Reigning world champion won his second successive Grand Prix, and his third of the season so far, when he took the chequered flag in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. He beat his closest rival Charles Leclerc into second place, and has now cut the Monegasque’s lead in the Drivers’ World Championship to 19 points.
It was a fine recovery from Verstappen, who was deeply unhappy after reliability issues restricted him to just a few laps on Friday, meaning that he had little time to familiarise himself with the new street circuit, constructed around Miami’s Hard Rock stadium.
When he could only start third on the grid, behind an all-Ferrari front row, he might have expected a tough afternoon in the Florida heat. But he outmuscled the other Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz into the first corner, and set about chasing down Leclerc, who had streaked into the lead. By the start of the ninth lap he was on his tail and was able to use DRS to pass him on the main straight.
He began to ease away and seemed to be set for an early victory, but a collision between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly brought out the safety car, and the field bunched up again. Leclerc began to threaten to regain lead, but could never quite get close enough, and had to settle for second place in the end,
Behind them, Sainz was having his own private duel with the other Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez. The Mexican had the fresher tyres towards the end, briefly overtook the Spaniard, but went too deep into a corner, overcooked it, and Sainz was able to pass him once more and hold on for the third podium spot.
Fifth and sixth were the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, although the latter will not be happy to have been bested by the younger man again. Russell had started 12th on the grid, but ran long on his first set of tyres, and got a cheap pit stop when the safety car came out.
That brought him out behind Hamilton on new medium tyres, and he was able to pass his compatriot twice. The first attempt was ruled out after race control said he gone off track to pull off his manoeuvre. He let Hamilton overtake him and then passed him again.