 "Charles Leclerc hit the wall on his way to the grid during the sprint race at Miami Grand Prix. Image: F1/X")
It was a day to forget for Charles Leclerc in Miami as the Ferrari driver crashed even before the sprint race could begin. As heavy rain hit the track on Saturday, Leclerc lost control of his car while driving to the grid and crashed hard into the barriers. He couldn’t take part in the sprint, and Ferrari had to rush to fix the car in time for the later qualifying session.
Speaking after the incident, Leclerc admitted the crash was his mistake. “There could be many, many reasons but at the end of the day, I’m the one behind the wheel. It’s a mistake and a big one because obviously on the lap to the grid that’s never what you want. I was completely out of control in the back straight. I wasn’t even flat out. There was a lot of aquaplaning and the car was not responding to anything I was doing - but it doesn’t justify what I’ve done.”
The Ferrari star also said he wasn’t even driving at full speed and was shocked by how quickly he lost control. While the damage looked serious, Leclerc hoped to be fit for qualifying later in the day.
“I’m pretty confident. I couldn’t really see the amount of damage there was. It was quite a big hit because in this particular place or the straight, it’s only a hard wall, so the hit was quite hard. We’ll see,” Leclerc said when asked if he would be able to compete in the qualifying round.
Miami Grand Prix sprint race
Lando Norris beat McLaren Racing teammate Oscar Piastri to win the sprint race held Saturday ahead of qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix.
“My luck in Miami seems pretty good at this minute,” said Norris, who will try to defend last year’s Miami victory on Sunday.
The start of the race was then delayed because drivers said the rain made conditions too dangerous and visibility was a concern. And when it finally went green, with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli leading the standing start as the youngest pole-winner in F1 history, his time out front was brief. Piastri beat the Mercedes driver into the first turn and Antonelli drove off the track and slipped to fourth.
He was later hit in the pits by Max Verstappen, who received a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release. Antonelli finished 11th and Verstappen, who had been running third, finished 17th and failed to earn any points for the event.
The race ended under yellow because Liam Lawson ran into Fernando Alonso, causing Alonso to crash with three laps remaining. The safety prevented Piastri from trying to reclaim the lead from teammate Norris, who won the Miami Grand Prix last year for his first career F1 victory.
“I don’t think I’m going to be buying a lottery ticket around this place,” Piastri said. “I feel like I did everything right so a bit disappointed to come in second.”
Lewis Hamilton finished third for Ferrari. He moved ahead of Verstappen before Verstappen served his penalty.
“I’m so happy with that, it’s been a tough year so far,” said Hamilton, who is in his first season driving for Ferrari. “I never thought it would rain in Miami, it’s the first time we’ve all been in the wet here, and what a race it provided us.”
Alex Albon finished fourth for Williams and was followed by George Russell of Mercedes.
Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Leclerc did not complete the race.
(With agency inputs)