Miami Grand Prix practice delivered an early suggestion taht that Formula 1’s competitive order may be far from settled, as Charles Leclerc edged out Max Verstappen in a frenetic, extended opening session –while early trouble struck championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
With a rare 90-minute practice – extended due to recent regulation changes couple with this weekend’s Sprint format and a long gap since the last race – teams wasted no time hitting the track. Most initially focused on hard tyres, feeling out conditions after weeks away from competitive running.
Leclerc set the early benchmark with a 1m29.855s, but margins were tight. Both Mercedes and McLaren hovered within a few tenths, hinting at another closely fought weekend.
The real pace, however, only emerged in the closing stages.
Verstappen was the first to show his hand on soft tyres, jumping to the top with a 1m29.776s. But his advantage was short-lived. Leclerc responded immediately, first reclaiming P1 and then sealing it with a 1m29.310s – aided by a well-timed tow from Lando Norris down the back straight.
Verstappen improved again late on to a 1m29.607s, but it left him 0.297s adrift, settling for second after a session that had earlier seen him complain over the radio about poor gear shifts.
Three teams in the fight
Behind the leading duo, Oscar Piastri ensured three different teams occupied the top three, underlining the competitive spread. His 1m29.759s kept McLaren firmly in the mix.
Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton followed in fourth, less than half a second off the pace, reinforcing the Scuderia’s encouraging start to the weekend.
For Mercedes, dominant winners of the season’s opening three races, the session proved far less straightforward.
Antonelli — fastest overall in the championship standings — could only manage fifth with a 1m30.079s, set on hard tyres before a power unit issue curtailed his running and ruled him out of the crucial soft-tyre phase.
His position flattered the true picture, with rivals failing to hook up clean laps late on.
Team-mate George Russell slotted into sixth, just behind Antonelli, as Mercedes lacked the final punch seen from Ferrari and Red Bull.
The session was largely clean, though Antonelli voiced frustration after encountering a weaving Lance Stroll, forcing him to back off mid-lap.
Norris ended seventh after a near-miss with Alex Albon at Turn 17, where he had to take to the run-off to avoid contact — a moment that likely cost him a shot at the top spot.
Further down, Oliver Bearman, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto completed the top 10, while Isack Hadjar reported similar downshifting concerns to Verstappen.
At the back, struggles continued for Aston Martin — hit by a garage power outage — and Cadillac, while rookie Arvid Lindblad endured a disrupted session.
With upgrades everywhere and little time to recover, the stage is set for a highly unpredictable sprint weekend in Miami.
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