The 2022 Miami Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2022) is a Formula One motor race held on May 8, 2022, at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the first edition of the Miami Grand Prix and the fifth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Charles Leclerc is the Drivers' Championship leader after the fourth round, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with 86 points, 27 ahead of Max Verstappen in second, with Sergio Pérez in third, five points behind Verstappen. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari leads Red Bull Racing by 11 points and Mercedes by 47. The circuit used for this new Grand Prix is the Miami International Autodrome, a non-permanent street circuit located within the grounds of the Hard Rock Stadium. It does not use public roads but instead utilizes both existing and newly constructed paved paths. The circuit receives first-grade homologation from the FIA, which is the necessary license to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix. The circuit, which runs in a counter-clockwise direction, has a length of 5,412 meters and features 19 corners—7 to the right and 12 to the left. The average speed on the circuit is 223 km/h, with a top speed of 320 km/h. The speed limit in the pit lane is set at 80 km/h, as is standard at most circuits. The track width varies between 10 meters and a maximum of 15.4 meters. The circuit includes three straights, the longest of which is 1.28 km. The estimated lap time is 1 minute and 28 seconds in qualifying and 1 minute and 35 seconds during the race, with 58% of the lap spent accelerating. The first sector is positioned 110 meters after turn 8, while the second sector is 70 meters after turn 16. The speed trap, where the maximum speed is recorded, is located 150 meters before turn 17. Initially, the first sector was set 122 meters after turn 8, the second sector 101 meters after turn 16, and the speed trap 200 meters before turn 17. The total race distance is 57 laps, covering 308.326 km. For the first time in Formula 1 history, the Grand Prix is hosted by a community that is predominantly African-American. Ahead of the race, the organizers announce that the circuit is 95% ready. Since the announcement of the race during the 2021 season, 275.000 people have pre-registered to purchase tickets. Before the 2021 British Grand Prix, the event's inaugural edition receives approval from the courts after a lawsuit seeking its cancellation on grounds of discrimination is dismissed. Local residents near the venue, who believed that hosting the race on land surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium would amount to racial discrimination, had filed the suit. As for Mercedes, Toto Wolff says that the team did improvements after the difficult weekend at Imola, so they found several directions for improving the car:
“It was a very difficult weekend for us in Imola. George did a great job to finish P4 from an unpromising starting position but with Lewis, we didn't give him the tools or track position to show his true pace. Since we returned from Italy, we've learned as much from the weekend as we can and, in parallel, our learning has continued in the wind tunnel and simulations. We have found several directions for improving the car, and we will be conducting experiments in Miami to correlate those simulations, and hopefully confirm the development path for the coming races. Both drivers have been working in the simulator ahead of Miami and the factories have been busy producing updates for the next races. The saying' smooth seas do not make good sailors' comes to mind. This team has shown its resilience over many years and the difficult start to this season has lit a fire within every team member, determined to put it right. Miami is an exciting new challenge and a complete step into the unknown. The track looks demanding, with a real mix of low and high-speed corners, and it's set to be a spectacular showcase for the sport to our growing US fanbase. So, we're set for a fantastic event, and we can't wait to see how it all plays out".
Enrico Sampò, Head of Scuderia Ferrari driving simulator, talks about his work in the stable in the days before the race:
"The driving simulator is a key element in preparing for a race. The work starts several weeks before an event, looking at the previous year's race if possible. Then , a test driver undertakes several sessions to get an understanding of tire behavior , to predict car balance, to check the behavior of special components and lastly , to test different set-up options. A few days before the event, the race drivers and their group of engineers tackle a session on the simulator to provide their input to the preparation and car set-up. With a new circuit like Miami, Charles and Carlos will also use the simulator to learn the track and to go through the various race weekend procedures".
After many years in the simulator area, Sampò tells how the simulator is also essential in anticipation of the race:
"Would usually be during the first free practice session on Friday as that's when you get the first set of data and driver comments about the track. This is when we can compare the simulator data to the actual data from the track. With a new venue such as Miami, it's also important to check actual track data, such as the nature of the kerbs and the presence or absence of elements that the simulator model did not foresee . The correlation between how the car behaves on track and in the simulator is refined over the weekend, but having a good starting point is definitely essential so that the track engineers can focus on the details".
