Max Verstappen won the Miami sprint race, but Fernando Alonso accused Lewis Hamilton of “arriving like a bull” when they collided in the first corner. Verstappen controlled the 19-lap race and took a commanding victory, albeit interrupted by the safety car on the opening lap as Hamilton was caught up in a close encounter with Alonso.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was second and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez third. RB Daniel Ricciardo started and finished an impressive fourth, while Hamilton initially finished eighth after a close battle with Kevin Magnussen. However, Hamilton received a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to 16th place.
Starting from pole position, Verstappen held off Leclerc on the short run to the opening bend at Hard Rock Stadium, laying the foundation for a victory that extended his championship lead over Perez from 25 to 27 points. Hamilton took center stage behind Verstappen.
The seven-time world champion started from a lowly 12th place and enjoyed a strong escape in his Mercedes before slamming his car into the inside of an unsuspecting Alonso, who was four places ahead of him on the grid. Hamilton collided with Alonso’s Aston Martin and then with his teammate Lance Stroll. Lando Norris thought himself on the outside right-hander at the start, only for Stroll, who lost control by Alonso, to hit the British driver’s McLaren.
Stroll and Norris retired with damage, while Alonso had to hobble back to the pits with a puncture. “Whoa,” the 43-year-old Alonso said over the radio. “Hamilton arrived like a bull.” Hamilton was also on the intercom. “There was a gap on the inside, so I took aim,” he said, pleading not guilty. Stewards noticed a flashpoint in the first corner, but took no further action and allowed Hamilton to continue in ninth place.
When the safety car came out and the race restarted on lap 19, Verstappen made no mistake and was able to get past Leclerc and maintain the lead.
Attention returned to Hamilton, who tried to remove Magnussen from Haas. However, the Danes were not prepared to let Hamilton go without a fight, and used all their machinery, and then some, to stop the British attack. However, the stewards downplayed Magnussen’s aggressive defense and handed him a 10-second penalty, but the fight continued.
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“He just ran into me,” said Hamilton, who also accused Magnussen of pushing him off the track at the chicane on lap 15, allowing running back Yuki Tsunoda to get in front. One lap later, it appeared that Tsunoda and Hamilton had passed Magnussen, with Hamilton edging the Japanese driver and taking the final points.
Hamilton was then penalized for speeding in the pit lane under safety car conditions, dropping him to 16th place. Mercedes teammate George Russell finished 12th.
