Charles Leclerc Tops Upgraded Ferrari in Extended Miami FP1

Charles Leclerc has set the fastest time in an extended first practice session for the Miami Grand Prix, leading Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in scorching conditions.

With Miami hosting the first Sprint weekend of the season, the sole practice session was expanded from 60 to 90 minutes. This gave teams crucial track time to evaluate significant upgrade packages following a lengthy April break. Track temperatures hovered above 50 degrees Celsius for most of the session, making tyre management on the hard, medium and soft compounds a key focus.

Ferrari arrived with a heavily upgraded SF-26 and the Scuderia immediately looked formidable on the Florida street circuit. Leclerc posted a benchmark of 1m 29.310s on the soft C5 tyres to take top spot. His teammate Lewis Hamilton slotted into fourth despite an early snap of oversteer on the hard tyres.

Red Bull rebound and McLaren’s near misses

Red Bull brought extensive modifications to the front and rear wings, floor and rear brake ducts. The most notable addition was a fully inverted rear wing design. Max Verstappen translated those updates into a promising second place, finishing just 0.297s behind Leclerc.

The Red Bull Macarena wing in all its glory! 🤩💃🔃#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/f3GJo66dGl

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 1, 2026

Isack Hadjar also completed valuable data-gathering runs for the Milton Keynes squad.
McLaren introduced a package that Team Principal Andrea Stella described as a «completely new» car. Defending Miami race winner Oscar Piastri finished third, while Lando Norris had his flying lap ruined. Norris was fastest in the first sector but was forced to take evasive action when he encountered a slow-moving Alexander Albon on the racing line, causing the British driver to abort his run.

Championship leader stalled

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli spent most of the session topping the timing screens on the hard tyres. However, the Italian teenager was unable to set a qualifying simulation time on the soft rubber due to a late power unit issue. He ended the session in fifth.

"He was weaving in front of me" 🔀

Kimi Antonelli wasn't too impressed with this moment with an Aston Martin out on track 😢#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/FJdCNNSX4y

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 1, 2026

His Mercedes teammate George Russell complained of early turbo noises that he compared to the sound of a train. After brief checks in the garage, Russell returned to the track to finish sixth.

Midfield battles and early gremlins

Aston Martin suffered early power issues in the garage that severely delayed Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, costing them vital track time. Meanwhile, Alpine continued their strong start to the campaign with Pierre Gasly taking eighth.

Cadillac made their home debut but remained firmly at the bottom of the timing screens alongside Aston Martin and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad.

With grid orders potentially scrambled by the new upgrades, the teams now head straight into Sprint Qualifying later today. So stay tuned with us!

Miami Grand Prix FP1 leaderboard

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