Red Bull’s Verstappen Outpaces Rivals in Miami’s Second Practice

Championship leader Max Verstappen dominated the second Formula 1 practice session at the Miami Grand Prix, leaving his rivals trailing in his wake. Unfazed by his ongoing headrest issues, Verstappen’s relentless pursuit of excellence propelled him to the top of the time charts, showcasing the fierce competition at the heart of this exhilarating race weekend.

Championship frontrunner Max Verstappen placed his Red Bull significantly ahead of the competition during the second Formula 1 practice session at the Miami Grand Prix.

Despite expressing further dissatisfaction with his headrest during the session, similar to his complaints at the Azerbaijan GP weekend, Verstappen’s progress remained unhindered as he consistently topped the time charts.

Matching George Russell’s pace from the first practice session during his initial lap in FP2, Verstappen recorded his quickest lap time of the session on his fifth lap using soft tires.

His impressive time of 1m27.930s put him 0.385 seconds ahead of the nearest competitors, with Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari leading the rest in FP2. Sainz’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, ranked third but later caused the session’s only red flag when he momentarily lost control, regained it, and then crashed into the barrier through the lengthy Turn 6/7 left-hander during a long run.

The session came to a stop with less than 10 minutes remaining, but cars were allowed back on track for the final four minutes.

Sergio Perez, in the second Red Bull car, secured the fourth fastest time, nearly half a second behind his leading teammate Verstappen. Fernando Alonso followed with a 0.241s gap, claiming fifth place.

During the end of the session, Alonso’s Aston Martin encountered an obstruction by his former teammate Esteban Ocon’s Alpine in the tight section at the end of the second sector. Despite this, Alonso managed to stay 0.081s ahead of Lando Norris, who took an impressive sixth place for McLaren.

Norris’s performance during FP2 in Miami was particularly noteworthy as he was the first to attempt a qualifying simulation lap in the session. Sainz was the closest to him but still 0.091s behind, while Alonso trailed by 0.357s at that point.

In the first practice session, Mercedes W14s secured a one-two finish, with Lewis Hamilton placing seventh during FP2. However, his teammate George Russell, who had topped the charts in the first session, faced difficulties in the second session.

Russell expressed frustration with the positioning of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren during his first qualifying sim run, which resulted in him only ranking 15th. He later mentioned feeling as if the car was “three-wheeling through the left-hander, Turn 2,” improving his position back to 15th before spinning out during his long-run attempt prior to the red flag.

Following Hamilton, the top 10 was rounded out by Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin, Esteban Ocon’s Alpine, and Alex Albon—who, for the second consecutive session, was forced to use the escape road at Turn 17.

Results from Friday’s Second Practice at the Miami Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 2023 F1 World Championship.

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