Qualifying: Ferrari dominates and enjoys the Formula 1 boom in Miami

Stand: 07.05.2022 | Reading time: 3 minutes

WM leader Charles Leclerc will be the first driver to start from pole position in a Formula 1 race in Miami. The Ferrari driver from Monaco secured first place in qualifying on Saturday ahead of his Spanish team-mate Carlos Sainz. In the end, world champion Max Verstappen was no longer able to counter the pace of the Scuderia drivers and had to settle for third place in the Red Bull.

After his coup, Leclerc bathed a little in the jubilation of the spectators. “The fans are wonderful. Now we have to finish the work tomorrow,” said the 24-year-old. Verstappen was relaxed despite the defeat. “We have a good car and a good chance in the race. A lot can happen,” said the Dutchman.

The working day ended soberingly for Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher, who both failed in the second round. “Oh, no, I lost it in the chicane,” Vettel complained over the pit radio after a driving error in the last attempt cost him a place in the top ten. The Aston Martin driver had to settle for 13th place.

Schumacher did not get past 15th place at the home game of his US team Haas. “That wasn’t a good qualifying from us,” he admitted on the TV channel Sky. When trying to finally get his first World Championship points in Formula 1, the 23-year-old has to improve a lot on Sunday (9:30 p.m. / Sky).

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Before the fifth round of the season, Leclerc leads the overall standings with a 27-point lead over Verstappen. Both have won two races each. The Miami International Autodrome makes its debut on the racing calendar. A 5.412-kilometer track was built around Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins football team.

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Race weekend sold out on all three days

Many drivers still had problems with the course when they were getting used to it. The training sessions had to be interrupted several times due to accidents, and the pilots made numerous spins and minor blunders. Defending champion Verstappen also had problems at the start and was only able to collect a few test kilometers on Friday due to an overheated car. That took revenge on the starting place hunt.

Despite high ticket prices, all three days of debut at the Miami International Circuit are sold out. 85,000 spectators are expected for the race on Sunday. Recently, Formula 1 experienced a real boom on the US market, which had been difficult for a long time. Last fall, more than 400,000 fans flocked to the Circuit of the Americas for the Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

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In the wake of the public success of the Netflix series “Drive to survive”, Formula 1 has already signed a contract for a third US guest appearance on the legendary Strip in Las Vegas for 2023. “We’ve finally landed in North America,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, describing the atmosphere in Miami as “mega”.