The first ever Miami Grand Prix offered plenty of challenges to the 20 Formula 1 drivers, with high temperatures, a low grip surface and plenty of walls to punish mistakes.
Here are RaceFans’ driver ratings for the Miami Grand Prix weekend.
Lewis Hamilton – 6
Qualified: 6th (+6 ahead of team mate)
Finished: 6th (-1 behind team mate)
- Qualified sixth behind former team mate Bottas
- Lost two places at start after bump from Alonso at turn two
- Passed Alonso, then passed Gasly in early laps
- Ran behind Bottas before and after pit stop, staying out under Safety Car
- Gained a place through Bottas’s turn 17 error, lost one to his team mate soon after
- Was briefly handed his place back from Russell before being passed a second time, finishing sixth
George Russell – 5
Qualified: 12th (-6 behind team mate)
Finished: 5th (+1 ahead of team mate)
- Set the pace on Friday with the fastest lap of the day
- Eliminated from Q2 by 0.045s in 12th, admitting lack of confidence in the car
- Started on hard tyres and fell to 15th at start, later losing another place to Albon
- Passed Ricciardo and inherited places when medium runners pitted and to move up to fifth
- Pitted under convenient Virtual Safety Car, losing only two places and switching to mediums
- Passed Bottas after his mistake at turn 17, then passed Hamilton outside of track limits, having to give up place
- Overtook Hamilton a second time after handing back position, holding onto fifth at the finish
Max Verstappen – 8
Qualified: 3rd (+1 ahead of team mate)
Finished: Winner (+3 ahead of team mate)
- Overheating problems on Friday led to him setting no timed laps in second practice
- Had provisional pole in Q3 but turn five mistake allowed Ferraris to jump him on grid
- Passed Sainz to take second at the start
- Caught Leclerc in early laps before passing him for the lead into turn one
- Managed the gap to Leclerc on the hard tyres before Safety Car
- Resisted pressure…