MIAMI (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Max Verstappen has won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix for Red Bull, slashing Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc’s overall lead from 27 to 19 points after five races.
Leclerc finished a fighting second, 3.786 seconds behind after starting on pole position, with Spanish team mate Carlos Sainz completing the podium at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
The victory was the Dutch driver’s third of the season, and second in a row, and he made it happen with a crucial overtake around the outside on Sainz at the start to seize second place before blasting past Leclerc on the ninth of the 57 laps.
Verstappen, who also made sure of the bonus point for fastest lap, had looked to be cruising to victory until McLaren’s Lando Norris collided with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and crashed on lap 41, triggering the safety car.
That allowed Leclerc to close the gap and get back into contention over the final 10 laps.
The race drew a cast of A-list celebrities, sporting greats and a sellout crowd as Formula One basked in a wave of popularity fueled by the Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive.
What was a slow burner in the energy-sapping humidity provided some fireworks at the end with the safety car bunching up the field, putting Leclerc right on Verstappen’s tail with five laps remaining.