2024 F1 Miami GP results: Lando Norris wins for McLaren

Norris beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari after the McLaren ace took full advantage to make his pitstop under the safety car, unlike all his rivals.

2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix results

Cla	Nº	Driver	Car / Engine	Laps	Gap
1	4	Lando Norris	McLaren/Mercedes	57	-
2	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	57	-7.612
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	57	-9.920
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	57	-11.407
5	11	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	57	-14.650
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	-16.585
7	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB/Honda RBPT	57	-26.185
8	63	George Russell	Mercedes	57	-34.789
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin/Mercedes	57	-37.107
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine/Renault	57	-39.746
11	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Haas/Ferrari	57	-40.789
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine/Renault	57	-44.958
13	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren/Mercedes	57	-49.756
14	24	Zhou Guanyu	Sauber/Ferrari	57	-49.979
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB/Honda RBPT	57	-50.956
16	77	Valtteri Bottas	Sauber/Ferrari	57	-52.356
17	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin/Mercedes	57	-55.173
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas/Ferrari	57	-1'04.683
19	23	Alexander Albon	Williams/Mercedes	57	-1'16.091
-	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams/Mercedes	27	-

2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix report

Polesitter Verstappen led the charge to Turn 1, as his team-mate Sergio Perez divebombed down the inside of the Ferraris but locked up and went straight on – just missing Verstappen.

Leclerc ran second from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz initially, but a fast-starting Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – from sixth on the grid – snatched third from the Spaniard around the outside at Turn 2, while Perez recovered in fifth, ahead of Norris.

Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) passed Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, which started on hard tyres among a mostly medium-shod field, for seventh. Further back, the Alpines raced wheel to wheel through the Turns 13-14-15 and 16 sequence in an argument over 13^th, with Pierre Gasly grabbing the spot after a brush of wheels.

Verstappen pulled clear of Leclerc’s DRS range, leaving the lead Ferrari prone to Piastri and Sainz. Piastri DRS-ed past Leclerc at Turn 17 at the end of lap four but was already 2s behind Verstappen.

Perez fell away from the leaders, into the clutches of Norris. Hamilton regained seventh from Hulkenberg on the approach to Turn 11 on lap seven, with Lewis reporting “we nearly had a big crash there” as he was squeezed towards the wall.

But Hamilton locked up six corners later and allowed Hulkenberg ahead of him again. They swapped places again three laps later, with George Russell (Mercedes) also getting by at Turn 11 a couple of laps later, which was Hulkenberg’s cue to pit for hard tyres.

The first of the frontrunners to stop was Perez on lap 18, as Norris began to hound him for fifth. Released, Norris immediately set fastest lap.

Leclerc pitted on lap 20, rejoining in sixth behind the long-running Hamilton. He pulled a superb around-the-outside move on the seven-time champion at Turn 11.

There was drama at the front too, as Verstappen collected the bollard at the apex of Turn 15 and was fortunate that it was jettisoned from the car after initially getting tangled up in his front wing and suspension. That resulted in a brief virtual safety car, to retrieve the pieces of bollard safely – but there wasn’t time for any of the leading lights to make a ‘cheap’ pitstop.

Verstappen pitted at the end of lap 23, allowing Piastri to lead from Sainz and Norris. Sainz stopped on lap 28, just before Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) clashed at Turn 3, causing a full safety car. Sargeant slammed backwards into the wall, but stepped from his car unhurt.

Norris’s long-running strategy thus paid off, as he was able to make a ‘free’ pitstop, rejoining well clear of Verstappen in the lead. Perez pitted again, going back onto mediums.

Norris led the restart from Verstappen, Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz and Perez. Yuki Tsuonda grabbed seventh from Hamilton at Turn 11.

Norris extracted himself from Verstappen’s DRS range with a brilliant opening lap, while Sainz duelled hard with Piastri for fourth – banging wheels at Turn 11. Moments later, Hamilton repassed Tsunoda around the outside of Turn 12.

Norris kept banging in impressive lap times, leaving Verstappen in his wake. Max complained: “I can’t get the car to turn, it’s a disaster.”

Sainz passed Piastri for fourth with a robust move with contact at Turn 17 on lap 39, and just managed to stay ahead as the Australian retaliated into Turn 1. Stewards will investigate their collision after the race.

Perez and Hamilton then passed Piastri, who suffered front wing damage when Sainz clipped him and was forced to pit.

Norris proved unassailable out front, beating Verstappen by 7.6s, who had Leclerc 2s further back.

Sainz finished fourth, but must see the stewards, from Perez and Hamilton.

Tsunoda finished seventh, ahead of Russell, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) and Esteban Ocon scored Alpine’s first point of the season in 10^th.

2024 F1 Miami Grand Prix fastest laps

Cla	Nº	Driver	Car / Engine	Time	Delay	Kp/h
1	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren/Mercedes	1'30.634		214.965
2	23	Alexander Albon	Williams/Mercedes	1'30.849	0.215	214.456
3	11	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	1'30.855	0.221	214.442
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1'30.928	0.294	214.270
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren/Mercedes	1'30.980	0.346	214.148
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1'31.084	0.450	213.903
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1'31.233	0.599	213.554
8	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	1'31.261	0.627	213.488
9	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin/Mercedes	1'31.588	0.954	212.726
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB/Honda RBPT	1'31.682	1.048	212.508
11	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin/Mercedes	1'31.727	1.093	212.404
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas/Ferrari	1'31.774	1.140	212.295
13	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1'31.921	1.287	211.955
14	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Haas/Ferrari	1'31.941	1.307	211.909
15	24	Zhou Guanyu	Sauber/Ferrari	1'31.991	1.357	211.794
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine/Renault	1'32.037	1.403	211.688
17	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine/Renault	1'32.055	1.421	211.647
18	77	Valtteri Bottas	Sauber/Ferrari	1'32.098	1.464	211.548
19	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB/Honda RBPT	1'32.122	1.488	211.493
20	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams/Mercedes	1'33.452	2.818	208.483