Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the first free practice session of the Miami Grand Prix, giving Ferrari a strong start to the weekend in Florida. The Monegasque driver set the fastest lap of 1’29”310, outpacing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.297 seconds and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 0.448 seconds.
Ferrari arrived in Florida with several upgrades, including a new rotating rear wing dubbed “macarena.” Lewis Hamilton, now driving for the Scuderia, finished fourth, just 0.467 seconds off the pace. He outpaced the two Mercedes drivers – Kimi Antonelli (+0.769) and George Russell (+0.790). McLaren’s Lando Norris took seventh place (+0.898).
Spanish driver Carlos Sainz placed 10th in his lighter Williams, clocking 1.620 seconds slower than his former teammate Leclerc. However, the bigger story was Fernando Alonso, who languished in 19th position, a full 3.283 seconds behind the leader. The two-time world champion again complained of severe vibrations through the steering wheel, which made the Aston Martin nearly undriveable. Alonso reported that the vibrations were so intense they numbed his hands, a recurring issue that appeared to have worsened rather than improved.