F1 Driver Form: Miami Grand Prix

Verstappen won the first two F1 races held in Miami, Norris secured his maiden win at the track in 2024 and Hamilton has finished sixth on every appearance. Here’s everything you need to know about each driver’s history at the Miami Grand Prix!

🇳🇱 Max VERSTAPPEN

Max Verstappen was the only driver to have won the Miami Grand Prix during its time on the F1 calendar until 2024 and remains the only driver to have taken multiple wins here.

His 2022 win came despite a far from ideal start to his weekend. The Red Bull driver complained of heavy steering in Free Practice 2 and subsequently sat out the rest of the Friday afternoon session. He returned to the track for Free Practice 3, where he was lucky to avoid contact with the barriers following a spin.

Verstappen made a mistake on his final qualifying lap and lined up third on the grid. By the tenth lap of the race, Verstappen had overtaken Charles Leclerc for the lead of the race. He went on to win, becoming the first driver to win a World Championship F1 race in Florida since Bruce McLaren at the 1959 United States Grand Prix.

The timing of the red flag in Q3 at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix meant that Verstappen started only ninth for the second race at Miami International Autodrome. That did not prevent him from winning a second consecutive race at the track, however. By Lap 15, he was running second to his team-mate and by Lap 20 he was leading the race. From there, the win did not look in doubt.

Verstappen continued his 100% Q3 streak at the track in 2024 and secured his first pole position at Miami International Autodrome. Having won the Sprint from pole, he led much of Sunday’s Grand Prix. Despite minor damage following contact with a bollard, the timing of the Safety Car didn’t help the Red Bull driver and he finished second, behind Lando Norris.

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇳🇿 Liam LAWSON

This will be Liam Lawson’s first appearance at the Miami Grand Prix.

🇬🇧 Lando NORRIS

Lando Norris took his maiden Formula 1 win at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. After a disappointing DNF in the Saturday Sprint race, Norris qualified fifth for the Grand Prix, out-qualifying his team-mate and setting his best qualifying result to date at the track. The timing of the Safety Car aided his quest for his first victory but he pulled clear in the closing stages to secure his maiden win.

Norris’ first appearance at the Miami Grand Prix in 2022 ended in disappointment as he retired from the race following a collision with Pierre Gasly. He had qualified in eighth place for the race, out-qualifying his team-mate.

It was another disappointing weekend in 2023. Norris exited in Q1 on Saturday, missing out on a spot in Q1 by just 0.069 seconds. With team-mate Oscar Piastri also out, McLaren recorded their first double Q1 elimination in almost five years. With McLaren off the pace, Norris lost one position from where he started and came home a lowly 17th.

LANDO NORRIS’ MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇦🇺 Oscar PIASTRI

Oscar Piastri qualified only 19th on his first outing at Miami International Autodrome in 2023. He failed to make progress in the race and finished in the same position as he started.

Piastri failed to score again in the Miami Grand Prix in 2024, finishing 13th having made contact with Carlos Sainz in the closing stages. He did so having made up three positions from sixth on the grid on the opening lap and then overtaking Charles Leclerc for second place. Piastri had been battling Sainz for fourth place when the contact happened.

Despite not scoring in either Grand Prix, Piastri did pick up points in the 2024 Sprint race at the track, coming home in sixth place.

OSCAR PIASTRI’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Lewis HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton out-qualified George Russell at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, but qualified behind former team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Starting sixth, Hamilton lost two positions at the start of the race and made light contact with Fernando Alonso. He soon made the positions back up. In the closing stages, Hamilton passed Bottas for fifth place following a mistake for the Alfa Romeo driver but was then passed by Russell, meaning he finished in the same position as he started.

Hamilton again finished sixth in the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, though this time he did so despite not reaching Q3. He qualified only 13th for the race, recording a relatively rare Q2 exit. He returned to Q3 in 2024, qualifying eighth, but his race had the same result once again as he finished sixth for the third year in a row. Hamilton is yet to finish the Miami Grand Prix in a worse position than where he has started.

LEWIS HAMILTON’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇲🇨 Charles LECLERC

Charles Leclerc was the fastest driver in the first ever on-track session at the Miami Grand Prix. He also had the pace on Saturday, becoming Miami International Autodrome’s first polesitter. Leclerc was powerless to stop Max Verstappen passing him in the early stages of the Grand Prix and finished the race as runner-up.