On the circuit he declares:
"The fact it is a new circuit means that simulation is even more important. We expect the track to be quick, with some high speed corners in the first sector as well as some rather slow ones especially in sector three. There are some very long straights, with three DRS zones and good opportunities for overtaking. In terms of car balance, it is definitely a complex circuit and it will be important to find the right compromise to suit the various corner types and to run the car efficiently down the long straights . We have prepared for this event going through our usual procedures, being particularly careful as we are less certain than usual about the data we have. That means we are having to predict a wider than usual range of conditions and problems . Charles and Carlos both spent a lot of time on the simulator to learn the track and to explore the car's possible limitations, while trying different set-up solutions to optimize car balance and lap time".
On Friday, May 6, 2022, is a nice day in Miami where the first ever Miami Grand Prix practice sessions take part. In FP1, the championship leader Charles Leclerc sets the quickest time with the soft compound tyres, just 0.071 seconds before George Russell who is driving his fifth Grand Prix Weekend with Mercedes. After this first practice session, it seems like the upgrades of the Mercedes, including a new low downforce rear wing, revised front wing and beam wing, are bringing the car to the right direction. Actual World Champions Max Verstappen makes the third fastest time with +0.179 seconds to Charles with his Red Bull, after being a fair chunk of the session in the box because of skimming the wall on a green track. Behind the first three drivers, there arrives Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez as fourth, ahead of Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri, which is with his third engine: this means that with the next one he will take a penalty. The Ferrari Driver Carlos Sainz fails to take a time on soft tyres and ends in sixth position, because he picked up a puncture into Turn 1. With his seventh place, the Williams driver Alex Albon did a very impressive performance on FP1.
He arrives around 0.1 seconds before the seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, who has been baulked by traffic in his soft tyre run. Kevin Magnussen in ninth position and Daniel Ricciardo completes the top 10 of the drivers of FP1. Lando Norris is eleventh behind his teammate, followed by Fernando Alonso in twelfth. Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo is thirteenth, while Valteri Bottas ends up seventeenth, after hitting the barriers rear at Turn 7 and bringing out the red flag. Behind Zhou Guanyu, Sebastian Vettel takes fourteenth position, in front of Esteban Ocon in fifteenth position and teammate Lance Stroll in sixteenth. The last three drivers of the FP1 are Yuki Tsunoda for AlphaTauri on eighteenth position, who hit the wall but continued the session, Mick Schumacher with the Haas on nineteenth position, while in the end of the field stays Nicholas Latifi in his William, with +4.539 to championship leader Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver is first in this first ever practice session in Miami, which was an entertaining session with several drivers getting caught out on this 5.412 km, 19-turn track. Later in the day, the FP2 session takes part. The drivers begin FP2 on medium compounds; the track temperature is 10 degrees Celsius cooler than in FP1. After setting the early benchmark on those medium tyres (1'31"463) Ferrari Driver Carlos Sainz brings out the first red flag of the session, crashing into Turn 14 (the entry into the tight chicane) and ends up this session with over 40 minutes remaining in the wall. At the end of the session, he affirms:
"Obviously not the best way to start the weekend after a costly snap ended our Friday early. Still, I feel the car was competitive and I have confidence in our performance. It’s pointless to dwell on today, so we’ll put our full focus on tomorrow and the race. The extra work for the mechanics is the worst part, so I’ll definitely speak to them and the rest of the team. I look forward to tomorrow".
Only five minutes later, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is struggling with his steering, and on the last sector, smoke comes out of his car, so the RB18 has to go to the pits with a hydraulic issue. Max Verstappen is not so happy about this session:
"It was not a good day for us, we wanted to get out there and learn the track and get fully up to speed but things didn’t go to plan. We just had some hydraulic issues, as soon as I went out I couldn’t really steer and also my breaks were on fire, so there were a few problems. We don’t have a huge amount of information and data for my car which could prove difficult for qualifying and the race but we will do our best. Of course, I will try to catch up tomorrow, we will work very hard as a Team to overcome the issues and hopefully we will be in a good place come qualifying tomorrow".
