Max Verstappen grabbed his seventh consecutive grand prix pole, however Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have been sizzling on heels F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó delivers what teams had to say after the second qualifying session of the weekend.
Red Bull had a clear Saturday in Miami. Max Verstappen complained about lack of grip, however he later realized that it was not down to any points along with his automobile, however the very difficult sizzling floor of the Miami observe. The Dutchman had taken a managed victory in the second dash race of the season earlier than he went on to safe pole place for the third Miami Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez began the 100km sprint from third and ended there following a brief battle with RB driver Daniel Ricciardo. The Mexican then displayed encouraging velocity in the primary qualifying session, however he was unable to beat the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Max Verstappen – Sprint: 1st, Qualifying: 1st, 1:27.241
“The automobile felt higher after the adjustments that we made, however we now have discovered that there have been fairly a couple of combining components that make it very difficult to drive round this observe. It has been tough over the weekend with the tyres, as they’ve fairly low grip, overheat shortly and we now have additionally struggled with the steadiness of the automobile. It has simply been fairly unpredictable, and everybody has discovered that it has been tough to put a lap in.
“Despite this, finally an important factor is that we put it on pole and that that is seven poles in a row, which is one thing to be pleased with. We have the adjustments in place to make it extra of a simple race tomorrow and it was good to get the win in the Sprint race earlier as we speak too. Once the tyres stabilise in the race when they’re sizzling, it should really feel a bit extra regular to drive. The technique will probably be a bit less complicated tomorrow, so hopefully that may deliver my tyre degradation down too. We will see what the race brings.”
Sergio Perez – Sprint: third, Qualifying: 4th, 1:27.460
“It was a really difficult session, it was all an excessive amount of with the grip, it was too sizzling and too on the restrict. We didn’t maximise the potential, I feel we might have had a shot at pole however I made a mistake on my ultimate lap at flip eight, which in all probability misplaced me the entrance row. Unfortunately, I’m on the unsuitable facet of the tenth as we speak, however we go once more tomorrow.
“We will analyse our session as a result of we have been quick and we had greater than we confirmed. Other than that, I feel everybody had the identical struggles as we speak, some laps I used to be struggling to match myself from Q1. It will probably be a really demanding race and fairly a problem in the warmth however the tempo is there and something can occur. Hopefully the adjustments we made to the automobile as we speak from the Sprint will translate into race tempo.”
Ferrari had one other sensible day in Miami. Charles Leclerc’s pricey mistake in Free Practice 1 is already a factor of the previous because the Monegasque took a powerful second spot in the Miami F1 Sprint earlier than securing the second beginning place for Sunday’s race.
Carlos Sainz was unable to make inroads in the dash, ending up fifth behind RB racer Daniel Ricciardo. However, the Spaniard bounced again in the primary qualifying to take P3 for the third Miami F1 race.
Charles Leclerc – Sprint: 2nd Qualifying: 2nd, 1:27.382
“I used to be proud of the automobile, we did not change a lot since this morning, simply did a little bit of tremendous tuning, however total we’re in a great place. It was difficult to put collectively the lap and never many people improved on that final timed lap in Q3, so P2 on the grid isn’t a foul consequence and we’ll push to battle for the win tomorrow.
“In the Sprint race I had quite a good start and then was on the inside for turn 1, but I didn’t want to take too many risks because of qualifying coming up later in the day. Both Max (Verstappen) and I braked late and eventually he kept his position but it was a good test and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Carlos Sainz – Sprint: fifth, Qualifying: third, 1:27.455
“Overall we cannot be too disappointed with the result today. This track is always very tricky, slippery in some sectors and with the tyres on the verge of overheating. We are in a good position to fight with the Red Bulls and we’ll do everything we can to make the most of it in the race. Looking forward to tomorrow!”
There was a lot promise on the opening day as McLaren actually displayed mouth-watering velocity on Friday. The feeling was that Lando Norris might need had the velocity to problem Max Verstappen for pole place. However, the Briton made a pricey mistake in dash qualifying earlier than having been pressured to retire from the dash following a first-turn incident.
The primary qualifying was not way more profitable both. Norris tried a medium-tyre first run in Q3 earlier than reverting to the gentle compound. However, it was nonetheless not sufficient for him to qualify increased than P6, only a spot forward of his team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Lando Norris – Sprint: DNF, Qualifying: fifth, 1:27.594
“I feel it’s been an affordable Qualifying. I in all probability couldn’t have requested for lots extra. The staff did a fantastic job to get the automobile again collectively after the Sprint, initially, so thanks to them after the unlucky incident we have been concerned in this morning.
