F1 LIVE: Miami Grand Prix practice updates ahead of qualifying as Mercedes struggle and Red Bull fly
Follow live Formula One coverage from the final practice sessions at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, ahead of qualifying later on Saturday for the Miami Grand Prix. F1 has arrived in the United States ahead of the long-awaited inaugural Miami Grand Prix and excitement is building as the drivers take to the track in Florida for the final time before qualifying for Sunday’s race.
In FP1 on Friday, Charles Leclerc - who heads into the fifth race of the season with the championship lead after two wins so far this season - posted the fastest time as Ferrari again impressed. But defending champion Max Verstappen and the Red Bulls also showed some pace, while there were finally signs of life from Mercedes as George Russell ended in P2, just 0.071s behind Leclerc.
Then in FP2, Mercedes built on that as Russell posted the fastest lap and Lewis Hamilton was fourth. The seven-time world champion’s struggles reached a new low after a 13th place finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two weeks ago but Miami could signal the start of a revival for the Brit.
Only two-tenths of a second separated the top three cars and for the first time this season, we may have Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all competing at the sharp-end and gunning for pole later on Saturday.
Follow live coverage from practice at the F1 Miami Grand Prix below:
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
RED FLAG! Ocon spins into the wall h
After Friday struggles, Verstappen showing Saturday pace
Qualifying follows at 9pm BST
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice final leaderboard
19:03 , Dylan Terry
Here is the final leaderboard then at the end of the third and final practice session at the Miami Grand Prix! Charles Leclerc managed to edge in front of Max Verstappen at the end.
Sergio Perez
Charles Leclerc
Max Verstappen
Fernando Alonso
Sebastian Vettel
Mick Schumacher
Carlos Sainz
Kevin Magnussen
Alex Albon
Lando Norris
Yuki Tsunoda
Lance Stroll
Daniel Ricciardo
Valtteri Bottas
Lewis Hamilton
Pierre Gasly
George Russell
Guanyu Zhou
Nicholas Latifi
Esteban Ocon
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:59 , Dylan Terry
1 minute remaining: OH HANG ON THOUGH! Max Verstappen is extremely lucky to avoid hitting the wall as he spins out at one of the apexes! The reigning world champion hits the curb but manages to get on the brakes quickly enough to avoid shunting the car!
The mechanics will be breathing a sigh of relief there!
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:58 , Dylan Terry
2 minutes remaining: Sergio Perez returns to the top of the standings in the closing stages here! He has gone three tenths quicker than fellow Red Bull Max Verstappen.
Sebastian Vettel is up to fourth in his Aston Martin - either side of the two Ferraris.
Session ending very shortly. I will bring you a full leaderboard as soon as the clock ticks to zero.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:56 , Dylan Terry
4 minutes remaining: George Russell tells his Mercedes team radio that ‘the tyres are nowhere’ as the Silver Arrows begin to fall down the order a little.
Lewis Hamilton is down in 14th and George Russell is even further behind in 16th. That is a real return to disappointment after a promising Friday for the reigning constructors champions.
Russell is clearly struggling with some awful porpoising. Imagine it’s similar for Hamilton too.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:54 , Dylan Terry
6 minutes remaining: Here come the McLarens! We have barely talked about them at all in this session but Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo have officially arrived in Miami on Saturday.
Ricciardo gets the better of his teammate on this occasion as he moves up to fourth and Norris has to settle for sixth. Impressive from the orange cars though.
Fernando Alonso then edges above Ricciardo and into fourth, with Alex Albon impressively moving up to sixth.
Not long remaining.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:51 , Dylan Terry
9 minutes remaining: Perez goes fastest but then Verstappen responds! Wow, did not see that coming as we head inside the final 10 minutes of this session.
Red Bull have now posted the best two times of this session, with Verstappen pipping his teammate by five one hundredths.
