Hot F1 practice sessions in Miami
Verstappen’s car burns, Mercedes surprised
05/07/2022 01:18 am
At the premiere of the new Formula 1 track in Miami, there are signs of a Mercedes comeback. On the other hand, world champion Verstappen struggles with technical problems and burning brakes on the course in practice. Getting used to the route causes a lot of interruptions.
Mercedes reported back before the new Formula 1 race in Miami (Sunday, 9:30 p.m. / Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de). With a new rear wing, George Russell surprisingly turned the fastest lap in 1:29.938 minutes in the second free practice session on the 5.412 km long circuit. His teammate and record champion Lewis Hamilton underlined the good impression of the Silver Arrows with fourth place (+0.241).
World championship leader Charles Leclerc (+0.106) finished second, while world champion Max Verstappen struggled with technical problems and did not manage a timed lap in the second session. “I can’t steer at all, sorry, the steering is stuck,” the Dutchman radioed to his Red Bull box. The Dutchman returned to the garage with burning brakes and missed important test kilometers on the new racetrack in Florida.
Former world champion Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin and Haas driver Mick Schumacher still had difficulties with the new route around the Hard Rock Stadium. Vettel was 15th, just under a second and a half behind, with Schumacher one place behind (+1.649). Many drivers still had problems with the course when they were getting used to it. Afternoon practice was interrupted twice because of an accident involving Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and a technical defect in Nicholas Latifi’s Williams at a dangerous position.
Before the fifth race of the season, Leclerc is 27 points ahead of Verstappen in the World Championship standings, who last won in Imola. “I don’t know who will be in front this weekend,” said Leclerc, so far it has “always been very tight” against Verstappen. But he is sure that he has “a chance” of winning if he doesn’t make any mistakes.