Winners And Losers from the 2024 Miami Grand Prix
Lando Norris, Miami International Autodrome, source: www.mclaren.com/racing
Lando Norris finally achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a Formula One race winner at the Miami Grand Prix. However, as Norris and his McLaren team revelled in their success well into the night, not everyone shared in the festivities, with some facing less fortunate outcomes as they caught their flights home.
We’ve delved into the notable performances and outlined the key winners and losers from the sixth round of the Formula One World Championship.
Winner: Lando Norris
Lando Norris' victory in Miami was a true crowd-pleaser. He clinched his inaugural Grand Prix win after 110 starts, making him the 21st British driver to secure a win in the sport.
Norris benefited from a safety car intervention, executing a flawless restart to build a healthy margin over the reigning world champion, Max Verstappen.
It’s a fair assumption that this is likely just the first of many Formula One wins for Norris.
Losers: Red Bull
Red Bull encountered an unusually difficult weekend, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez struggling to optimise their car setups. Verstappen was undone by the safety car on Sunday, lacking the pace to repass Norris and reclaim the lead. The weekend ended Verstappen’s six consecutive wins in the USA.
His teammate, Sergio Perez, had a nightmare at lights out, almost colliding with his teammate in a risky manoeuvre into turn 1. Perez finished fifth, which was later adjusted to fourth following a five-second penalty for Carlos Sainz.
Winner: Daniel Ricciardo
After a difficult start to 2024, Miami marked further progress in turning Daniel Ricciardo's season around.
The Australian achieved his highest finish in any race format since 2021 with fourth in the Sprint.
Although Sunday didn’t go as well, with Ricciardo lacking the pace to make progress through the pack, the weekend nevertheless marked a significant step forward for the driver.
Loser: Oscar Piastri
For Oscar Piastri, the Miami Grand Prix initially looked promising as he swiftly advanced from sixth to third before overtaking Charles Leclerc to run a brilliant second.
However, his race was curtailed by an unfortunately timed safety car intervention and a damaging skirmish with Carlos Sainz's Ferrari. The resulting pit stop for a new front wing dashed his hopes for points, marking a disappointing end to what could have been a stellar race.
Winner: Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc had an exceptional weekend, achieving second in the Sprint and third in the Grand Prix. Despite disruptions caused by the Safety Car, Leclerc secured his third podium of the season and maintained a consistent record of top-four finishes.
Fans were pleased to see the Monégasque return to his renowned one-lap pace throughout the weekend.
Losers: Williams
Williams faced another challenging weekend despite finally bringing a spare chassis to a race weekend in 2024.
Logan Sargeant’s hopes for a strong home Grand Prix were dashed by a crash, courtesy of Kevin Magnussen, while Alex Albon suffered from strategic setbacks triggered by the safety car and floor damage, causing a significant lock-up and dropping him to the back of the pack.
The weekend leaves Williams still in pursuit of their first points finish of the season, with a glimmer of hope provided by the small upgrade package planned for the next race in Imola.
Winner: Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda continued to impress with a brilliant drive throughout the Miami weekend. He surged from 15th to secure a point in the Sprint race and maintained his strong form in the Grand Prix, finishing seventh.
This performance equalled his best of the season and brought his points tally to just three short of his total for the previous year.
Losers: Mercedes
Mercedes had a mixed weekend. Lewis Hamilton showcased some spectacular racing, hustling his way up to a season-best finish of sixth, contrasting with George Russell, who finished in a disappointing eighth place, his worst performance in Miami to date.
The weekend saw them lose valuable ground to Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren in the Constructors standings.
Winners: Alpine
The Alpine team marked a significant breakthrough in Miami as Esteban Ocon clinched a well-deserved 10th place, securing points for the first time this season.
Ocon delivered a robust performance, managing to fend off the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso for several laps.
His teammate, Pierre Gasly could have been in a points-scoring position if not for the virtual safety car being deployed.
Losers: Sauber
It was a weekend to forget for Sauber as they continued their struggle to score points in 2024.
Despite showing potential in Sprint qualifying, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas were unable to translate qualifying promises into race day success.
The weekend leaving the team still at the bottom of the constructors' standings.