Lewis Hamilton is up to fifth, with Russell down in seventh.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:49 , Dylan Terry
12 minutes remaining: So, can Max Verstappen respond to Charles Leclerc’s time of 1.30.981 as we approach the final stages of this third and final practice session?
The Dutchman will be pleased he has made it through the majority of the session without any issues given his nightmare FP2 yesterday.
But now Red Bull will want to take a psychological advantage into qualifying by finishing top of the FP3 leaderboard. Charles Leclerc currently leads.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:45 , Dylan Terry
15 minutes remaining: Charles Leclerc goes back to the top of the leaderboard as he posts a 1.30.981, more than three tenths quicker than Max Verstappen.
Is it going to be Leclerc vs Verstappen for pole position once again later tonight? Looks that way at the moment.
George Russell goes up to fourth just moments after Lewis Hamilton had secured that position. The gap between Russell and Hamilton is three one thousandths of a second!
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:42 , Dylan Terry
17 minutes remaining: Lando Norris does exceptionally well to avoid going into the wall! He overcooks the corner and then struggles to get grip in his tyres but manages to avoid a collision with the barrier. Impressive escapology from the young Brit.
Pierre Gasly has just moved up to 10th place as he goes nearly two tenths quicker than Guanyu Zhou. That pushes Lewis Hamilton down into 11th.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice leaderboard
18:40 , Dylan Terry
So with 20 minutes remaining, here is how the top 10 are looking.
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Valtteri Bottas
Carlos Sainz
Fernando Alonso
Kevin Magnussen
Mick Schumacher
George Russell
Guanyu Zhou
Lewis Hamilton
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:37 , Dylan Terry
23 minutes remaining: Valtteri Bottas leaps up to third ahead of Carlos Sainz with a sensational lap as he posts a time just half a second off Max Verstappen.
Meanwhile, Mick Schumacher has absorbed something on the track and been forced to return to the pits. He says on team radio that he thinks it was a plastic bag. Hard luck.
Lewis Hamilton down in 10th place now. Tricky session so far for Formula One’s most successful ever driver.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:34 , Dylan Terry
26 minutes remaining: All 19 drivers are now out on track, with Esteban Ocon the only absentee following his shunt into the wall.
The top three currently stands at Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The two Mercedes are down in fifth and seventh as Kevin Magnussen leaps up to sixth.
Guanyu Zhou also now into the top 10.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:30 , Dylan Terry
30 minutes remaining: So we’re back underway with half of the session remaining! Which teams can make the most of this reduced session?
Almost all of the cars went straight out onto the track due to the 15 minutes worth of red flag.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:28 , Dylan Terry
31 minutes remaining: Here is how the crash happened. Ocon just lost the rear of the car and unfortunately couldn’t evade the wall as he span into it.
He is out of the third qualifying session but the other 19 drivers are returning now as the red flag is over!
Good news for all the teams, including Alpine who will now focus all their attention on Fernando Alonso.
🟥 RED FLAG 🟥
Ocon crashes out on the same corner that got the better of Carlos Sainz yesterday 😬 pic.twitter.com/mu1aniTh62— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 7, 2022
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:25 , Dylan Terry
34 minutes remaining: The damage on Esteban Ocon’s car doesn’t look too serious - you imagine his Alpine team will be able to repair it in time for qualifying at 9pm BST.
Meanwhile, the marshalls are still getting rid of the debris on the track so we still have a red flag.
Hopefully the drivers will be back racing in the next few minutes.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:22 , Dylan Terry
39 minutes remaining: So then, here is the top 10 with the red flag still out. Essentially still the same as it was a few moments before that Ocon crash, but with Verstappen leapfrogging Leclerc.
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Mick Schumacher
George Russell
Carlos Sainz
Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas
Pierre Gasly
Sergio Perez
Yuki Tsunoda
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:18 , Dylan Terry
42 minutes remaining: Just prior to Ocon going into the wall, Verstappen returned to the top of the leaderboard as he went three tenths quicker than Leclerc.
