Verstappen saves his best performance for the end, while McLaren shows strong pace in the first two stages of Sprint Qualifying, but their performance diminishes in the top ten shootout.
Charles Leclerc recovered after missing practice due to a spin and car failure to start, securing the second fastest time behind Verstappen.
Sergio Perez once again had a solid qualifying session, finishing in third place behind Leclerc.
Mercedes, on the other hand, was left puzzled as their updated W15 did not deliver as promised, resulting in the elimination of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in SQ2. Russell once again outperformed Hamilton.
Report in progress…
With the final Sprint Qualifying shootout getting the green light, the drivers remained in the pits until there were only four minutes left in the eight-minute session. They then hit the track, with the soft tire making its appearance.
This meant that all drivers had only one chance to nail a perfect lap and secure the best starting position for the Sprint Race on Saturday.
The medium compound, as required by the rules for SQ2, was used by the remaining 15 drivers, who quickly set their lap times.
Ricciardo had a moment where he kissed the wall at Turn 16, but he reported that the car was not damaged.
📻 “I kissed the wall at Turn 16, but everything seems to be okay.”
Danny Ric got away with that one 👀#F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/zaaNbYvX5P
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2024
With less than a minute remaining, Verstappen finally started his flying lap, but only managed to secure fourth place behind Norris, Perez, and Leclerc.
In the end, McLaren maintained their advantage, with Norris setting the fastest time of 1:27.579, followed by Perez in second and Leclerc in third. Verstappen finished fourth.
Despite his updated W15, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were the first two drivers eliminated from qualifying, finishing in 11th and 12th place, respectively. Hamilton hit the wall on his final lap.
Esteban Ocon was the 13th fastest, ahead of Kevin Magnussen, while Yuki Tsunoda had his best lap time excluded and ended up in 15th place. Ricciardo once again outperformed him.
Track temperature reached even higher levels at the start of SQ1 compared to the previous FP1, reaching 51 degrees Celsius, while the air temperature was at 29 degrees.
Following the regulations of Sprint Qualifying, all drivers went out on track with medium tires on their cars.
Leclerc wasted no time and was the first driver to venture out on track to familiarize himself with it after missing the entire first practice session.
He started a quick lap, but quickly backed off after experiencing oversteer at Turn 8, while other drivers joined in and began their own fast laps.
A replay showed Alonso touching the wall at the exit of Turn 16, but he continued on without significant damage.
As is customary in Sprint Qualifying, drivers continued to push their limits, aiming to improve their lap times.
Another replay revealed a moment between Piastri and Valtteri Bottas, with the latter blocking the McLaren driver, who narrowly avoided a collision with the Sauber. Bottas expressed frustration at receiving the warning from his engineer too late.
As SQ1 came to an end, Norris led with a time of 1:27.939, 0.117s ahead of his teammate Piastri, who secured the second fastest time, with Alonso in third.
The first driver to be eliminated from the session was Pierre Gasly, who finished in 16th place, behind Hulkenberg by 0.145s and ahead of Zhou Guanyu by 0.082s, the Chinese driver securing the 17th fastest time.
Bottas clocked the 18th fastest time in the sister Sauber, trailing his teammate by 0.093s and leading Logan Sargeant in 19th by 0.191s.
Alex Albon, despite having his best lap time invalidated, finished in 20th place, although it was not enough to advance to SQ2.
© 2024
The world of sports is full of excitement and action, and 2024 promises to be an incredible year for fans. With several thrilling competitions taking place around the globe, sports enthusiasts will certainly have plenty to enjoy.
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