The sun is out for sprint qualifying in Miami, but thundery weather is possible for Sunday’s main grand prix.
Sprint qualifying has three sessions, SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3, lasting 12, 10 and eight minutes respectively. The six slowest cars are knocked out from the first two, like normal qualifying. This will make up the grid for the sprint race.
The top eight finishers score points, from eight for first place to one for eighth spot. These points will be added to the overall drivers’ championship standings.
Stroll’s Stranded Aston Martin Disrupts Norris’s Lap
Lando Norris was purple in the first sector as the world champion went for his flying lap early, but the yellow flags were waving. It was Lance Stroll, who was stranded in the Aston Martin.
Norris lifted off and his lap was done, just as Stroll got going again. The flags were cleared and the track was green.
Tyre Strategy for Sprint Qualifying
The medium tyres are a must in SQ1 and SQ2, before drivers switch to the C5 soft compound for the sprint pole shootout in SQ3.
Russell’s Championship Chance
From George Russell’s point of view, he came in as championship favourite and just needs to stay calm. This is his first big championship chance. He would have hoped for a slightly smoother run at the start of the season.
The first of six sprint races this season took place at the Chinese Grand Prix in March when Mercedes’ George Russell won an eventful sprint from pole position.
Russell was caught up in a fight for the lead with the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton in the opening five laps, with the two drivers trading places five times. Russell eventually made an overtake stick and eased to victory ahead of the other Scuderia of Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton ending his sprint in third.
The other point scorers in Shanghai were Lando Norris, Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman.
Antonelli’s Lead in the Title Race
Kimi Antonelli has a nine-point buffer in the title race. Whatever happens in the Miami sprint on Saturday, he’ll still be at top of the drivers’ championship when the main race starts on Sunday.
Antonelli’s dash was full of drama, with the Italian dropping from second to eighth after a slow start and then serving a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar on the opening lap.
McLaren’s Potential Comeback
It’s not the start to the season McLaren were looking for but they will be big winners from this break. They have a fantastic facility back at MTC in Woking and a brilliant team behind them. They’ll be back in the hunt.
This track doesn’t normally lend itself to great racing but with the threat of rain, it’s going to be a very interesting weekend.