Pérez and Alonso lead in Miami after Leclerc accident

What is the situation of the race scheduled for this Sunday in Miami? Charles Leclerc's crash in the closing seconds of Q3 led to changes to the starting grid, with Sergio Pérez on pole position and Max Verstappen moving up. It's a chance for Pérez who could win his third victory this year.

The accident also benefited Fernando Alonso who will start on the front row of the grid, just as he did in Saudi Arabia . Alonso has managed to turn around a difficult weekend for Aston Martin and is now a very serious candidate for the podium, come what may.

Hamilton eliminated in Q2; Walk, in Q1

Sergio Pérez took pole position in Miami with a time of 1:26.841. Although his performance in Q2 fell short of that of Verstappen , Leclerc's accident turned things upside down. Thus, while Pérez will start in first position, Verstappen will have to start from ninth place on the grid. Although Leclerc's error had an impact on the situation, Verstappen is not entirely innocent, as he himself made a mistake on his first attempt, ruining his turn.

Although Red Bull are a powerful team, reaching second place shouldn't be a challenge for Verstappen. However, every time he loses, it will benefit Pérez.

The most remarkable performance goes to Fernando Alonso. Although Aston Martin's free practice was terrifying, Alonso found his feet with the car in qualifying and shone throughout the session. Although Leclerc's crash helped, Alonso set his Q3 time with worn tyres, and despite that he finished second.

One can only imagine what he could have achieved with the new tires he had for the first Q3 attempt. Nevertheless, with the old tires he managed to edge out Carlos Sainz , who will start third, thus completing an all-Spanish top three. A fantastic weekend for Sainz so far.

He is on a similar level to Leclerc, and his pressure partly contributed to the Monegasque's failure in his first attempt in Q3, as well as his crash in the second. Leclerc will start from seventh position, alongside Esteban Ocon on the fourth row of the grid. The standout driver of the day was Kevin Magnussen , who placed his Haas fourth on the grid. As for Valtteri Bottas , he also reached Q3, but only finished tenth.

At Mercedes , they experienced a real disaster. The team members were unable to make it to Miami and although George Russell managed to minimize the damage by securing a fine sixth place finish, Lewis Hamilton and the entire team suffered a crash. Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 and will start in thirteenth position. It is heartening, however, that Lance Stroll enjoyed less success, being knocked out in Q1 along with teammate, Alonso, who qualified on the front row.

Qualifying results Formula 1 GP Miami 2023