The late danger that could have cost Verstappen Miami GP victory

Max Verstappen secured his third win of the 2022 Formula 1 season in Miami after again beating early leader Charles Leclerc. But unlike their Jeddah duel in which the result was the same, the Red Bull driver this time had to stave off a late restart challenge that offered Leclerc an opportunity to turn the tables

It really couldn’t have ended any other way. The top three finishers in Formula 1’s first Miami Grand Prix wearing Pirelli-branded NFL helmets atop the gigantic podium. The Miami Dolphin’s aqua-coloured-structure only dwarfed by the Hard Rock Stadium’s total vastness behind.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc had gone wheel-to-wheel yet again in 2022. The Red Bull driver emerged victorious in a race that was re-enlivened only by a late-race safety car following a dramatic crash in the pack, as Ferrari’s challenge was lost for the second event in a row with struggles on softer Pirellis.

Share Or Save This Story

Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.