feel for the car on used tyres, high fuel. And it’s a combination of those two things that maybe I was paying a bit the price and at some stages of the race I couldn't push 100 per cent. CL: In a race we need to, especially on the softer compounds, on the Medium, Soft, it seems that it's been already two races that in terms of race pace, they seem to be a bit stronger and managing those tyres better. And also Checo had a few issues in the race, so we have to be on top of that, but clearly there is a lot of potential, we just need to make sure it's reliable. So I was very happy once we always got to the straight because that gave you a bit of air. And luckily, it worked, so then, I just tried to see the pace, of course, Charles in front of me, and I think already from the start, it was very close. Obviously after the crash from Friday, I still had a bit of neck pain going into the race, but I had to manage it and I fought through it, especially with Checo at the end on the Medium tyre, he was very difficult to keep him behind.

Ferrari took pole and a qualifying 1-2 on Saturday but had the lead taken off them within 10 laps by the charging Red Bull of Verstappen.

- 1. Ferrari were already talking about what safety car or sudden weather incidents they would need to stop him. - 3. - 2. - 1. Once he was clear of the Ferraris, only a late safety car caused by Lando Norris’ retirement brought Leclerc back into contention, producing the fastest lap of the race with seven circuits to go and staying within a few metres of Verstappen’s gearbox, but he could not quite find a way past.

Four-time F1 champion is out of contract at the end of the season; Aston is currently second-last in 2022 championship. · After five races, Vettel sits in 15th ...

I think that the fanbase in the US is so big it would be good if we could have another race next year, if we could do three races in the US, that would be a great thing.” And then I think it would be much easier to retain him than if we continue where we are now, or certainly where we have been the first three races of the year. I think the target should be that we finish better than we did last year and we really see a continuation in performance improvement.”

Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel says his collision with Mick Schumacher during Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix 'was stupid for both us'.

When asked if his move was perhaps a tad optimistic, he said: "I don't know. "It was a very unfortunate way to end the race today." "I thought I had the corner and was in front, I didn't expect him. It's obviously super difficult to see things in the rear-view mirrors of these cars," he explained. "It was very, very difficult to overtake. That's what remains," Vettel told Sky. "I'm sorry we're both out [of the points].

Mick Schumacher lost his first Formula 1 points finish in the worst way when he crashed with his close friend Sebastian Vettel in Miami.

He admitted he was “gutted” afterwards but took solace in the “great pace” in the second stint and that he was at least “on the road to getting points”. But Vettel was fully committed to the apex and turned in, leaving Schumacher nowhere to go – hence the stewards’ verdict that “both drivers contributed to the collision”. It was close to being well executed and the stewards’ verdict that neither was predominantly to blame seems to lie in the fact that Schumacher had got his front wheels almost halfway alongside the Aston Martin before the apex. But he added that he had “tried not to go super deep and leave a bit of space but clearly it was too tight”. In the build-up to Miami, Haas team boss Guenther Steiner said Schumacher had to be “perfect” to score points in F1’s very competitive midfield and that his first top 10 was a “hurdle” that needed to be cleared. Schumacher came close to doing exactly that in what was comfortably his best performance of the season and the most impressive drive of his short F1 career – at least until the start of lap 54 of 57, when he suffered a heartbreaking swing in fortune.

'What's your name?': F1 icon's 'all-time' interview gaffe is 'awkward' as it comes.

He was far from the only celebrity Brundle tried to catch up with in the grid walk though, with the F1 legend also awkwardly trying to strike up a chat with the Williams sisters. Brundle then turned his attention to Serena before going back to Venus who did not seem to know what was going on, replying: “Oh what was the question?” NBA legend Dwyane Wade was also nearby as Brundle said “let’s see if we can find anyone to talk to”, adding to the hilarity of the situation.

Brundle says his career has been defined by 'crazy moments' like the one on Sunday when he attempted to interview an NBA prospect whom he mistook for NFL ...

Either that’s the point or the great man needs to be put out of his and our misery. - 1. And those he didn’t produced excruciating television. Even those he recognised like David Beckham and Venus Williams were embarrassingly reluctant to engage. “What is your name, sir?’ he then asked. Brundle believed he was speaking to the Kansas City Chiefs superstar, before being told in his earpiece of his mistake.

George Russell admits that he was 'fortunate' after his strategy gamble paid off when a safety car period gave him a cheap pitstop in the Formula 1 Miami ...

Bit of an odd corner, it's like a car park there it's so wide, then you've got the white line, which as you're driving you can't see." "Yeah, it was nice," said Russell of their fight. As those who started on the mediums began to pit, he worked his way up to fifth.

The Miami Grand Prix brought out A-list stars from across the sports and entertainment world, which led to at least one confusing on-camera interview.

Brundle apologized for the miscue, and the pair parted ways with a handshake. After realizing the error of his ways, Brundle quickly cut the conversation short and walked away, letting out a bemused “whatever” as he reversed course. Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix was about as star-studded an event as you’ll find, with celebrities from across the sports and entertainment world out in full force.

Sergio Perez felt he had a chance of winning in Miami had it not been for a Formula 1 engine sensor issue that cost him an estimated 30 horse power.

"I was just pushing really hard to stay close to him on the corners. So yeah, to be able to finish the race is good." "Unfortunately even with a DRS, I couldn't get close to Carlos, the deficit on the straight-line was quite high.

With less than two months until F1 22 is released, The Race got a look at some of the new features that will be included in the game.

