Ricciardo scores as Verstappen soars in Miami Sprint

There was never a dull moment in the action-packed Miami Grand Prix Sprint, with Daniel Ricciardo putting on a thrilling defensive display to secure his first points haul of the season in fourth, crossing the line behind yet another steady victory from Max Verstappen.

The hot Miami sun set the perfect scene for the second Sprint race of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with front-row starters Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc ready to engage in a bit of friendly fire as they charge into Turn 1.

All eyes were focused on the driver sitting one row back, however, with Daniel Ricciardo looking to convert his brilliant qualifying job yesterday into his first overdue points finish. 

As the five lights went out on the East Coast, camaraderie went out the window.

Sergio Perez locked up into the first turn, allowing Ricciardo to cruise by and move up into P3.

That move flew under the radar, however, when a Turn 1 incident saw two drivers out of the race, and two others running with significant damage.

Fernando Alonso was a sitting duck as he rounded the apex of the corner, with Lewis Hamilton storming down the inside and using the Spaniard as a brake, and his teammate closing in from the outside.

Lance Stroll rebounded off his teammate, tagging Lando Norris and sending the McLaren driver spinning.

Norris’ MCL38 wasn’t able to get going again, ending his Miami Sprint in the run-off area at Turn 1.

The stricken McLaren and the subsequent debris prompted a short-lived Safety Car while the Marshals cleared the track.

On Lap 3, the race restarted, with Verstappen getting a solid getaway as he dashed to the line.

The Dutchman immediately built a gap of over a second to Charles Leclerc, with the duo cruising off into the distance as an action-packed Sprint unfolded behind them.

Ricciardo instantly came under threat from Perez, with the Red Bull driver running around seven-tenths behind as they crossed the line.

Daniel Ricciardo leads Sergio Perez during the Sprint at the Miami GP. Image: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images.

On Lap 5, the Mexican made light work of Ricciardo, inevitably passing the rainbow VCARB 01 down the back straight.

Soon, Carlos Sainz was making an attack on the Australian as he had a look into Turn 1, however, it wasn’t quite as simple for the Ferrari driver.

Over the next few laps, Ricciardo defended well, remaining within Perez’s DRS range to fend off the continued attempts made by Sainz.

The duo settled into a rhythm in P4 and P5, picking up where they left off later in the Sprint.

There were some big movers further back in the pack, with the two Haas drivers battling it out for P7.

Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant were also big winners in the Turn 1 chaos, with each driver moving up around 5-6 positions.

Unfortunately for George Russell and Fernando Alonso, that wasn’t the case for their races, with both drivers drifting far down the order. 

Lewis Hamilton soon joined the duel between the Haas drivers, hunting down Kevin Magnussen.

In the heat of the battle, Magnussen was noted for leaving the track and gaining an advantage after skipping the Turn 14 chicane.

The Dane was given a 10-second penalty, his first of three in the Sprint which ultimately accumulated to 25 seconds in total.

Hamilton was also penalised, being handed a drive-through penalty post-Sprint for speeding in the pitlane.

Magnussen made contact with the #44 after running off-track, banging wheels with the Mercedes driver to maintain his place in P8.

Kevin Magnussen leads Lewis Hamilton during the Sprint at the Miami GP. Image: Steven Tee / LAT Images.

The Magnussen-Hamilton duel reached its climax at Turn 10, with the Haas then running both drivers wide.

In the process, this allowed Tsunoda to split the rivals, halting the heated war before both Tsunoda and Hamilton passed the Haas together. 

Behind this, there was never a moment of tranquillity with the back-markers engaged in a constant tussle down to the wire.

Surprisingly, Russell wasn’t able to make his way through the pack, with the Mercedes driver reflecting his teammate’s struggle as he fought it out in a tense DRS train. 

The podium places were clear of threat, and despite crowd-favourite Perez gaining on Leclerc in second place, they remained settled until the chequered flag.

In the battle for fourth, Oscar Piastri soon joined the fight, adding an additional factor to the Spaniard’s movement in the Sprint.

After yet another overtake attempt into Turn 1, Sainz found himself closer to the McLaren behind than the RB ahead.

This was short-lived, however, with the Spaniard stepping it up a notch in the closing laps.

It was a calculated approach from Sainz, saving his tyres for a late attack.

He had a look into Turn 1 and Turn 17 in the final three laps, with Ricciardo calling upon his vintage defensive form.

The Australian crossed the line sharing his excitement on the radio as he collected his first points haul of the season, taking home 5 points in P4.

Daniel Ricciardo on track during the Sprint ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. Image: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.

Sainz gave Ricciardo an appreciatory thumbs up, having enjoyed the battle with his former Red Bull family member.

Behind Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg crossed the line in P7, taking home two points thanks to his teammate’s borderline illegal defensive efforts.

Magnussen wasn’t happy with the treatment he was given by his teammate in the early stages of the race, insisting that it could have been a double points-finish for the team if Hulkenberg hadn’t cut the Turn 14 chicane to break DRS.

Hamilton originally completed the points-scoring positions, however, after being handed a post-race drive-through penalty, was relegated to P16.

As a result, Tsunoda inherited the last point, being promoted to P8 on a joyous day for the RB garage. 

Out front, Max Verstappen breezed to victory in Miami, crossing the line 3.3 seconds ahead of Leclerc.

The Ferrari driver remained clear of Perez, never engaging in battle as they crossed the line with a 1.8-second gap.

The drivers will have just a few hours to switch back into the qualifying mindset, with Qualifying to set the grid for tomorrow’s Miami Grand Prix kicking off at 6:00 AM, Sunday morning, AEST.

Miami Sprint Race Results:

2024 Miami Grand Prix schedule 

Saturday, May 4

Practice 1: 02.30-03.30

Sprint Shootout: 06.30-07.14

Sunday, May 5

Sprint: 02.00-03.00

Qualifying: 06.00-07.00

Monday, May 5

Grand Prix: 06.00

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