F1 is back this weekend for racing fans all over the world to enjoy with the best race car drivers on earth set to grace Miami for the very first time.
This weekend’s Grand Prix has been a long time coming and comes at a vital time in the season with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc level on two race wins each so far.
And Lewis Hamilton will be hoping he can finish in a better position than he did at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two weeks ago.
FABULOUS BINGO: Get a £20 bonus & 30 free spins when you spend £10 today
Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
Here comes Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has given his take on a much better day for him in the Mercedes.
He told Sky Sports F1: “Much much better qualifying session than the last two races.
“Unfortunately I don’t think we’re moving forward at the rate we want to be but we have to keep our head down and eventually we’ll get there.
“Today I was able to get the tyres in a better place and it felt better in qualifying.”
Meanwhile, Bottas said he is “living the dream” after his struggles at Mercedes and hasn’t ruled out an (unlikely) fight for a podium in his Alfa Romeo tomorrow – “it’s Formula 1, everything is possible.”
Nothing in it
The Ferraris were so close on lap times in those final Q3 runs. Leclerc’s time was 1.28.796, while Sainz’s was 1.28.986.
They also claimed the fastest time in sectors 2 and 1 respectively, with Sergio Perez, disappointed with p4, fastest in sector 3.
Russell not happy
A frustrated George Russell, who qualified p12, tells Sky Sports F1:
“We’re a bit confused to be honest. The car felt completely different today, couldn’t attack any of the corners, and we saw yesterday we were quick and it’s massively come away from us today.
“Yesterday we looked we could fight for pole and today we finished p12.”
He adds that Mercedes’ issue of porpoising has returned with a vengeance and it’s “not making sense at the moment.”
Horner speaks
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “It will be a fascinating contest.
“I think there will be [places to overtake]. With DRS and the long straights, I think there will be a couple of opportunities.
“Strategy, a bit of luck, and lets see what the rain does tomorrow.”
Citing the lack of long-run data due to the multiple red flags in practice, he added: “Is a two stop quicker than a one stop? We will have to figure it out on the fly.”
Full classified results
It’s set to be tasty tomorrow, with Ferrari 1 and 2 while Red Bull are 3 and 4.
Can Hamilton get involved for the fight for victory from 6th? If he plans to, he will have to overcome his former teammate Bottas who qualified 4th.
Meanwhile, we have the likes of Fernando Alonso and George Russell fighting their way from the midfield to try and get points. Throw in a couple of safety cars, and we could be in for a decent race tomorrow.
On Top
It’s Leclerc’s fourth pole of the season, following Imola, Australia and the opening race in Bahrain.
Carlos Sainz appeared upbeat in his post-quali interview, but he will be frustrated with his inability to outqualify his teammate. But it’s much better stuff from the Spaniard who qualified 10th in Imola and has went out the previous two races before the end of the second lap.
Best of the rest
Lewis Hamilton will start p6, with Valtteri Bottas an outstanding p5. Incredible stuff from the Alfa Romeo driver.
Pierre Gasly is 7th, Lando Norris will probably be disappointed being only p8, with Gasly’s teammate Yuki Tsuonda p9 and Lance Stroll p10.
How it ended
So it turned out Verstappen went off the track on his flying lap, leading him to abandon the rest.
It’s the first time two Ferraris will start at the front of the grid since Mexico 2019.
Leclerc on pole!
Charles Leclerc has done it, he’s p1, and it’s a Ferrari 1-2 in quali with Sainz two.
Not quite clear what has happened with Verstappen, but he has limped to third haven’t not gotten a proper final flying lap in.
Here we go
Some of the cars are out for their final runs in Q3.
Worth mentioning Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo is currently p5, with his former teammate Lewis Hamilton in p6. Bottas is certainly one of the stars of the season so far, let’s see if he can outqualify both Mercedes again.
Tight at the top
First blood to Verstappen
Max Verstappen is on provisional pole after the first runs in Q3. He was only 0.064 quicker than Leclerc, proving how tight the fight for first will be between the big teams.
In fact, Carlos Sainz in third is only 0.080 behind Verstappen himself. It’s the thinnest of margins separating Red Bull and Ferrari so far.