One example that was given was an issue with a team’s facilities, which can be ignored but means it will cost more to fix in the future than if you dealt with the problem immediately. That means there is a chance we’ll see a brand new story mode in next year’s F1 game, but one definitely won’t be included in this year’s release. How well you time that affects the speed of your pitstop, with the potential to see the pit crew struggling to change the tyres or front wing. The broadcast safety car option has more of a practical benefit since it reduces the amount of time spent waiting to get back racing. That’s because events using those cars will be integrated into career mode in a similar way that the invitational events featuring classic cars were in F1 2020. For the formation lap, it shows you an abridged version of it whilst displaying the TV tower graphic of everyone’s starting tyres and the expected race strategies – deliberately similar to how real-life TV broadcasts of races are presented.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is not ruling out switching back to an older car concept that is "much slower on paper" after the world champions' continued ...

And what is the goodness of the concept and what is the badness of the concept?" "I wouldn't discount anything," the Mercedes team principal explained. The team's biggest issue is the violent bouncing of their car on track, which is not reflecting in their simulations.

Ferrari has explained why it let Red Bull 'off the hook' by not pitting for fresh tyres when the safety car came out in Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix.

I'm a bit surprised that we stayed ahead because it was a tight, tight battle." "We would have suffered more warm up issues with a new hard, which were the ones that we had available in the garage. And for Carlos as well, [it helped] to try to defend on Checo with the new medium."

Fernando Alonso revealed that one of Formula 1's slowest driver parades played an important role in his flying start to Sunday's Miami Grand Prix.

They were all braking very carefully on the inside, and I made a couple of places there.” And luckily, it worked.” But that did not stop the two-time world champion from picking up even more places, sweeping past Yuki Tsunoda, Lando Norris and - with some slight contact - Lewis Hamilton to sit seventh on the opening lap.

A 'necessary evil' and the F1 'joke' that must be fixed: The Miami GP verdict.

“But hey, listen, as an organisation and as a race it’s been pretty much immaculate. “We want to make sure we get that because obviously, if they can’t get outside the racing line, there’s not going to be as much overtaking and that’s not good,” managing partner of the Miami Grand Prix, Tom Garfinkel, said. “But if you can’t get out the racing line, you can’t pass. What happens off-the-track at an F1 event shouldn’t be totally discredited, however, as it’s part of the overall product. “And then you’ve got the additional problem of the tarmac. So we’re going to take a really hard look at that. But that sort of spoils it to be honest. You don’t use kerbs in a Formula 1 car to just get away from this rubber. “The direction that I wanted to have with the track was to have as much overtaking as possible. “What did I like? Miami organisers said the track was made to feature “mistake generators”, while the chicane was labelled a “necessary evil” due to its position. The race was hardly a feast of overtaking with major concerns over the quality of the surface and the width of the track.

k Miami 's*** show' leaves rich and famous fuming; Ferrari issues Red Bull warning: F1 Pit Talk.

Had Audi decided to up stumps after consuming McLaren, the historic team may have been irretrievably damaged. The cost cap has added a new element to the gamesmanship between the teams. We don’t have any interest in selling the racing team.” We’re very committed to our future and we’re doing really well on the track. Though no constructor can know for certain what another is spending, the longer the championship stays close, the more likely we are to see this kind of niggle between teams. The sport’s never been healthier, and with regulations set to tighten the competition in the coming years without sending costs spiralling, it might be now or never to turn interest into reality. “Our shareholders are very committed to McLaren,” he said. “Shareholders are making substantial investments to give our team the resources we need to get back to the front, and commercially we’re doing really well. The Spanish Grand Prix is traditionally when teams have brought their first major update packages of the year. Since last year F1 teams have been restricted in how much they can spend in a year. But Binotto isn’t too concerned about being overpowered in a development war. Formula 1 is having a moment not only in the massive United States market but globally.

The four-time Formula 1 World Champion, currently driving for the Aston Martin F1 team, remarked at the weekend that he prefers “proper” U.S. tracks such as ...

And I’d like to think IndyCar would be happy for a top-rated Formula 1 driver and World Champion to test one of our cars.” “Now here we are talking about Vettel as if him coming to IndyCar could happen, and he may have no interest in it at all! Rahal pointed out that there is enough flexibility in the rules for a team to test a driver even without any guarantee that he or she will commit to the series. But if the opportunity presented itself to put someone like Seb in an extra car for some races, we’d certainly have to consider it strongly.” Asked whether he’d be more amenable to Vettel running a part-time schedule to perhaps avoid the ovals, Rahal said, “Never say never.” When respected IndyCar blogger Matt Archuleta quoted the German ace’s comment, Graham Rahal responded with “I’ll double down and say it; Seb, if you ever want to test an @IndyCar at @RoadAmerica we will make it happen.

Listen to our conversation with EA SPORTS F1 22's Senior Creative Director, Lee Mather, as he explains cross-platform online multiplayer, VR support and a ...

Listen and subscribe via Apple Podcasts Your feedback is invaluable and helps us to create more episodes in the future. With over a decade’s experience working on these titles, we thought there was no one better to discuss F1 22 with.

Carlos Sainz struggled with pain and fatigue in the Miami GP caused by his practice crash and the lack of driving he had done prior to it.

“It’s not so much a relief, but it’s needed,” he said. The main time loss was a slow pitstop by the team and Sainz did what he needed to in order to keep Perez at bay in the final stint. The lap faded, but he at least pipped Verstappen to second. “It was certainly tough,” Sainz said of that fight. He said he was left “paying a bit the price” for those two things. The run risked continuing in Miami when Sainz crashed heavily into a concrete barrier in Friday practice.