Practice 1 Report - Leclerc leads Miami practice session

Charles Leclerc
© Ferrari

Charles Leclerc set the pace in the sole practice session for Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, edging Max Verstappen as Mercedes encountered an early setback with Kimi Antonelli.

Leclerc’s late improvement to 1m29.310s secured top spot for Ferrari, putting him 0.297s clear of Verstappen, who responded with a 1m29.607s for Red Bull. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri continued his consistent form with a 1m29.758s to go third, while Lewis Hamilton backed up Ferrari’s pace in fourth on a 1m29.777s.

The session, extended to 90 minutes due to the sprint format and recent calendar disruptions, built gradually before a flurry of soft-tyre runs in the closing stages. Antonelli had been competitive early on but ended fifth with a 1m30.079s set on hard tyres, his running curtailed by a power unit issue that denied him a representative qualifying simulation. George Russell followed closely with a 1m30.100s in sixth.

Lando Norris placed seventh for McLaren with a 1m30.208s, though his session included a late evasive moment at Turn 17. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly led the midfield with a 1m30.587s in eighth, ahead of Isack Hadjar’s 1m30.873s for Red Bull and Carlos Sainz, who completed the top 10 with a 1m30.930s for Williams.

Franco Colapinto was 11th on a 1m31.015s, narrowly ahead of Alex Albon’s 1m31.024s. Haas driver Oliver Bearman posted a 1m31.091s for 13th, with Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto (1m31.111s) and Nico Hulkenberg (1m31.595s) following.

Esteban Ocon recorded a 1m31.635s for Haas, while Liam Lawson’s 1m31.648s placed him 17th for Racing Bulls. Cadillac’s Sergio Perez managed a 1m32.047s, ahead of Fernando Alonso’s 1m32.593s for Aston Martin and Valtteri Bottas on 1m32.762s in the second Cadillac entry.

Rookie Arvid Lindblad completed 41 laps but finished 21st with a 1m32.862s, while Lance Stroll rounded out the field on a 1m32.959s after a disrupted session that included a team power outage early on.

Despite Mercedes’ reduced running, the competitive spread at the front remained tight, with under half a second covering the top four. Ferrari’s one-lap pace stood out, but with several teams unable to complete clean soft-tyre runs, the true order remains difficult to judge heading into sprint qualifying.