“Otherwise, P5 and P6 is good for us as a team. I think that’s where we deserve to be and that’s all we had in the car today, so we maximised it and we’ll try to get a good amount of points tomorrow.”
Oscar Piastri – Sprint: sixth, Qualifying: sixth, 1:27.675
“I’m pretty happy with that. It felt like it was a good Qualifying session, and the car was consistent the whole way through. I don’t think there was too much more in it to be able to push us any further forward, so I am pleased. The team have done a good job so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
Mercedes had seemed sturdy in the only real observe session on Friday earlier than their velocity light afterward. The Miami F1 Sprint noticed the Brackley-based outfit fail to rating a single level as George Russell completed down in P12 whereas his team-mate Lewis Hamilton was demoted from the final point-scoring place to P16 due to a time penalty that he obtained for dashing in the pit lane beneath security automobile circumstances.
The primary qualifying noticed the staff elevate their efficiency thanks to a change to a decrease downforce rear wing. With the staff affected by overheating on the 47 diploma Celsius floor, Russell and Hamilton elected to full their ultimate qualifying lap on the mediums as an alternative of the softs. However, it was nonetheless solely sufficient for the 2 British drivers to take a P7 and P8 for Sunday’s primary race.
Lewis Hamilton – Sprint: sixteenth, Qualifying: eighth, 1:28.107
“Overall, it’s been a way more constructive day than yesterday. That stated, these tyres are so delicate and attempting to get them to work persistently lap-to-lap is a problem. The observe temperature and grip was comparable all through Qualifying however we nonetheless struggled to ship the utmost potential on every lap. We had that glimpse of what was doable on the finish of Q2, however we couldn’t ship it in Q3. It’s an space we’re centered on bettering.
“I gave it everything in the Sprint; it was a tough battle out there. Contact is never intentional at the first corner, and I went for a gap. It closed quickly though and several of us connected. After that, I was fighting hard to get past the Haas of Magnussen, and I enjoyed the racing. The penalty was unfortunate, and it was a shame that it cost us that final point.”
George Russell – Sprint: twelfth, Qualifying: seventh, 1:28.067
“We have been struggling all through the entire of Qualifying to get the tyres into the best place. They work inside a really small window, and we noticed with Lewis in Q2 that, if we have been ready to get them in a greater place, we had good velocity. This is identical story for everybody although. We have to be sensible and, except we get the right lap, P7 and P8 is about the place our automobile is at at present. We know we now have work to do and hopefully tomorrow will probably be higher.
“In the Sprint earlier in the day, I made a good start but got caught on the outside and lost a few positions. After that, I was stuck in a DRS train, so it was quite a processional race. Hopefully we will have a better Grand Prix on Sunday and move forwards.”
RB displayed spectacular velocity on Saturday. Daniel Ricciardo had a superb begin in the dash to soar up to P3. Even if he was unable to preserve Red Bull’s Sergio Perez behind, he completed third, scoring his first factors of the season. The Australian then endured contrasting fortunes in the primary qualifying session as he was knocked out proper in Q1.
His team-mate Yuki Tsunoda had a fantastic battle with Lewis Hamilton in the dash race. Although he misplaced out to the Briton on ultimate tour, he was promoted again to P8 after Hamilton was handed a time penalty for dashing in the pit lane beneath security automobile circumstances. The Japanese then went on to safe a wonderful P10 on the grid for the Miami race.
Daniel Ricciardo – Sprint: 4th, Qualifying: 18th, 1:28.617
“t was a really powerful Sprint race, however I felt superior, preventing in direction of the entrance simply feels a lot nicer. I noticed a Ferrari in the mirror for nearly the entire race and I assumed, alright, problem accepted, let’s do what we are able to! Every lap I used to be ready to maintain off Carlos (Sainz), so after I noticed the top of the race coming close to, I actually thought that perhaps we might preserve the place. It was a Sprint race in all types of the phrase and was with none tyre-saving. I’m pleased with myself and the staff, of all of the individuals who stood behind me and believed in me. There’s happiness for certain, but in addition some highly effective feelings, particularly wanting on the first few races of the season. Thanks to the folks for having some persistence after which being awarded with a consequence like this. We all deserve this consequence as we went by means of a little bit of stuff to get right here, so it’s even nicer.
