The Great Circus premiered in Miami after a spectacular presentation that even had Lando Norris as entertainer and DJ, a multi-purpose British pilot, although what really mattered was the action on the track.
That was where Charles Leclerc prevailed with the Ferrari to make up for himself after losing a secured podium in the final laps of the last Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The 24-year-old driver set a 1m31.098s on the soft tires to claim himself, for the moment, as the fastest on this circuit.
The Monegasque was followed by the surprising George Russell, who with the Mercedes was only 71 thousandths slower than the current world leader, while the two Red Bulls stalked the top two with the RB18
The surprise came from Pierre Gasly, who was able to climb to fifth place with an impressive turn aboard his AlphaTauri. The Frenchman excelled in Free Practice 1 in Miami, and was able to beat Carlos Sainz by 30 thousandths, although the Madrid native had a big scare when he spun at high speed and punctured his right front wheel.
The other who impressed was Alexander Albon, who finished in seventh place with his increasingly black Williams, and was followed by Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo, who closed the top 10. Fernando Alonso, for his part, was 12th with the Alpine.
Results of Free Practice 1 of the Miami GP 2022 Formula 1
| Cla | Pilot | Chassis | laps | Weather | Difference | Interval | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Charles Leclerc |
 |
Ferrari | 26 | 1’31.098 | ||
| 2 |  George Russell |
 |
Mercedes | 23 | 1’31.169 | 0.071 | 0.071 |
| 3 |  Max Verstappen |
 |
Red Bull | 14 | 1’31.277 | 0.179 | 0.108 |
| 4 |  Sergio Pérez |
|
Red Bull | 22 | 1’31.301 | 0.203 | 0.024 |
| 5 |  Pierre Gasly |
 |
AlphaTauri | 27 | 1’31.498 | 0.400 | 0.197 |
| 6 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |
|
ferrari | 25 | 1,31,528 | 0.430 | 0.030 |
| 7 |  Alexander Albon |
 |
williams | 20 | 1’31.854 | 0.756 | 0.326 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton |
 |
Mercedes | 23 | 1’31.956 | 0.858 | 0.102 |
| 9 |  Kevin Magnussen |
 |
Haas | 20 | 1’32.559 | 1,461 | 0.603 |
| 10 |  Daniel Ricciardo |
 |
McLaren | 21 | 1’32.592 | 1.494 | 0.033 |
| see results | |||||||
Summary of Free Practice 1 of the Miami GP 2022 Formula 1
The arrival of Formula 1 in Miami caused the entire city to turn upside down with the event, and all the fans were waiting for the fastest single-seaters on the planet to hit the Florida track for the first time.
Seconds after the light at the end of the pitlane turned green, the drivers ventured into the unknown, save for the Haas, who saved their cards for minutes later. However, as soon as it started, the first controversy was seen, since George Russell found Esteban Ocon in the middle of the pit lane, who was investigated by the stewards for causing an unsafe release .
Returning to the track, the current world champion soon imposed his own law by setting a 1:36.099 with the softest tires, followed by Lando Norris and the two Ferraris, but there was no truce in the fight for first position, and the times They fell as the session progressed.
Not everything was a path of roses for the pilots, because in the first 10 minutes we saw how Max Verstappen touched the outer wall of the most twisty area, while Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda starred in two spins, although they did hit the barriers .
The difficulty in finding grip on this new circuit was more than evident, although the drivers continued to push themselves to the limit in this part that precedes the back straight, as could be seen with Sergio Pérez and Fernando Alonso, who came close to losing the control of their single-seaters when passing through the high curbs.
After 20 minutes , the Ferrari of current championship leader Leclerc was in the lead thanks to his time of 1:32.949, but only a thousandth separated him from the Mercedes of George Russell, who enjoyed a new low-downforce W13 set-up. . Just at that moment was when a moment of tension was known, since Mick Schumacher was close to colliding with Daniel Ricciardo on the straight, something that would be investigated by the stewards.
Race direction was quite busy in this first half hour of the session, because Sebastian Vettel was warned with a black and white flag for crossing the pitlane line. After a hectic start to free practice in Miami, some returned to the garage to fit a new set of tires, as well as to modify the configuration of the car to adapt better.
However, one who wasn’t happy about returning to his pit lane was Max Verstappen, who complained over the radio to his team when he was ordered into the pitlane. The Dutchman assured that “he could not learn the circuit” if they made him return, although his mechanics immediately looked at the rear of the RB18 due to possible technical problems.
By the time the clock struck the first 30 minutes , the Ferraris commanded the table, with Carlos Sainz ahead of Charles Leclerc, both on medium tires, followed by Lando Norris’s McLaren and Checo Pérez’s Red Bull. Fernando Alonso, who expressed that the start of this season was the best for more than a decade before getting on his Alpine, was in fifth position just four tenths away, which indicated that everything will be very tight from above.
Lewis Hamilton, who was one of the men of the day due to the jewelery controversy, put his car in second place, but nobody could replicate his time instantly, as Valtteri Bottas lost control of his Alfa Romeo C42 and hit against the wall, in which he would be the first victim of the new Miami layout.
After about 10 minutes of pause due to the red flag caused by the Finn, the stewards gave the go-ahead for the single-seaters to return to the asphalt, and it did not take long, since it was vital to continue collecting data to prepare for qualifying and the race.
You didn’t have to push yourself to the limit to avoid being left out in the second free practice, but Sainz, who was leading the session, suffered a puncture in his right front tire when he spun at high speed while pressing on his lap.
The bad news was mounting for Ferrari, as Max Verstappen posted a time a second quicker than the Madrid native when riding the softest compound in Pirelli’s range, as did Albon, who moved up to second in the Williams.
However, as the clock ticked down, the times dropped, and Charles Leclerc finished on top, followed by the surprising George Russell, while the Red Bulls made sure to go fast on this track.
Sainz could not get past sixth position, partly due to a spin and not being able to set time on the softs, and his compatriot, Fernando Alonso , was only 12th on a somewhat gray day for the two-time world champion.
