Formula 1 starts this weekend in Miami - the first US Grand Prix of the season.
Qualifying caused quite a bit of chaos on Saturday (May 6th) - read about it here.
The starting grid at the Miami Grand Prix
Leclerc sends a red flag: Verstappen on P9
Hamilton after a mistake only on P13 behind Hulkenberg
You can read the qualifying here
Update from May 06, 2023, 11:37 p.m.:
Lewis Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen were called to the stewards again after qualifying!
The reason for this is the near-crash in Q1.
The incident could have consequences for Lewis Hamilton, who was just too late on the brakes.
Starting grid at the Miami Grand Prix
1. Perez | 2. Alonso | 3. Sainz | 4. Magussen |
5. Gasly | 6. Russell | 7. Leclerc | 8.Ocon |
9. Verstappen | 10. Bottas | 11. Albon | 12. Hulkenberg |
13.Hamilton | 14.Zhou | 15. de Vries | 16. Norris |
17. Tsunoda | 18. Stroll | 19. Piastri | 20. Sargeant |
Update from May 06, 2023, 11:30 p.m.:
We haven’t had such an interesting starting line-up for a long time!
Many surprises await us, including the fact that Hamilton will drive from P13 behind Hülkenberg.
The difference between Stroll (P18) and Alonso (P2) is also remarkable.
And then there's the prospect of rain tomorrow, so this could be a really exciting and unpredictable Miami Grand Prix.
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Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz after qualifying.
© IMAGO/Mark Sutton
Live ticker during qualifying in Miami: Leclerc flies out of the curve at the last minute and causes a red flag
Update from May 06, 2023, 11:15 p.m.:
What a qualifying session!
Probably nobody would have expected that: Leclerc caused a red flag in the last minute, hit his car in the gang and therefore only started from P7.
But it was even worse for Verstappen: After a botched first lap, he wanted to do a quick one, but was behind Leclerc and will only start from P9 on Sunday due to the red flag!
But Perez, Alonso and Sainz are happy as the first three.
But Magnussen has also benefited properly: The Dane will drive from fourth place in Miami!
Q3:
Leclerc is the first to attempt a fast lap AND THROW THE CAR AWAY!
THE FERRARI ENDS IN THE BAND AND Q3 IS OVER!
WHAT A FINISH THAT MEANS VERSTAPPEN ONLY STARTS FROM P9!
Q3:
By the way, Bottas hasn't even driven out yet because the Finn only has one set of tires left for qualifying and he's only using them now.
It's getting really crowded on the track now.
Everyone wants to set the fastest lap again!
Qualifying in Miami in the live ticker: Leclerc and Verstappen miss their fastest laps
Q3:
Now Leclerc is doing the best middle sector, but unfortunately misses the last sector!
Both Verstappen and Leclerc now only have one chance to do a good lap.
Perez wouldn't mind if the two didn't get any faster - that would mean pole for him!
Q3:
Now it's about everything!
Ten minutes until we know who will start from pole position in Miami tomorrow.
Verstappen has already gone out and aborted his first fast lap directly, was there a problem?
Meanwhile, Perez puts in a damn good lap!
Q2:
Too bad!
It's not enough for Hulkenberg - the German made a mistake right in the first corner and slipped to P12.
Lewis Hamilton's result is also a major disappointment for Mercedes: The Briton has to start from P13 tomorrow.
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Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas during qualifying in Miami.
© IMAGO/Andy Hone
Live ticker for qualifying in Miami: Hulkenberg and Hamilton out after Q2!
Alex Albon
Nico Hulkenberg
Lewis Hamilton
Zhou Guanyu
Nyck de Vries
Q2:
It's going to be really tight for a lot of drivers!
Of course everyone wants to progress and drive in Q3.
Valtteri Bottas has his personal best qualifying session of the season!
Nice to see the Finn so far ahead again.
Now everyone has to go out again and hope to make it into the top ten.
Q2:
Less than five minutes!
Carlos Sainz put in a really good lap in the Ferrari and set the best times in the first and second sectors.
Let's see if there's more in it than the second position for him.
Qualifying in Miami in the live ticker: Q3 could be tight for Mercedes
Q2:
Amazing, but it looks like the two Haas really are faster than the two Mercedes!
Wait and see what tomorrow's race brings, but the Haas are looking really good in qualifying.
So it could be tight for the two Mercedes to get into Q3 at all!
Q2:
Verstappen ventured onto the track right at the beginning of the qualifying lap and set a really good time that Perez can't beat either!
Fernando Alonso jumps to third place after a very strong lap.
But not all cars are on the track yet.
Q1:
Once again it wasn't enough for both McLarens, Norris and Piastri are out.
Even Yuki Tsunoda in the Alpha Tauri is no longer allowed to ride - surprisingly Nyck de Vries is faster than his teammate!
Too bad - even Lance Stroll couldn't convince in the actually strong Aston Martin today.
Bringing up the rear is Logan Sargeant at the Williams.
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Max Verstappen qualifying in Miami.
© IMAGO/Andy Hone
Live ticker for qualifying in Miami: who is out after Q1?
Lando Norris
Yuki Tsunoda
Lance Stroll
Oscar Piastri
Logan Sargeant
Q1:
Less than three minutes left for the first qualifying lap!
Verstappen drove the fastest lap so far.
It's getting really close for Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Sargeant, George Russell and Hamilton!
Zhou Guanyu was almost rammed by Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, who probably didn't look in his mirror!
Q1:
Charles Leclerc does a better first lap than Verstappen!
Hulkenberg has another bad first sector and looks like he's struggling with the car.
Whoa!
That was close - Lewis Hamilton almost ran right into Magnussen!
He really should have seen whether he slept a bit there!
The Briton has not yet been able to set a lap because he had to pit again after the incident.
Q1:
Lo and behold: Magnussen manages a super first lap and is thus well ahead of Hülkenberg.
Incidentally, for the first time this weekend, Sergio Perez is faster than Max Verstappen.
But we still have 12 minutes to go in Q1 - nothing has been decided yet.
Q1:
Alex Albon in the Williams is the first driver on track and opens this qualifying session.
Teammate Logan Sargeant is right behind him.
The two Haas are already on the way.
It's about time for Kevin Magnussen to beat Nico Hulkenberg, he hasn't managed to do that in qualifying so far this season!
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Lining up in the pit lane for qualifying in Miami.
© IMAGO/Mark Sutton
Qualifying in the live ticker in Miami: special paint finishes and helmet designs at the GP
Update from May 06, 2023, 9:58 p.m.:
Miami – Qualifying in Miami is about to start.
This weekend, teams and drivers also once again unpacked special car liveries and helmet designs!
A look especially at the Red Bulls and Lando Norris.
Update from May 06, 2023, 9:44 p.m.:
Only 16 minutes until the start of qualifying!
Incidentally, the Miami Grand Prix is of course also the place where there are quite a few familiar faces this time: Vin Diesel, Elon Musk and Serena Williams are some, but not all, of the stars who are there for the race weekend.
First report from May 06, 2023, 9:20 p.m.:
The first USA Grand Prix of the year is coming up.
The 20 racers start in Miami this weekend.
It's getting hot, which is especially hard on the tyres.
Who will get pole position today and thus have the best chance of many points in the drivers' standings?
A rather unusual time to start qualifying for the German fans.
40 minutes before kickoff in Miami.
The air is a warm 28 degrees, the asphalt is of course much warmer!
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The third free practice session at the Miami Grand Prix.
© IMAGO/Zak Mauger
Miami Grand Prix: Interesting severe weather rule for the USA
This weekend there is a very special storm rule in Formula 1.
According to the experts at TV broadcaster
Sky,
there is an “eight mile radius” for all sporting events in the USA.
This means that if there is a thunderstorm cell within this radius of the race track, the race must be interrupted.
Even if it's not actually raining on the route.
This is due to the violent thunderstorms in the USA.
The FIA does not want to expose drivers, teams or fans to the risk of being struck by lightning.
The rule shouldn't apply to qualifying on Saturday.
However, rain has been announced for the race on Sunday (May 7th) - and if this is accompanied by thunderstorms, then the fans must already be prepared for a race interruption.
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Max Verstappen during free practice in Miami 2023.
© IMAGO/TO THE POWER OF TWO
Formula 1 in Miami: Several accidents in free practice at the beginning of the weekend
The weekend in Miami started directly with Nico Hulkenberg's accident.
Shortly after the start of the first free practice, the German lost his rear end, landed in the barrier and caused the first red flag.
A few hours later, Charles Leclerc also had problems and parked his car between a pair of tires.
Only the third free practice remained largely accident-free.
The high asphalt temperatures in particular are causing problems for the drivers and teams.
It is sometimes more than 45 degrees hot on the race track.
These are not the best temperatures for tires on Formula 1 cars.
So it remains exciting to see which driver can handle this heat best and which car can keep the tires best.
(Ihe)
Rubric list image: © IMAGO/Zak Mauger