“This is the game, it’s extremely unpredictable, and generally issues can change so shortly, so at the least we actually loved the morning with the staff. Today’s afternoon was irritating and clearly, I’m not proud of it as there’s an enormous distinction with what we achieved in the Sprint. I noticed Lando’s lap in SQ3 yesterday, the place he was struggling from the beginning of the lap, sliding in every single place along with his rear with the softs, and truthfully, I felt the identical as we speak. I began sliding out of Turn 1 and it simply obtained worse and worse all through the remainder of the lap. There’s no actual clarification proper now.
“I really feel that we now have a great automobile, however I feel that in the final run of Q1, the tyres have been merely working on a special stage of grip. The warm-up lap was tremendous and likewise the staff was proud of the place the tyres have been. We’ll positively be it tonight, to hopefully have a proof. Tomorrow will probably be a protracted race, clearly beginning final doesn’t assist, however we’ll have plenty of laps attempting to come by means of the sphere. I’ll put my head down for it!”
Yuki Tsunoda – Sprint: eighth, Qualifying: tenth, 1:28.192
“First of all, completely happy for the staff, and congrats to them and Daniel for as we speak’s Sprint race! For me, it’s very blended emotions; I misplaced the battle in opposition to Lewis (Hamilton) in the top. If he didn’t get a penalty in the Sprint, I’d be P9, and despite the fact that the ultimate consequence was P8, he did an excellent job of overtaking me. If I had defended higher, I feel I might’ve completed forward of him on the chequered flag. It is irritating as a driver to lose a battle, however I did take pleasure in it, and one thing I can study from. As a driver, I’m not totally completely happy, however I’m completely happy to pay again to the staff and rating a degree, particularly after not having the ability to put all of it collectively yesterday to extract the efficiency of the automobile.
“I’m happy I can start the race in the top 10, and a better position than in the Sprint. Qualifying wasn’t the best for me personally, but we still got to Q3. I never felt very proud of my lap, I didn’t make any big mistakes but I could’ve done better overall. It’s something else to learn for the future. The team did a fantastic job and I felt comfortable and confident in the car from FP1. Yesterday, I wasn’t able to extract the performance, but I’m happy because I feel I maximised the strong performance of the car more today. After today’s Sprint and our race performance, I’m looking forward to tomorrow!”
Nico Hulkenberg – Sprint: seventh, Qualifying: ninth, 1:28.146
“We had track position straight away, and that was really key for us today in the Sprint. I had the inside line into Turn 1 and managed to avoid problems. The group ahead of me was a bit faster, but towards the end once the race settled, we were pretty okay. In qualifying it was really tricky to string the perfect lap together, it’s a challenging track with the hot temperatures and the tyre getting hotter over the lap. Overall, it’s been a very positive Saturday, getting two points today, and they come at a premium for us and it’s quite nice to have them already. Of course, we’re going to push for more points tomorrow – it’s going to be a tight fight with the RB’s and everyone else behind us for sure.”
Kevin Magnussen – Sprint: 18th, Qualifying: nineteenth, 1:28.619
“I sound like a broken record every time after qualifying talking about traffic. I think we have a decent car so should be able to do something tomorrow, but I’m tired of starting from a bad position because of traffic. For now, it’s time to stay focused and do the job.”
Fernando Alonso – Sprint: seventeenth, Qualifying: fifteenth, 1:28.427
“It was a disappointing day for us. Firstly, there was the incident into Turn 1 at the start of the Sprint and then we had a difficult Qualifying session for tomorrow’s race. We struggled in Q1 and Q2 and finished in P15 in both sessions. I didn’t seem to have much pace and we were just outside of that group fighting for the top ten this time around. We made some set-up changes from the Sprint race to now and it seems these changes didn’t work. I think it will be a challenging race tomorrow, but we’ll analyse our performance tonight and try to recover some points.”
Lance Stroll – Sprint: DNF, Qualifying: eleventh, 1:28.222
“It’s been a frustrating day on track. My Sprint event came to an end on the first lap after contact with other cars. It was an unfortunate incident, but there wasn’t a huge amount I could do. In Qualifying, the car just didn’t have the pace we needed. It was disappointing to miss out on Q3 by such small margins, but we were struggling to improve throughout Q2 and I didn’t have the confidence I needed in the car. We’ll try to find a little more pace for tomorrow’s race and hopefully we can fight for some points in Miami.”