Magnussen also had a little spin in his Haas car but managed to avoid any damage. The same cannot be said for Ocon.
Looks like the Ferraris and Red Bulls are setting the pace again early on here.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:16 , Dylan Terry
45 minutes remaining: RED FLAG! Esteban Ocon has shunted into the wall and we have a red flag.
Ocon has told his team that he is OK, but he has damaged the front end of the car. All the drivers preparing to return to the pit wall then.
The time will continue to tick down as the marshalls sweep the debris off of the circuit.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice leaderboard
18:14 , Dylan Terry
So after 15 minutes, here is the top 10 in the third practice session. Still a long way to go obviously, but gives you some sort of idea.
Max Verstappen
Charles Leclerc
Mick Schumacher
George Russell
Carlos Sainz
Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas
Pierre Gasly
Sergio Perez
Yuki Tsunoda
What do you guys make of that? Tweet me @dylanterryjnst and let me know your thoughts.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:10 , Dylan Terry
49 minutes remaining: Wow! We just catch a glimpse of Lewis Hamilton as he starts a flying lap and he nearly loses the rear of the car on the first corner! He is clearly still struggling to get to grips with the set-up of the Mercedes.
Latifi, Albon and Zhou currently the only drives yet to come out onto the track.
Meanwhile, Norris has returned to the pits without posting a time. Presumably collecting some data from out laps.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:07 , Dylan Terry
52 minutes remaining: Sergio Perez posts a time 1.4 seconds off the pace of his teammate Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz then moves into an early second place as he goes 0.4 seconds behind Verstappen.
But there’s a new fastest time as Charles Leclerc comes out and immediately hits the ground running with a 1.32.250. Impressive from the drivers’ championship leader.
Lewis Hamilton also now out on track. What can the seven-time champion get out of his car in FP3?
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:05 , Dylan Terry
55 minutes remaining: Max Verstappen is the first driver to set a time in the third practice session as he posts a 1.34.03.
He has completed a lap! That will be a positive for Red Bull after their treacherous second session with the reigning world champion on Friday. We will need to wait a little longer before we find out whether or not the reliability issues have been fixed.
Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda are also now out on track.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:02 , Dylan Terry
58 minutes remaining: Right then! Here we go as the time starts and a few of the cars immediately decide to head out onto the track.
Six or seven cars went straight out onto this new Miami GP track as soon as the practice session began. Among them? The two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz, Sebastian Vettel, Esteban Ocon, Daniel Ricciardo, Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll all also out on track.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
18:00 , Dylan Terry
Right then, we are almost ready for the third and final practice session for the first ever Miami Grand Prix.
How will the 20 drivers and 10 teams fair after an intriguing two sessions on Friday?
Have Red Bull cleared up their reliability issues? Can Mercedes build on their impressive increase in pace? Will Ferrari continue to challenge for pole position?
A lot of questions which the next hour could well give us some of the answers to.
What is the schedule for the Miami Grand Prix weekend?
17:55 , Dylan Terry
Miami Grand Prix weekend (All times BST)
Saturday, May 7
6pm: Miami GP Practice Three
7.10pm: W Series Race One
9pm: Miami GP Qualifying
Sunday, May 8
3.20pm: W Series Race Two
8.30pm: The Miami Grand Prix
Verstappen suffers in second practice
17:51 , Dylan Terry
Max Verstappen missed the opening chunk of the second practice following a gearbox change, and when he eventually emerged on track, his rear brakes overheated and he was forced to limp back to the pits.
“It’s s***,” said Verstappen on the radio. “I couldn’t f****** steer. I cannot do anything. I’m really sorry.”
Team principal Christian Horner was seen shaking his head on the Red Bull pit wall.
Will the reigning champion have a more reliable car to drive today? He will certainly be hoping so as he looks to cut the 27-point gap to Charles Leclerc at the top of the drivers’ standings.
Hamilton to remove ear piercings for Miami GP
17:46 , Dylan Terry
Lewis Hamilton has bowed to pressure from Formula One’s governing body by removing his ear piercings for the Miami Grand Prix.