After the tyres change on the soft, Mercedes driver Russell took the best time with his upgraded W13 with a lap of 1'29"0, which was 0.106 seconds faster than FP1 leader Leclerc. After this two strong sessions of Mercedes driver George Russell defines this day as the most productive:
"We always knew that the warm conditions here in Miami would suit our car better - we've suffered with getting temperature in the tyres at previous races so that's a big factor here. The car is running well but it's only Friday, we're not getting carried away. It's probably been the most productive Friday we've had this season in terms of learning. We know that the porpoising will always be there but maybe it's working at a lower range compared to where we were previously. You generally have races that go in your favour and some that go against you - Imola obviously wasn't a strong circuit for us but from what we've seen so far, the car seems to work well around Miami. It's a unique circuit, I was a bit unsure how I would take to the slow-speed tight section underneath the bridge, it's a bit of a head-banger through there, but for the rest, they've done an amazing job - undulating in sections, with high-speed corners, I think it's great for the fans".
Charles Leclerc is satisfied about his performance and the new track in Miami:
"It was a good day. We focused on building up our pace little by little and learned quite a bit about this new track. It is challenging and really nice to drive, with my favourite part being the one from turn 11 to turn 16 in the second sector. Things went smoothly on our side and we tested everything we planned to. It looks like everyone is close together, which should make for an exciting weekend. The asphalt will spice things up. There is very high grip on the racing line and very low grip off it, which will make it difficult to overtake. It is also rather aggressive on tyres, so it will be important to manage them well throughout the race".
Behind this two drivers there is Sergio Perez, who takes the third place with +0.212 seconds to Russell, while Lewis Hamilton is fourth and +0.241 seconds behind his team mate Russell. Lewis Hamilton is optimistic about Miami:
"Today is just practice and everyone is doing something different, not showing their true pace, so we won't get carried away. The car feels similar to me but we seem to be quicker and we've obviously improved in places. We still have the bouncing so we haven't cured it but bit by bit, we're improving the car. The race is going to be tough, particularly with the tyres overheating and it's very hot for the drivers, I've already lost a couple of kilos today".
So he adds:
"The heat reminds me a little bit of driving in Malaysia - Kuala Lumpar is still number one in terms of the heat, then Singapore, and now here in Miami. There are positive elements to take from today, George looked great out there and the team are trying a lot of different things with our cars, so we'll converge and hopefully take another step forward tomorrow".
The Mexican Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, thinks that the race is going to be interesting:
"It’s been a difficult day for every driver today. I think it was a very messy session this afternoon, in total I did one medium lap and two soft laps. On the high fuel there was nothing we could do because of all the red flags and the time we lost. We are basically going blind into the race and I think most people are in the same boat as us. For qualifying we have more of an idea, but things can change very quickly with the weather around here. There isn’t much grip off the racing line on this track and it feels very gravely out there too, it is a shame because I think racing will be hard due to that. Saying that, I think it is going to be an interesting race because all of us don’t know exactly where we are".
At the end of Qualifying session, George Russell says:
"The car was bouncing a lot more today and I just couldn't attack any of the corners as a result. It's a shame because we showed good potential yesterday but it massively went away from us today. We thought we went pretty conservative with set-up in qualifying to avoid the porpoising we experienced in FP3 but it seemed just as bad. The bouncing was going through all the corners, particularly turns 4 and 5, and you just couldn't attack into the braking zone. When you get the car in the window, it's fast and yesterday we looked to be fighting for pole but today is our worst qualifying of the year so it's difficult to make sense of".
Meanwhile, says a happy Lewis Hamilton:
"Today was a much, much better qualifying session than I've had the last three races so I am grateful for that - I'll take it".
Despite this, he recognises there are still some issues:
"Unfortunately, I don't think we are moving forwards at the rate that we would like to, the gap is similar to the beginning of the year. We have just got to keep our heads down, keep focused, keep working, keep tunnelling and eventually we'll get there. It's difficult to say how we'll be on race pace, the car has generally not felt strong this weekend for me but today, once I was able to get the tyres into a better place, it was a little more promising".
