Leclerc pips Russell in first-ever Miami F1 practice
The world championship leader managed the fastest time at the Miami International Autodrome around the Hard Rock Stadium with a 1m31.098s as the Ferrari driver looks to bounce back from a disappointing grand prix last time out at Imola.
Leclerc ended up just 0.071s ahead of Russell, who caught the eye in a much more impressive showing for Mercedes, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen was third-quickest for Red Bull, 0.179s down.
In a bid to turnaround its terrible start to the season, Mercedes has brought several new parts to Miami, including a new lower-drag rear wing.
The early indications from FP1 suggest the eight-time constructors’ champions are in better shape, with the porpoising phenomenon not appearing to affect the W13 as severely as at previous circuits.
But while Russell was second-fastest, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton - who has become embroiled in a disagreement with the FIA over a ban on wearing jewellery in his F1 car - finished eighth, nearly eight-tenths behind his teammate.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was two-tenths off the pace in fourth, ahead of AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, who rounded out the top-five.
A high-speed spin at Turn 4 left Carlos Sainz with a puncture that prevented the Ferrari driver from setting a lap on Pirelli’s soft tyres.
The Spaniard ended up sixth, ahead of Alex Albon, who posted a strong lap to put his Williams seventh in the FP1 order and just seven-tenths off the pace.
Behind Hamilton, Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top-10 for Haas and McLaren.
Miami’s new circuit proved to be a real test for the drivers, with Valtteri Bottas becoming the first to hit the wall and cause a stoppage when he crashed at Turn 7, resulting in the only red flag of the session.
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