Miami’s First Ever Formula 1 Grand Prix

Favorites to win

On Sunday May 2022, Miami hosted their first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix in what will be a memorable Mothers Day Weekend for some in Miami. Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and the entire Red Bull crew were strong favorites going into this Grand Prix.  Red Bull racing with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will always be a contender in any race they compete in; however, Red Bull had their work cut out for them today with Ferrari and Mercedes putting in a great showing as well. Verstappen would end up winning the race however it was not as easy as it first might have seen

First Turn of the Race

Going into the first turn of the race, Ferrari had the upper hand with both Charles Lecrer and Carlos Sainz leading the race. With Max Verstappen right behind them. Throughout lap one, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari were tossing up for fourth place with Lecrer leading the race, Verstappen in second, Sainz in third and Perez shortly behind them in fourth. Lap one was just a preview of what was to come in the battle for first place.

Slow Start for Hamilton

Former world champion Lewis Hamilton did not have the start that he and Mercedes racing would have liked to have had. Going into the first turn of the race, Hamilton was in sixth place when he was hit from behind by Alpine driver Fernando Alonso, which slowed Hamilton down. 

Max Verstappen would eventually find his way into first place during lap 9. Verstappen would find the inside of Charles Lecrer 

Collisions and Battles

There was a collision in lap 41 which saw Landon Norris with McLaren racing spin out after colliding with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly. Gasly had originally driven out wide which led to Norris running into Gasly. This collision caused Norris’ wheel to pop completely off. There were no further collisions, however the safety car would have to come in to slow down the race. 

Lap 52 saw a huge fight between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz for third place. Carlos Sainz had been in third place for the majority of the race however Perez would start to creep up on the Ferrari driver Sainz. In lap 52, Perez had gathered up enough momentum to go in for an attack on Sainz and try to push Sainz out of third place. However, Sainz awareness manages to shrug off Sergio Perez and gain further distance on Red Full for third place.

Although Max Verstappen started third on the grid in Miami, he will ultimately end up winning first place once again. Charles Lecrer finished the race in second, and rounding up the podium was another Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. Verstappen finished the race with a time of 1:34:24:258, which was 3.786 seconds faster than second place Charles Lecrer. The first ever Grand Prix in Miami was a race to remember, as Red Bull Racing and Ferrari Racing stole the show once again.