Top 5 in Q2
Leclerc – 1.29.130
Verstappen – 0.072 (behind him)
Norris – 0.504
Perez – 0.543
Sainz – 0.599Alpine have complained that Alonso was impeded by Sainz in Q2, contributing to his exit, but the race stewards have deemed no investigation is necessary.
Q3 has begun and Leclerc is looking favourite so far based on the times we’ve seen in Q1 and Q2.
“I wasn’t good enough”
That’s George Russell’s honest admission over team radio. A fall from grace given how high expectations were for Mercedes this weekend.
The fight for pole is next.
Q2 bottom five
15. Schumacher 14. Ricciardo 13. Vettel 12. Russell 11. Alonso
Russell had been fighting the car the whole session and had complained about porpoising throughout.
A bit of a surprise to see Fernando Alonso out so early as well, and this will be the first time this season he doesn’t take part in Q3.
Worth mentioning Stroll impressing in the Aston Martin – he’s in Q3.
RUSSELL IS OUT
Our first shock of quali has come, and it’s the Mercedes of George Russell tumbling out at Q2!
His teammate Lewis Hamilton is safe in p7, but Russell will find himself not taking part in the fight for pole for the second race in a row.
Pressure on
Four minutes to go and George Russell is yet to set a time.
He was on a hot lap but had multiple moments of oversteer and went off track, so abandoned the rest of the lap. He’s out again now
He sits p15, Ricciardo p14, Vettel p13, Schumacher p12 and Stoll p11.
Q2 well underway
Red Bull are fastest so far, with Verstappen ahead of his teammate Perez, but they have immediately strapped on the new tyres.
Ferrari, on used tyres, sit fourth and fifth.
We are once again losing the five slowest drivers, and you would imagine the Aston Martins, Alpha Tauris and Mick Schumacher in the Haas would be most fearful of the elimination zone.
Top 5 in Q1
Leclerc – 1.29.474
Verstappen – 0.362 (behind)
Perez – 0.581
Sainz – 0.605
Hamilton 0.914Q1 is over
Q1 is done, and it’s gone mostly by the form book after Hamilton put in a lap which put him in p5.
Going out are both Williams cars, with Alex Albon just outqualifying Nicholas Latifi. They’re joined by Zhou Guanyu in p17 and, surprisingly, Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, who qualified fourth in the last traditional qualifying session around Imola.
No yellow or red flags to speak of so far.
Need for speed
The current bottom 5 is: 20. Ocon (out already) 19. Latifi 18. Hamilton 17. Magnussen 16. Schumacher
Less than two minutes left of Q1, with Hamilton about to go on a fast lap to get himself out of jail.
5 minutes to go
Charles Leclerc has gone fastest, and it’s been a great showing from McLaren so far with Daniel Ricciardo p5 and Brit Lando Norris p7.
Great effort from Lance Stoll in the Aston Martin, who sits p6, while Fernando Alonso brushes the wall but comes out unscathed.
Lewis Hamilton, who currently sits in the dreaded bottom 5, needs to set a fast lap after his previous lap was deleted.
To the Max
Verstappen is the quickest so far in the first hot laps from the big guns.
He put in a 1.30.2, half a second clear of his teammate Sergio Perez. George Russell and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz follow in third and fourth respectively.
Remember we normally lose the five slowest drivers in Q1, but with Ocon not taking part, we’re only losing the slowest four.
Obama in the house
Michelle Obama is among those watching Q1 from the Mercedes garage.
The cars are now out the pits and we’ll start seeing some lap times soon.
epa09932334 Former US First Lady Michaelle Obama in the Mercedes garage during Free Practice 3 of the Formula One Grand Prix of Miami at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, USA, 07 May 2022. EPA/SHAWN THEWCredit: EPA Time to shine
F1’s first ever Miami Grand Prix qualifying session is about to get underway – and there’s a lot to be excited about.
Mercedes look back on the pace and could even be in the fight for pole if the cards fall in the right place for Lewis Hamilton or George Russell. They’ve looked fast in multiple practice sessions after struggling for much of the season so far.
But the Miami circuit is a test, and we will undoubtedly see disruptive yellow and red flags.
Esteban Ocon will not be taking part in quali after crashing his Alpine in the difficult turn 14 corner.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
