2024 F1 Miami GP sprint results: Max Verstappen wins

Verstappen beat Leclerc and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in the 19-lap race, the second sprint event of the season.

Poleman Verstappen, who started on scrubbed medium tyres, led the charge to the opening corner ahead of Leclerc, who started on fresh rubber.

Daniel Ricciardo’s RB grabbed third from Perez at Turn 1, who ran wide trying to get around Leclerc, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz running fifth.

The safety car was quickly required, as McLaren’s Lando Norris didn’t make it around Turn 1. The crash was triggered by the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll brushing wheels at first, but then Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes lunged to their inside and the four cars connected.

Norris got spun out by Stroll, who was also forced to retire in the pits, while Alonso stopped to change a puncture.

The race restarted on lap four, with Verstappen heading Leclerc, Ricciardo, Perez and Sainz. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) ran sixth, ahead of the Haas cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, with Hamilton in ninth and perhaps fortunate to escape a penalty for his ambitious first-corner move.

Perez outbraked Ricciardo into Turn 11 on lap five to take the final spot on the podium.

Verstappen led Leclerc by 1.7s at half distance, while Ricciardo lost DRS on Perez with nine laps to go, leaving him prone to Sainz’s attacks.

Hamilton banged wheels with Magnussen at Turn 12 on lap 12, with Magnussen getting a 10s penalty for earlier cutting the chicane.

Hamilton attacked Magnussen again on lap 14, but as they both ran off the track it allowed RB’s Yuki Tsunoda to snatch ninth from Hamilton. Magnussen gave spots up to them both, but got two more penalties.

Verstappen won by 3s from Leclerc and Perez. Ricciardo was a distant fourth but kept the close-following Sainz and Piastri at bay.

Hulkenberg was seventh, while Hamilton passed Tsunoda for eighth on the final lap, with Pierre Gasly (Alpine) in 10th.

But Hamilton was given a post-race drive-through penalty for speeding in the pits during the safety car, the 20s penalty dropping him to 16th, which put Logan Sargeant (Williams) inside the top 10.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon received a 10s penalty before the race even started after ramming Leclerc’s Ferrari in the pitlane on the way to the grid. He took advantage of the safety car by getting it out of the way and finished 15th.

Alex Albon started his Williams from the pit lane after a disastrous qualifying and finished 13th.