Used day for quadruple champions
Verstappen crasht – punishment is fatal to him
03.05.2025 – 7:38 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
There is a crash before the F1 sprint in Miami rainy. The mini event is really tough.
Lando Norris has remained cool in Miami’s chaos sprint and has reduced his World Cup deficit a little on McLaren teammate Oscar Piatri. The Englishman benefited from a late Safety car phase and defended the top position to the end before the Australian. Third place in the spectacular mini event in Formula 1 over 100 kilometers of Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari raced.
On the other hand, world champion Max Verstappen experienced a used day, who was only 17th after a punishment due to a mistake by his Red Bull team at the pit stop. Polesitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who struggled after tenth place, was also involved in the mishap. Nico Hülkenberg never had a realistic chance of points in the clean, he ended the sprint in twelve.
This was preceded by a hanging game: Charles Leclerc flew with his Ferrari on the way to the starting line -up and could not compete with damaged suspension. During the introductory round, almost all pilots complained about miserable visibility on the rainwear route, the starting procedure was postponed, and driven was initially behind the safety car.
After two rounds of forms behind Safety car drivers Bernd Mayländer, the race management broke off the starting process again. “I can’t see anything behind the Safety Car,” said Antonelli. “I have never had so little view in a racing car,” said Piatri, who spoke of a “sprint of survival” in view of the puddles on the course.
When it finally started with a standing start, Antonelli lost three places in the first curve, Piatri took the lead. The route continuously dried, after eleven out of 18 rounds the first drivers picked up Slicks – Hamilton and Ferrari were rewarded for their courage to change early.
Verstappen, on the other hand, received a ten-second penalty because his team sent him off too early after the stop. Antonelli had a right of way in the pit lane (“unsafe release”). Antonelli drove the Red Bull over the front wing and demolished it. His Bollide also caused damage.
In the World Cup ranking, Norris does a point on leader Piatri, who is now nine points in front of him (106: 97). Young father Verstappen is still third, but now with 19 points behind Piatri. The Grand Prix in Miami is still on the program on Sunday.