Sergio Perez tops time for Red Bull ahead of championship leader Charles Leclerc in his last free training session on Saturday before Sunday’s opening day Grand Prix Miami. In hot, but variable conditions, the 32-year-old Mexican made a best lap time of 30.304 seconds to overtake Ferrari’s Leclerc by 0.194, with teammate Red Bull and the reigning world champion. Max Verstappen finished third, three tenths passed.
Two-time champion Fernando Alonso, shining in his 40 years, is fourth-fastest for Alpine ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Haas’ Mick Schumacher, all seven-tenths behind the top speed.
Carlos Sainz placed seventh for Ferrari ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Williams’ Alex Albon and McLaren driver Lando Norris, but it was a disappointing day for Mercedes following their return to form on Friday.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was only 15th and George Russell, the fastest in the second set, was 17th – both appeared once again to grapple with ‘porpoising’ in the closing stages. of the session and only had two hours to deal with. problem before qualifying.
Verstappen set the pace early, swapping the fastest with Leclerc, before Esteban Ocon crashed on Turn 14, presenting a red flag as his Alpine broke the barriers.
The Frenchman started right where Carlos Sainz hit a wall on Friday, a collision that lasted his day for Ferrari and forced him to try to make amends on Saturday.
After the Ocon incident, with 45 minutes left, both Mercedes were once again in the top six – Russell fourth and Hamilton sixth.
Hamilton explains: “We seem to be faster, but I’m not sure exactly why. “We still have the bounce so we haven’t cured it yet, but little by little we’re improving the car.”
Seen by former US First Lady Michelle Obama in the Mercedes garage, the Silver Arrows duo continue to enjoy the sun, which, they say, played no small part in their resurgence as the car updates. .
After a 15-minute break to clear Ocon’s cars and debris, the action resumes.
“The race is going to be tough because the tires are so hot,” Hamilton said. “And it’s been very hot all day… I’ve already lost a few kilos! It reminds me of racing in the heat in Malaysia.”
As for the track, Hamilton said it was “bumpy” but “great to drive”.
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The challenge round is expected to create challenges and errors, especially when a strong wind hits with dense cloud cover. For Russell, that means less grip and more ‘porpoising’.
“The tires are nowhere,” he reported as Perez and Verstappen took the lead ahead of Leclerc, the top trio running a second faster than the rest with nine minutes remaining before an impressive late exit for Verstappen, who hit his head on the curb. 13 and stop.
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