Oscar Piastri wins GP Miami, Verstappen fourth

Fatherhood has made Max Verstappen not a more careful driver. The four -time world champion went to the extreme in the Grand Prix of Miami, but he could not compete with his much faster rivals of McLaren. Oscar Piastri won the race and Lando Norris came in second on the street circuit around the Hard Rock Stadium.

The Red Bull driver also had to tolerate George Russell from Mercedes and settle for fourth place. Verstappen was more than half a minute behind the winner.

Piastri already booked his fourth Grand-Prix victory of this season and he strengthened his leading position in the championship of Formula 1. Verstappen maintained himself in third place, but he was further behind. He is now 32 points behind Piastri.

Verstappen started the pole position race and gave everything to hold his first position. That managed to squeeze Norris in the first corner series, so that the Brit had to be full and fell from the second to sixth place. Piastri soon benefited and moved up to the second place behind the Dutchman.

Head position lost after fourteen laps

The 27-year-old Limburger, who became a father for the first time earlier this week, kept it up for fourteen laps. Then he had to let the first McLaren pass. Piastri just had more speed and more grip in the turns. And even though Verstappen defended with his hand and tooth, he could not control the Australian. Three laps later Norris, who had already been torn to third place, passed him fairly easily.

To make matters worse, Russell passed him by after Pitstops halfway through the race. For Verstappen there was little else to be secured in fourth place and grabbing the accompanying points, although he was still dangerously close to Russell towards the end of the race. However, an attack in third place was no longer possible.

The race in Miami went without major incidents. The threatening rain was not forthcoming. There were four dropouts and Ferrari again disappointed. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in the seventh and eighth.

Verstappen: zero comma zero chance

Max Verstappen could not produce joy for his fourth place in the Grand Prix of Miami. « Zero comma zero chance. Just not good enough. A third or fourth place doesn’t matter to me, I don’t come up with that, » said Red Bull’s driver after the race at Viaplay.

The four -time world champion drove a super round in the qualification on Saturday, which earned him the pole position, but in the Grand Prix he could not compete with the much faster McLarens from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

In the initial phase of the race he went to the utmost to keep Piastri away. « I tried something with the McLarens, because I had nothing to lose. It was more fun. The brakes and the balance are more often a problem, we have to work hard on that. » (ANP)

To share

Mail the editors