Toto Wolff says that today’s results -P6 and P12- do not reflect what they expected after Friday:
"Although we are seeing glimpses of performance in some sessions, we are still not able to put it all together. We gained good reference points from Friday, we just need to continue to understand and develop but it's clear that we have a painful trajectory to follow at the moment".
On Ferrari’ side, Charles Leclerc is of course satisfied with today’s result:
"It feels really good to come here and put everything together on such a difficult track. Although I was not very happy with turns 1-2-3, it was a good lap and I’m really glad to have secured pole. I feel at ease with the car. It feels great to drive and really makes you think of how to extract its full potential. Tomorrow will be a tight race and it is good to have Carlos by my side. The pace is there for both our cars and hopefully we can keep our positions until the end to bring home a strong result for our team".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is of the same mind:
"It was a strong comeback after yesterday and I managed to improve run after run, to finally fight for pole up until the very last corner. I had fun out there, pushing the car, and we are in a good position for tomorrow. This track has proven to be very tricky and starting from the front row will help for sure. We will do everything to maximise the potential for the race, as there are a lot of factors to take into account. Congrats to the entire team and to Charles for a well executed session".
Laurent Mekies, Ferrari’s Racing Director, says today’s results are:
"Important in terms of morale, for the team here at the track and for everyone working back in Maranello, after what happened in Imola".
Laurent explains that they were able to show the effectiveness of the Ferrari’s package thanks to the unique today’s qualifying conditions, which differ to those of the previous qualifying of this season, and to this unique track:
“Nevertheless, it’s clear we are in for a very close fight with our main rivals. Our drivers did a simply amazing job today. Charles produced yet another of his breathtaking laps, while Carlos came back from a difficult Friday, working hard and demonstrating real determination, which saw him get very close to his team-mate’s time so as to line up right behind him”.
Laurent recognizes that they still need tot do more work tonight as:
"tomorrow’s race could be the hottest of the season and we have seen how tricky this track and its surface can be, so it will be very important to prepare every last detail for the race, starting with how to manage the tyres. This evening, we will work with our colleagues back in Maranello to ensure we get everything out of the car. The start will be very important and we will be up against very tough opponents, who are capable of giving us a hard time in terms of top speed. I predict a great battle".
Max Verstappen is overall pleased with today’s results and they had some issues with the car and need to find a decent balance:
"To be that competitive in qualifying was a big surprise, this is not an easy track to learn. Of course, we want to be on pole but I think we’ve done a really good job considering where we were yesterday. It’s always going to be tricky and it’s hard to push to the limits when you don’t know the track overly well. I think we have a good chance tomorrow as we have a good top speed and the car is handling quite well so I’m looking forward to it. It’s quite slippery outside the racing line, it almost feels like gravel, maybe I need to call my dad and ask for some rally advice".
Sergio Perez says that today was not the ideal straightforward qualifying:
"We had a poor Q3 run one, which put us on the back foot a bit. My second lap was much better, but I just didn’t get the perfect sector two and that was the main problem for me. Only a couple of hundreds would have put me P2 so you will always be disappointed with such a gap because a little improvement and you are P2 rather than P4. There is a long race ahead of us tomorrow and anything can happen, my race pace looks good so beating the Ferraris is possible if we have a better strategy than them. It will be an interesting race tomorrow with the tyre choice and what happens there. Today wasn’t ideal but I am looking forward to a strong Sunday".
"It was all about those fine margins today” says Christian Horner:
"It was looking positive for us after the first run, but then a small mistake for Max at turn four and that was it for him, and then Checo’s first sector wasn’t good for him, so we start from the second row tomorrow".
On Ferrari’s team, he recognizes that they have made an amazing job while:
"Max has been on the back foot today, he’s down on laps on the other guys and still learning about the track so it’s a good recovery from him. We know both our cars have good straight-line speed and the DRS could be pretty powerful here tomorrow, and with all the support races the breaking zones should open up a bit, so there are a couple of places where we should be able to overtake. Strategy and pitstops will be crucial, as no one has really been able to do any long runs, it should be a fascinating contest tomorrow".
