Leclerc Tops Miami GP Practice as Antonelli Suffers PU Issue

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the extended 90-minute practice session for the Miami Grand Prix, narrowly beating Max Verstappen. The session was marked by a power unit failure for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, which prevented him from completing a performance run on soft tires and clouded Mercedes' otherwise dominant start to the season.

Why it matters:

As the sole practice session of a sprint weekend, this was a critical opportunity for teams to test car upgrades and gather data before the competitive action begins. The extended 90-minute runtime, the first session since Japan in March, made every lap valuable. For Mercedes, Antonelli's reliability issue is a significant early setback, while Ferrari and McLaren will be encouraged by their pace relative to Red Bull.

The Details:

• Session Dynamics: The extended session saw a busy start, with teams initially focusing on long runs using the hard tire compound. The switch to performance runs on soft tires came only in the final 13 minutes.
• Top of the Timesheet: Leclerc's benchmark time of 1m29.310s was set with a tow from Lando Norris on the back straight, edging out Verstappen by 0.297 seconds. Oscar Piastri was a close third for McLaren, making it three different constructors in the top three.
• Mercedes' Mixed Bag: While Lewis Hamilton placed a solid fourth, the session was compromised for teammate Kimi Antonelli. A power unit issue ended his running early, leaving his fifth-place time set on hard tires unrepresentative of his true potential on softs.
• Technical Troubles: Several drivers reported issues. Verstappen complained of "horrendous" gearshifts, a problem echoed by Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar. Aston Martin also lost time due to a power outage in its garage at the start of the session.
• Upgrades on Show: All teams except Aston Martin brought visible upgrades to Miami. Red Bull debuted a new rear wing design, while others used the session to evaluate new parts under the revised 2026 aerodynamic testing regulations.

What's Next:

The focus now shifts immediately to the competitive sessions that define a sprint weekend.

• Sprint Qualifying: Up next is the Sprint Shootout, which will set the grid for Saturday's Sprint Race. Teams have minimal data and no further practice, putting a premium on their initial setup choices from FP1.
• Reliability Watch: All eyes will be on Mercedes to see if Antonelli's power unit issue is resolved for the rest of the weekend. Any grid penalties for component changes could impact the championship battle.
• Race Pace Unknown: With the session focused on single-lap performance, the long-run race pace of the top cars—especially Ferrari and McLaren versus Red Bull—remains the biggest unanswered question heading into the Grand Prix.