Leclerc had a scruffy weekend at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix. After crashing out in Free Practice 2 at Turn 7, he went on to crash at the same corner in the final part of qualifying. Starting seventh on the grid, he failed to make progress and finished in the same position as he started.

Leclerc returned to the front row at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. Having finished second in Saturday’s Sprint, he again finished second in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Leclerc is yet to gain a position from where he has started in Miami, finishing the 2024 race in third place. In doing so, Leclerc became the second driver – after Verstappen – to record multiple podium finishes at the track.

CHARLES LECLERC’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 George RUSSELL

George Russell was the fastest driver on Friday at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix but was far off the pace on Saturday. He was eliminated in Q2, qualifying in 12th place. He then lost positions at the start of the Grand Prix, dropping to 16th. He made up a number of positions through others pitting and a conveniently-timed Virtual Safety Car period. In the later stages of the race, Russell passed Valtteri Bottas and team-mate Lewis Hamilton to finish in fifth place.

Russell maintained his 100% points-finishing record at the Miami Grand Prix in 2023, this time finishing one position further up, in fourth place. On Saturday, Russell had reached Q3 for the first time at the track, qualifying in sixth place.

Russell recorded his worst Miami Grand Prix result to date in 2024 but continued his top eight finish streak, finishing in eighth. He missed out on points in the Sprint race, finishing only 12th.

GEORGE RUSSELL’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇮🇹 Kimi ANTONELLI

This will be Kimi Antonelli’s first time racing at Miami International Autodrome.

🇪🇸 Fernando ALONSO

Fernando Alonso qualified in 11th place with Alpine at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, narrowly missing out on the top ten shootout. Alonso spent the majority of the race stuck behind Pierre Gasly, with whom he made contact at Turn 1 and picked up a five second time penalty. He finished eighth on track but a further five second time penalty for cutting the chicane and gaining an advantage saw him drop to 11th in the final order.

Alonso picked up points at the Miami Grand Prix for the first time in 2023. After qualifying on the front row alongside Sergio Perez, Alonso would be overtaken by the polesitter’s team-mate in the race but would hold on to third, recording a podium finish with Aston Martin.

Alonso recorded his worst qualifying result to date at the Miami Grand Prix in 2024, exiting in Q2 and qualifying four places behind his team-mate in 15th place. He made progress in the race – thanks in part to pitting under VSC conditions – and picked up points for the second year in a row, coming home in ninth place.

FERNANDO ALONSO’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇨🇦 Lance STROLL

Lance Stroll reached Q3 at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, qualifying in ninth place. However, his hard work on Saturday was undone on Sunday as he was forced to start from the pit lane due to fuel legality concerns for both Aston Martin drivers.

From the pit lane, Stroll gained positions throughout the race, despite making contact twice with Kevin Magnussen and being shown the black and white flag for weaving. The Canadian finished 12th on the road but picked up a solitary point following penalties for both Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo.

Stroll had another lowly starting place for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, this time starting from 18th on the grid after exiting in Q1. From there, he made up six positions in the race to finish sixth.

2024 marked the first time that Stroll failed to gain positions in the Miami Grand Prix. He qualified 11th for the race and finished 13th on the road. However, a ten-second penalty for passing Alex Albon off track saw him drop to 17th in the final classification.

LANCE STROLL’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Pierre GASLY

Pierre Gasly secured one of his best qualifying results of the 2022 season with seventh place at the Miami Grand Prix. Gasly made up a place at the start, passing Hamilton for sixth place – though he was soon re-passed by the Mercedes driver.

Gasly had a wide moment later on in the race and made contact with Lando Norris when re-joining the track. The contact ended both drivers’ races, with Gasly retiring as a result of suspension damage.

Gasly again had an impressive qualifying showing at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, bettering his previous result by two places and lining up in the top five on the grid. Although he lost places in the race, he finished eighth and picked up his first points in Miami.

A point-less weekend followed for Gasly in Miami in 2024. After finishing ninth in the Sprint, he came home 12th in the Grand Prix, finishing in the same position as he started.

PIERRE GASLY’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇦🇺 Jack DOOHAN

Jack Doohan has no past racing experience at Miami International Autodrome.