On Sunday, May 8, 2022, is the day of the first Miami Grand Prix. Light rain begins an hour before the race, but more precipitation never arrived. Ferrari paints the front row red thanks to pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, while row two belongs to the Red Bulls, with Max Verstappen ahead of Sergio Perez. Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas shares row three with former Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton. Before the race, Aston Martin has troubles with fuel temperature, so both Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel starts from the pit lane, while Esteban Ocon is at the back for the crash in FP2. Four drivers, Stroll, Vettel, George Russell and Ocon, begin on hard compounds, while the other 16 start on mediums. At the start, Leclerc takes the lead, while Sainz loses out to Verstappen on the way to Turn 1, while Hamilton falls to eighth and Fernando Alonso jumps from eleventh to seventh, even if he makes a little contact with Hamilton during this move. Leclerc still leads the race, with Verstappen just over a second behind, and Hamilton, who complains about some damage after the contact with Alonso, manages to pass him and reaches the seventh position on the run up to Turn 11 on lap 3. On lap 6, he steals the sixth position from Gasly. Lap 8 is when Verstappen gets into DRS range, right on the tail of Leclerc, and at the start of lap 9 the reigning champion passes the Ferrari driver and takes the lead on the main straight. Leclerc tries to overtake him too, tailing the Red Bull during the following lap, but he does not manage to take the command again. Form here, Ferrari starts to suffer. On lap 13 Leclerc has a detachment of 2.5 seconds from Verstappen, while Perez is really close to Sainz, trying to get the third position. At the same time, Russell passes Ricciardo, and Alonso pits: unfortunately his stop lasts over five seconds, and he emerges thirteenth. Lando Norris chooses to pit soon after and emerges twelfth, but falls to both Aston Martins on lap 19. Russell is now up to seventh, behind Hamilton. Back in the fight for the podium, Perez complains about a loss of power. The problem is caused by a sensor issue that the team is able to resolve quickly, so he comes back, even if has lost considerable time to Sainz ahead. Hamilton enters the pits on lap 23 and emerges seventh, just ahead of Ricciardo. Also Leclerc pits to pass to hards and takes 3.2 seconds, emerging in fourth position on lap 25.
This causes Verstappen to pit at the end of the following lap and he emerges second ahead of team mate Perez, leaving Sainz in the lead until the Spanish driver stops for hard compounds, along with Perez, at the start of lap 27. Sainz’s stop lasts 5.4 seconds, while Perez makes ground with a 3.1-second stop to restart the fight for P3. On lap 41, Gasly goes wide at Turn 8, rejoins, and clashes with Norris, ripping the McLaren’s rear-right tyre off and sending him into a spin. A Virtual Safety Car is called, soon changed into a Safety Car. Russell takes this moment to pit for the first time, dropping from fifth to seventh, with Perez doing it for a second time along with others who hope to snatch positions. Hamilton is asked if he wants to pit but decides to stay out and try to protect his position. The restart takes place on lap 47 and sees Verstappen lead Leclerc and Sainz (all on hards). Then there is medium-tyred Perez, Bottas, Hamilton and Russell in the top seven. Alonso, who now holds a five-second penalty for contact with Gasly, leads Schumacher and Ocon at the back of the top ten. Perez is right on Sainz’s tail, the Ferrari driver running wide on lap 48, giving the Mexican a run for the final podium place. The Red Bull driver makes his move on lap 52, locks up, and causes Sainz to go past for third position and completes the podium. Meanwhile, at the front, Leclerc closes the gap to within half a second but Verstappen stays at the command, trying to take his second consecutive victory of the season. Russell and Hamilton have their own duel on the restart.