Hamilton arrived for Friday’s official press conference wearing a ring on every finger, a series of necklaces, a bracelet, earrings in both lobes and three watches – two on his left wrist and one on his right – in a clear show of defiance against the FIA’s jewellery ban.
The seven-time world champion also indicated he would even be prepared to withdraw from Sunday’s race in protest.
But less than three hours later, and following a series of discussions with the FIA, Hamilton performed a U-turn by agreeing to take out his earrings.
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
17:40 , Dylan Terry
The third and final practice session on Miami Grand Prix weekend kicks off at 6pm BST. It will last one hour before the cars return to the paddock ahead of qualifying.
Qualifying for the Miami GP will then begin at 9pm as the 20 drivers fight it out for the front row of the grid.
It promises to be a thrilling few hours of action on the east coast of America, so be sure not to miss live updates of all the action.
F1 drivers standings ahead of Miami GP
17:36 , Dylan Terry
Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 86 points
Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 59 points
Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | 54 points
George Russell | Mercedes | 49 points
Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 38 points
Lando Norris | McLaren | 35 points
Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 28 points
Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 24 points
Esteban Ocon | Alpine F1 | 20 points
Kevin Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 15 points
Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 11 points
Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 10 points
Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 6 points
Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 4 points
Fernando Alonso | Alpine F1 | 2 points
Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1 point
Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1 point
Alexander Albon | Williams Racing | 1 point
Mick Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 0 points
Nicholas Latifi | Williams Racing | 0 points
Hamilton tempering expectations despite impressive Friday
17:32 , Dylan Terry
Lewis Hamilton has insisted ‘practice is practice’ despite a positive Friday at the Miami Grand Prix.
He said: “Practice is just practice and everyone is doing something different – not everyone is showing their true pace.
“But we seem to be quicker here. We have improved in some way, I am not sure where that is because we still have the bouncing.
“There are definitely positive elements to take from today. I am still struggling with the car but George looked fast out there.”
Russell on Mercedes improvement
17:25 , Dylan Terry
George Russell has revealed Mercedes do not know why they have shown so much improvement in Miami so far.
“We don’t really understand it,” said Russell. “We have hit the ground running.
“We knew the conditions would suit us better here because this is the first real hot race of the season, and that has helped us, but it is only Friday and we are not getting carried away.
“But it has definitely been a productive day for us, and probably the most productive Friday we have had this year.”
Mercedes pace improving
17:16 , Dylan Terry
Mercedes have struggled for pace in the opening four races of the season. They have been significantly adrift of Ferrari and Red Bull as George Russell and particularly Lewis Hamilton have failed to seriously compete for race victories.
But in the second practice session yesterday Russell topped the leaderboard ahead of Charles Leclerc. Hamilton managed fourth.
Can they continue that impressive upturn in the third session and qualifying later this evening?
Miami Grand Prix Saturday practice
16:42 , Luke Baker
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the final practice from the Miami Grand Prix ahead of qualifying later on Saturday.
F1 has arrived in the United States ahead of the long-awaited inaugural Miami Grand Prix and excitement is building as the drivers take to the track in Florida for the final time before qualifying for Sunday’s race.
In FP1 on Friday, Charles Leclerc - who heads into the fifth race of the season with the championship lead after two wins so far this season - posted the fastest time as Ferrari again impressed. But defending champion Max Verstappen and the Red Bulls also showed some pace, while there were finally signs of life from Mercedes as George Russell ended in P2, just 0.071s behind Leclerc.
Then in FP2, Mercedes built on that as Russell posted the fastest lap and Lewis Hamilton was fourth. The seven-time world champion’s struggles reached a new low after a 13th place finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two weeks ago but Miami could signal the start of a revival for the Brit.
Only two-tenths of a second separated the top three cars and, for the first time this season, we may have Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all competing at the sharp-end and gunning for pole later on Saturday.