🇫🇷 Esteban OCON

Esteban Ocon failed to set a lap time in qualifying for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix following a heavy crash in final practice. Starting from the back of the grid (18th in the order, thanks to pit lane starts for the Aston Martin drivers), Ocon made quick work of passing Nicholas Latifi, but his Williams team-mate Alex Albon was harder to overtake.

By the time of his pit stop, Ocon was running in eighth place. He took advantage of pitting under a caution period, meaning he lost only two positions as a result of his stop. The Frenchman was lucky to gain two positions in the closing stages, finishing eighth as a result of a collision between Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

Ocon maintained his 100% points-scoring record in Miami at the 2023 race, finishing one position down on the previous season. Ocon reached Q3 for the first time at the track, qualifying eighth – three places behind his team-mate.

There was another point for Ocon at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, where he finished tenth. Ocon remains yet to out-qualify a team-mate at Miami International Autodrome – but power issues in Q2 in 2024 prevented him from getting the most out of his Alpine.

ESTEBAN OCON’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇬🇧 Ollie BEARMAN

Ollie Bearman has never previously raced at Miami International Autodrome.

🇯🇵 Yuki TSUNODA

Yuki Tsunoda reached Q3 at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, qualifying two positions behind his AlphaTauri team-mate. Tsunoda lost a position to Fernando Alonso at the start of the race and lost more positions through the race, eventually finishing in 12th.

One year later, Tsunoda failed to progress past Q1 at the Miami Grand Prix and started from 17th on the grid. Nevertheless, he recorded a better result in 2023 than in 2022, finishing in 11th place – and just over one second away from a points finish.

Tsunoda scored points for the first time at Miami International Autodrome in 2024. After picking up a single point for an eighth place finish in the Sprint, he finished seventh in the Grand Prix itself. He did so after out-qualifying his team-mate for the first time at the circuit.

YUKI TSUNODA’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇫🇷 Isack HADJAR

Isack Hadjar has not previously raced at Miami International Autodrome.

🇪🇸 Carlos SAINZ

Carlos Sainz had a troubled Friday at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix. After picking up a puncture as the result of a spin in Free Practice 1, he crashed out in Free Practice 2. Sainz recovered well to qualify on the front row, behind his team-mate. His fastest lap was just 0.005 seconds faster than Max Verstappen’s fastest effort.

In the race, Sainz was overtaken by Verstappen at the start and came under pressure from the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez. Despite a slow pit stop and Perez’s best attempts to overtake, Sainz was able to stay ahead and pick up a podium finish.

Sainz recorded another top five result at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix. He had qualified third for the race but lost two positions to finish fifth. This was despite picking up a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which did not affect his final finishing position.

Sainz picked up another penalty during the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, this time for making contact with Oscar Piastri. He finished fourth on the toad but fell to fifth in the final order – the same position in which he finished Saturday’s Sprint. Sainz maintained his 100% finish record at the track and qualified in the top three for the third year in a row. Despite always finishing in the top five, Sainz is get to gain a position from where he has started in Miami.

CARLOS SAINZ’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇹🇭 Alex ALBON

Despite promising pace in practice, Alex Albon qualified only 18th for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix. He was one of the drivers to gain the most positions in the race, finishing in ninth place and scoring rare points for Williams in 2022.

In 2023, Albon missed out on a spot in Q3 by only 0.052 seconds. He started the race from 11th but was unable to make progress, coming home in 14th place.

Another Q2 exit in 2024 means that Albon is the only driver who has appeared in all three Miami Grand Prix weekends to date who is yet to reach Q3. Starting 14th, Albon lost four places over the course of the race, finishing 18th and last of the drivers still running at the end of the race.

ALEX ALBON’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇩🇪 Nico HULKENBERG

While his team-mate progressed to Q3, Nico Hulkenberg was out in Q2 on his first Miami Grand Prix appearance in 2023. He started the race 12th and lost three positions to finish 15th. Hulkenberg’s preparation for the race weekend was hampered by a crash in Free Practice 1.

Hulkenberg scored points in Miami in 2024 thanks to a seventh place finish in the Sprint. Although he reached Q3 and qualified ninth for the Grand Prix, he again lost positions during the race and missed out on points by finishing 11th.

NICO HULKENBERG’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX HISTORY

🇧🇷 Gabriel BORTOLETO

This will be Gabriel Bortoleto’s first time on track at Miami International Autodrome.