Medium tyres help Russell getting close to Hamilton on lap 49, and, with Bottas going wide at Turn 17, both Mercedes go past. Then, Russell passes Hamilton but is forced to give the position back, because he went out of track. He retakes the fifth position a few laps later. Bottas is now seventh, ahead of Ocon. The Frenchman started at the back but made up 12 places by lap 37, until eight position, ahead of team mate Alonso, because of the five-second penalty given to the Spanish man for making contact with Gasly. A further five-second penalty drops Alonso to eleventh, while Alex Albon goes from tenth to ninth and Stroll to tenth from eleventh. Ricciardo pitted for hards on lap 30 and again for softs for the late Safety Car restart, but ends twlfth after a penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. This is good for Stroll, who is now up into the point area. Yuki Tsunoda falls out of the top ten and finishes thirteenth, but then he is however promoted to twelfth after the post-race penalties for Alonso and Ricciardo. This also leaves Williams driver Latifi in fourteenth position. Despite the battle with Tsunoda to get into the top ten and then again with team mate Magnussen, Schumacher is classified fifteenth thanks to late contact with Vettel. Zhou Guanyu is the first of the five drivers who do not see the checquered flag, as Alfa Romeo pulls him into the pits with a mechanical issue on lap 7. Max Verstappen wins the first ever Miami Grand Prix, having taken the lead off Ferrari’s pole-sitter Charles Leclerc early in the race, and defended it until the end. Max Verstappen wins his third Grand Prix of the season, his second consecutive championship race and 23rd career victory, ahead of Leclerc and Sainz Jr. The Dutch driver's victory in Miami, Florida, adds to those in Palm Beach and Homestead during his first season driving a single-seater in the former Florida Winter Series in 2014.
For Verstappen, it is the second consecutive victory in the United States of America after his success in the 2021 Grand Prix of the same name run in Austin, and he joins the top 10 all-time podium finishers in the history of the category, ahead of David Coulthard. The World Champion had triumphed only once before by racing on a new circuit, during the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The Safety Car put him under pressure, but despite several attempts from the Ferrari, Verstappen took the third victory of the season.
"It feels amazing to win in Miami, the whole atmosphere this weekend has been incredible and to win in the US is always a nice feeling. It was a physically tough race; I think I must have lost around 3kgs! We had a really good pace on the minimum tire, that for sure helped to make my race. Once we had the pitstop I was just managing my time to Charles, I think we were very closely matched on the hard tire. Then the safety car came out which made it more entertaining for the fans, I had to push hard today but we made it work. I'm super pleased for the Team, we didn't have a great start to the weekend so we've come far, a big thank you to everyone".
A sensor issue cost Perez time and power. Without this, he might have been fighting for second, but he hopes for a better future:
"It is a big disappointment today but at least we managed to finish with the points we have. We were putting the pressure on Carlos and then we had a problem with the power. It was caused by a sensor failure and meant we lost a lot of power, which limited our ability to attack. I was a second from Carlos and then the engine dropped and I lost around 30 seconds in two laps and then the issue affected me throughout the race. We had the pace to be up there on the podium and I pushed as much as I could in the position we were in. It was difficult to look after the tyres too, it was so hard in the corners and I was losing a lot of grip towards the end of the race. I went for it after the safety car restart but there was no grip at all and I just couldn't get past Carlos. We are working really hard on reliability and we will keep pushing as a Team, it is unfortunate, but I am pleased we managed to finish today. In Barcelona I want to be back battling at the top".
Christian Horner congratulates Max Verstappen, who kept focus and did not make mistakes. He is also sad for Perez:
"It was a real tactical race today and we threw everything we had at it, we were quite lucky that Ferrari didn't pit under the safety car, Max was under so much pressure from Charles Leclerc but he kept focus and didn't make any mistakes and was gradually able to break the DRS, which was very powerful today and manage the victory from there. Checo was really unlucky today, he had a sensor issue early on and lost about 30 horsepower, and he gave it a real go when we pitted him and gave him the tyre advantage and without that issue he may even have finished second. We've got some interesting races coming up, the car is running well, we have some development coming in the summer and we need to lose some weight, but we're pleased with what we've come away with this weekend".
Charles Leclerc mantained the command in the early part of the race, but came under pressure from Verstappen once DRS was enabled. From there, he stayed in second position. After the Safety Car, he tried to attack Verstappen more than once, but did not manage to retake the lead:
"All in all, we had a good weekend here in Miami, so of course I am disappointed to miss out on first place. While we had good pace on the Hard tyres, it was more tricky for us on the Mediums which our competitors were just faster on today, so we couldn’t close the gap in the first stint. I thought we’d have a shot at taking back the lead after the Safety Car, but it just wasn’t enough today. I thought the atmosphere was amazing this weekend and there was a really great show around the race and I look forward to coming back".
