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Formula 1
Miami GP
F1 Miami GP Live Commentary and Updates – FP3 & Qualifying
Saturday's action from the fifth round of the 2023 Formula 1 season
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Max Verstappen topped Friday practice in Miami, as F1 completes a double-header following last weekend’s Azerbaijan GP where Sergio Perez took both sprint and grand prix race wins.
The weekend returns to its usual format in the US, with two free practice sessions on Friday, FP3 and qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
FP3 starts at 5.30pm BST on Saturday, with qualifying getting under way at 9pm.
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Bottas charges up to sixth, ahead of the two Alpines. A superb effort, although that knocks Zhou back to 11th having briefly slotted into tenth at the expense of Magnussen.
Four minutes to go, and the quintet currently not invited to the top 10 shootout are Russell, Hamilton, Zhou, De Vries and Bottas - the latter yet to set a time.
Crash
Perez, third, gives himself a fright when he grazes the wall at the entry to Turn 4. He's trying to open up the corner too much and moves just a little too close to the right-hand wall for comfort.
Albon has slotted his Williams between the two Alpines into seventh, with the two Haas cars currently completing the top 10. Can either of the Mercedes elbow their way into the fight?
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Sainz goes purple through the first two sectors but is just slower than Verstappen by 0.038s. Leclerc goes fifth, behind Alonso, four tenths away.
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Ocon moves up to fourth, 0.564s down, a tenth and a half up on Gasly. What can the Ferraris do?
Zhou was also among the first group of cars to appear, but is slowest of the eight to have so far set a time.
Alonso isn't hanging around though and pops up into third, 0.388s down on the Red Bull pace-setter, while the two Haas cars of Hulkenberg and Magnussen also move ahead of the Mercedes pair.
Stopwatch
Verstappen gets on with it right away and posts the first time on the leaderboard at 1m27.110s. Perez slots into second on 1m27.328s, with Russell a yawning 1.077s down in third.
Intriguingly, Perez had the fastest final sector in Q1. Does that hint at a slight variation in set-up for straight-line speed on the long blast to Turn 17?
Those that burned through a truckload of tyres getting through Q1 will have to be a bit more conservative this time around to avoid using up all of their allocation for the race. Could that play a role in deciding who makes the cut for the top 10 shootout?
Lights green
After a brief break, we're back under way once more for Q2. Green light is on at the end of the pits and the Red Bulls are on the front foot immediately heading out.
In positions 11 to 15, and hoping not to be come the end of Q2, were Russell, Alonso, Zhou, Albon and De Vries.
At the sharp end, Verstappen topped Q1 from Sainz by 0.323s. Perez was third, then Leclerc, Magnussen and Hamilton. The top 10 were completed by Bottas, Ocon, Hulkenberg and Gasly.
But a pretty wretched day for McLaren as its FP3 form turns out to be no fluke. Norris will start 16th, Piastri a disappointed 19th. Tsunoda will launch from P17, Stroll from P18 and Sargeant from the rear of the field.
After his torrid weekend in Baku, De Vries just makes the Q2 cut ahead of Norris by 0.069s. A good turnaround for the Dutchman, who outqualifies his AlphaTauri team-mate in the process.
Both McLarens miss out, along with Tsunoda and Sargeant, but the big upset is Stroll down in P18 for Aston Martin. Not a good day for the Canadian!
Both Mercedes escape! The Brackley team will breathe a sigh of relief as Hamilton ends up sixth and Russell P11.
Checkered flag
There's the checkered flag. Who will survive the drop as we wait for the final Q1 runs to conclude?
A big lap from Magnussen moves him up to fifth. Could both Haas drivers progress to Q1 on the team's home turf?
Aside from Verstappen, who is safe in top spot, everybody else is out on track now for the final runs. It's make it or break it time.
With a little over two minutes to go, Hamilton and Russell find themselves in danger once again, with only Sargeant, Piastri and Norris below them as it stands.
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Hulkenberg is another to make a big improvement, as he storms up to fourth on a 1m27.957s. Bottas had also briefly dropped into the bottom five before a 1m28.058s launched him up to fifth.
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A great lap there from Albon looks to have him safe for now. He moves up to fifth on a 1m28.234s.
With five minutes to go, the quintet currently in danger are Sargeant, Albon, Tsunoda, Norris and De Vries. Piastri is on the bubble as Hamilton moves himself up to tenth.
Zhou meanwhile isn't happy as he's ushered towards the wall at Turn 8 by a Ferrari. The Magnussen-Hamilton incident will be investigated after the session.
Russell moves up to eighth, gaining 10 spots. Whatever damage Hamilton incurred appears not to have been too severe as he is now back on track.
Russell is another driver currently in the danger zone, languishing 18th, but is on course to improve having bettered his previous best in sector one by over half a second.
Crash
But there are dramas on track for Hamilton. He currently has the slowest time of all, a 1m30.547s, and glanced the Turn 17 wall a blow as he came upon a slow-moving Magnussen. The potential impeding incident has been noted by the stewards.
Alonso's first effort puts him fourth, ahead of Sainz, on a 1m28.606s. Magnussen now pops back up into fifth.
Stopwatch
Leclerc slots into second on a 1m28.422s, as Sainz goes fourth on 1m28.732s. Up to sixth meanwhile has come Zhou, who is pursued by Bottas as they split the Alpines.
The Ferraris and Astons have now emerged for their first timed efforts. What can Leclerc produce after his 2022 pole heroics here?
Gasly and Ocon also slot in ahead of Magnussen, as Hulkenberg has a very lairy moment through Turn 16 and comes very close to tapping the wall with his right-rear tyre.
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But this isn't Interlagos 2022. Magnussen is shuffled off the top spot by Verstappen's 1m28.424s. But Perez goes even quicker still, on 1m28.306s.
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Bottas becomes the first driver to duck under the 1m30s bracket, but he's immediately beaten by Magnussen's 1m29.358s.
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A 1m30.967s from Albon is the first time on the board.
Only the two Ferraris and Aston Martins have stayed home for the first few minutes of the session as Albon and America's own Logan Sargeant begin their first timed laps.
To nobody's great surprise, everybody going for softs. Nobody chancing it on a medium because the risk of starting down at the back here is not one teams are willing to take.
Lights green
There's the green light. We're go for Q1 in Miami with Albon's Williams the first car on track.
One minute to go. Are we ready?
By: Autosport Staff
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