Sergio Pérez in Red Bull dominated Saturday’s prematurely ended qualifying for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Since the drivers did not get a chance to improve in the end due to the accident of Charles Leclerc with Ferrari, the starting grid in Florida will look unusual. The second best time was won by Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin. Carlos Sainz junior with Ferrari and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen will line up on the second row.
Defending champion Max Verstappen with Red Bull finished ninth as he skidded on the first fast lap. Like all the other pilots, he did not have time to finish the second due to red flags. By then, Pérez is in a starting position to take the lead in the championship after Sunday’s Grand Prix, losing only six points to the Dutchman.
In the first part of qualifying, both Mercedes drivers got out of non-progressive positions only at the last moment, on the contrary, both McLarens appeared on them. Even the support from billionaire Jeff Bezos, who was present on the team pit wall, did not help the British team.
Hamilton’s fate was fulfilled in the second part, in which he did not fit into the top 10. The seven-time world champion did not qualify among the top six drivers for the first time in his career in a race in the USA. The Brit didn’t look at the first part of qualifying for the first time since last year’s Monza.
Drama in the last part of the fight for pole position was brought by Leclrc’s crash. The Monaco man skidded and hit the barriers while trying to move from seventh position. Due to this, the qualification was interrupted and, since there were only 96 seconds left, it was also terminated.
The Miami Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 21:30 and you can watch it in our online broadcast HERE.
The results:
