Max in P3 after sole free practice session in Miami

Published on 02 May 2025 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen ended the first and only free practice session ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in third place. The newly minted father focused primarily on long runs, as did the majority of the field. Oscar Piastri set the fastest time, followed by Charles Leclerc. The Williams drivers completed today’s top five, with Carlos Sainz in P4 and Alexander Albon in P5.

The session kicked off under beautiful conditions in Miami: light cloud cover, a pleasant 27°C air temperature, and 38°C track temperature. Max completed his first laps as a new father at the Miami International Autodrome, after Kelly gave birth to their daughter, Lily. Like most drivers, Verstappen opted for a set of medium tyres. In the opening minutes, an unusual team radio message came from Lando Norris: the mechanics had apparently left tools in the cockpit. After a quick pit stop, Norris removed the unwanted passengers and was able to continue. The incident is being investigated by the stewards after the session.

Meanwhile, Max, running a new floor this weekend, set the fastest time with a 1:29.808. That did not last long, as George Russell narrowly beat it by a hundredth of a second. Over the radio, the Brit commented that the car felt completely different. Verstappen responded swiftly: with two purple sectors, he reclaimed the top spot with a 1:28.634. Norris then went quicker, but not for long. Despite sounding less than thrilled over the radio, Russell managed to go more than three tenths faster again, setting a 1:28.058. A proper battle at the top.

While many drivers had already turned their focus to long runs, quick lap times continued to be posted. The top five featured a mix of names, with both Williams drivers in the mix and Kimi Antonelli following close behind his teammate. Midway through the session, the top five read: Russell, Antonelli, Sainz, Norris, and Albon. Max sat in sixth, over half a second off the pace. The reigning world champion completed two stints on the same tyres in the first half of the session and spent some time in the garage.

Then a heart-stopping moment for Norris: Esteban Ocon, driving slowly, moved aside rather late and initially chose the same line as the oncoming McLaren. Fortunately, Norris managed to avoid him, preventing an incident. With twenty minutes left on the clock, Verstappen returned to the track on the same set of medium tyres. A Ferrari momentarily held him up, but it did not result in anything dangerous.

The top five remained unchanged for a while, but in the final ten minutes, the soft tyres made their appearance. This led to a flurry of quicker laps. Verstappen initially went fastest with a 1:27.558, but that time was quickly bettered by both Leclerc and Piastri, who managed to push even harder. Verstappen ultimately finished four tenths down on Piastri.

The session ended abruptly with a red flag. Oliver Bearman spun and came to a stop against the wall. While the damage did not look too severe at first glance, the impact necessitated an early end to proceedings. The session concluded with the following top five: Piastri, Leclerc, Verstappen, Sainz, and Albon.

Contest Miami GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results first free practice Miami: