MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Formula One Miami Grand Prix Sprint race on May 3, as the race weekend was affected by South Florida rain for the first time in its four-year history.
Norris, who won the Miami Grand Prix last year thanks to a safety car, took the lead after a double yellow flag was waved after two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin crashed out after being bumped by Racing Bull driver Liam Lawson on the 14th lap.
“Miami seems pretty good at the minute. I’m happy. The pace was still very good. … I would’ve preferred this would have happened tomorrow than today,” Norris said in light of winning again due to the safety car.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the leader in the F1 Drivers’ standings, finished second. He had the fastest start on the grid when the race began, edging out 18-year-old Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who started on pole, on the first turn to take the lead.
“Obviously disappointed to come out second, but that’s how it goes,” Piastri said after the Sprint.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton rounded out the podium in third place, after a gamble to change his tires paid off. Hamilton, who won the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint earlier this year, was all smiles during his postrace interview on the track.
“I’m so happy with that. It’s been a tough year so far, but I never thought it was going to rain in Miami. It’s the first time we’ve been on the track when it’s wet here,” Hamilton said.
Antonelli was forced off track by Piastri in the first turn, an unfortunate start after he became the youngest driver in F1 history to win pole in any race format one day earlier. He finished 10th.
Williams’ Alex Albon finished fourth, George Russell of Mercedes placed in fifth, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was sixth, Lawson was seventh, followed by Haas driver Oliver Bearman in eighth and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda in ninth.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won the first two Miami races in 2022 and 2023, dropped from fourth to finish 17th ahead of three drivers who crashed out due to a 10-second penalty for colliding into Antonelli while trying to exit the pit lane.
The Sprint race began after a 30-minute delay after pouring rain made for a soaking wet track for the cars.
It was a photogenic scene as rainwater clung around the tires before releasing into the air, leaving behind a wet trail of heavy mist and engine smoke. It didn’t stop fans from packing the grandstands, some wearing ponchos and others just braving the elements.
It was a wet nightmare for some of the drivers before the delay, too.
“The visibility is genuinely the worst I’ve ever had in a race car,” Piastri said during the formation lap before the delay.
Piastri also mentioned there was a “big pool” by Turn 10.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc couldn’t even line up on the grid, where he was slated to start sixth in the Sprint, after aquaplaning and crashing into the wall between Turns 9 and 10 running south of Hard Rock Stadium.
Leclerc’s right side was affected, flattening his front tire and destroying his rear, during the first lap he took around the track about an hour before the Sprint began.
“I’m so sorry,” Leclerc told his team over the radio. “Yeah I’m so sorry.”
Verstappen found himself off track in a runoff during the formation lap, and complained of visibility during the race.
Carlos Sainz, the former Ferrari drive now with Williams, found himself spun around between turns 14 and 15 under the Florida Turnpike shortly before the race ended.
Piastri still leads the Drivers’ standings after the Sprint with 106 points, followed by Norris (97), Verstappen (87), Russell (77) and LeClerc (47) in the Top 5. Only the Top 8 drivers earn points from Sprint race – eight points for first place, decreasing a point for each place that follows.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lando Norris wins rain-soaked Miami Grand Prix Sprint race