Alpine has proven a transparent enchancment up to now this weekend. The Anglo-French outfit posted encouraging lap instances throughout the qualifying periods, and even when Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon took solely a P12 and P15 respectively, their upgraded automobile seems to be a step in the best course following their dismal begin to the 2024 season.
Esteban Ocon – Sprint: fifteenth, Qualifying: thirteenth, 1:28.371
“I’d say it has not been the smoothest of days for us as we speak. We had a misunderstanding initially of the Sprint in the Pit Lane – an enormous and expensive mistake – and the staff and I’ll work onerous to enhance any such factor. After that, it was a busy race however properly exterior the combination of the factors because of the penalty.
“In Qualifying, we knew it was going to be a difficult session and we were again able to progress through Q2 but fell short of making it to Q3. The field is very close so we have to keep working on the things that will make us benefit next time. The aim is to fight and push forwards in the race and we will do everything we can tomorrow, getting as much out of the car as possible and, hopefully inside the points.”
Pierre Gasly – Sprint: ninth, Qualifying: twelfth, 1:28.324
“There are loads of positives and learnings to take as a staff as we speak. The upgrades we now have on the automobile are clearly working in line with our expectations. In the Sprint, we completed in ninth place, which is the closest we now have been to the factors all season.
“Then, in Qualifying, we finished just one tenth from reaching Q3. We know where we are lacking and we have to try and improve these areas as the gaps in and around the top ten are so small. I had a very good feeling on my Q1 lap but then it felt different in Q2 so there are things to analyse and further understand. It does feel like progress and I’m aiming for the first points of the year in tomorrow’s race.”
Alex Albon – Sprint: thirteenth, Qualifying: 14th, 1:28.413
“Today was more about tyres than anything else. Even just now in my Qualifying laps, I’m having to do a lot of race management with the tyres and it’s like the quicker you drive the slower you end. The hot track temperatures seem to hurt us a little more when running lower downforce for better straight-line speed, so by turn 11, the tyres are gone. I locked up on the corner when the front tyres went off, and then the rears will go off the next corner, so it’s just a bit tricky. Let’s see what we can do from P14 tomorrow.”
Logan Sargeant – Sprint: tenth, Qualifying: seventeenth, 1:28.487
“When I look at yesterday, I knew we had the pace to get through to Q2 and I wanted to deliver that today. We executed our run plan well but it’s not easy when it’s extremely tight with one tenth separating several cars. I’m honestly happy with the changes we made to the car between sessions and how I drove. We’ll try to have another good race tomorrow taking any opportunity that comes our way. We have the pace and straight-line speed to keep a lot of people behind, so we need to give ourselves track position to make the most of it.”
Valtteri Bottas – Sprint: 14th, Qualifying: sixteenth, 1:28.463
“Nothing a lot occurred to us throughout the Sprint this morning; I obtained caught in a practice proper after the beginning, and that didn’t go away an excessive amount of room to make progress all through the laps. We used the Sprint to maximise our learnings in phrases of setup, to come ready for qualifying and the race. The ensuing setup change made a distinction, and the automobile positively felt a lot better this afternoon.
“We had a clean first run, but then unfortunately got unlucky once again with some traffic on the second run. Still, we made a decent improvement through the weekend so far and got really close to the Q2 threshold – only missing out on it by just one hundredth. All in all, we still have a lot to play for tomorrow; our pace was decent today, and I’m positive that with a strong start and a good strategy, we can put ourselves in the battle for points.”
Zhou Guanyu – Sprint: eleventh, Qualifying: twentieth, 1:28.824
“The dash race was fairly uneventful for me: beginning P17 meant that I used to be caught in a DRS practice the place it was fairly tough to overtake, however we managed to profit from different folks’s errors. However, we’ve seen a promising progress in contrast to the place we began the weekend in phrases of race tempo. This afternoon, sadly, the qualifying session ended sooner than we hoped, leaving me behind the grid for tomorrow’s race.
“I wasn’t able to get my last lap in with lots of cars trying to protect their positions – and even had to go side-by-side with Oscar [Piastri] into turn one, which cost me valuable time. If we had managed to have a clean final lap, we might have been able to fight for Q2. While the pace for single laps wasn’t there, the team will continue working hard, and I am positive that our race pace will allow us to make up some positions during the race, where fans will hopefully see some exciting overtakes.”
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