Carlos Sainz Jr. lost out to Verstappen at the start but after that was good at defending from Perez, who also was on fresh tyres:
"After a couple of eventful GPs, it’s good to be back on the podium and to have both cars up there for the team. In general, it was a solid race but also a very tough one. The neck is still not 100% and half way through the race it became a limitation. Defending from Checo who was on new Mediums after the restart was also very tough and the slightest mistake would have meant losing P3. I managed to fend him off well and the podium was the reward. I think I needed a race like this to reset a bit and build on it for the upcoming races. Up next is my home Grand Prix and we’ll make sure we get there in the very best. Miami has been a unique weekend. Thanks to all the fans out there for their support".
Mattia Binotto affirms that even if the car is competitive, the Red Bull Racing was quicker. He is still happy for the points gained by the team:
"We can’t be completely happy with today’s race because, although the F1-75 was competitive, our rivals were a few tenths per lap quicker than us. If you consider how many points we are taking home from here, we can’t be too disappointed, given that we are leading both championships, but it’s clear we now need to respond. We are keen to get the job done and there are still a lot of races to go. I want to congratulate both our drivers for the way they raced today. After a splendid pole yesterday, Charles left nothing on the table in his efforts to win while, from qualifying onwards, Carlos made up for Friday’s setback and this afternoon, he produced a solid performance, especially in the way he fended off Perez in style in the closing stages. Finally, I want to thank the American fans for their enthusiastic welcome and my congratulations to F1 and the Grand Prix organisers for putting on an incredible show, both on and off the track".
As for Mercedes, it can be said that none of the two drivers had a good start. Russell pitted early and as a result he had fresher tyres when the Safety Car came in and was able to get past his team mate to keep his record of top five finishes. Despite this, he defined the Miami Grand Prix a brutal race, also because of the hot climate:
"It's mixed feelings to be honest because obviously based on where we were yesterday, today was a good result but if you'd told me after Friday we'd finish P5 and P6 and that far behind P1, I'd have been pretty disappointed. We have a fast race car in there, we just don't have the key to unlock this performance. And we don't really understand why that is so there's work to do. Towards the end of the race today, when you're battling with your teammate, you've got to show respect, a bit more room than normal. The move was a bit tricky, I went a bit wide, but it's so dirty offline around this circuit. Obviously it was clear I went off the track and had to do it all over again. I enjoyed it and I think there's good respect between us. But Lewis was unlucky today, when you are on 20 lap old Hard tyres there's not a lot you can do really. It was brutal race out there - so hot, sweating, my eyes were stinging, I had sweat pouring into my eyes, so I need to find a way to get around that".
Hamilton says that the hard tyre was probably the better race tyre on this track and he is happy about his team mate’s performance:
"We got good points as a team today, so we'll take them and move on. I was unfortunate with the safety car and I'm waiting for a change in fortune but until then, I'll just keep working as hard as I can. George did a great job in that first stint on the Hard tyre, in hindsight the Hard tyre was probably the better race tyre for today but George did well to recover from his position and we got fifth and sixth which is good points for the team. I was a bit of a sitting duck in our move but George did great, was very fair and on old tyres, there wasn't much I could do. Even running in our positions, it's still racing, it just changes your perspective. I thought the track was great, I don't think the chicane is ideal but that's the only weak point on this circuit".
Team Principal Toto Wolff is happy for the points gained in Miami and affirms that the team will look at all the data of this weekend to better understand the performance and take those learnings to Spain:
"We maximised our points today - with George's starting position, we could afford to roll the dice on a long stint on the Hard and it worked out for him with the safety car, while it was unfortunate for Lewis. We were third-quickest on the road, this is where we are, we don't sometimes show it in qualifying but in the races, we're generally better. We had a good Friday but didn't quite understand why that was. We will be looking at all the data we've generated this weekend, working through the sessions on Friday to better understand the strong performance, and take those learnings back to Europe".