Both cars started on the soft compound tyre in anticipation of an early safety car which has not materialized.Added to this is the fact Nyck de Vries locked up and went into the back of Lando Norris’ car causing some early damage.As such, both drivers had to pit early and their starting positions of 16th and 19th have become 18th and 19th.Miami F1Miami Grand PrixLAP 36/57 VERSTAPPEN LEADSOcon’s tyres really impacting his race position now, he’s lost 4th to Sainz and Russell and Hamilton are creeping up behind him.Russell has a great race pace since his pit stop and it you’re Aston Martin you’d want to be looking into that because in the latter stages of this race it could bet he difference between a podium and not.LAP 30/57 VERSTAPPEN LEADSPiastri’s car issue is a brake software issue apparently which explains his lack of pace. Loosely translated, don’t expect anything more than this, the kid is doing a good job to even be on the track.Not had a good run of it the Aussie, he had stomach issues and food poisoning in Baku. maybe his luck will change in Europe.Max Verstappen is told he needs to remain out on track until at least lap 40 for this one stop strategy to work, Ocon and Hulk told similar. Only one of them is managing their tyres at the moment and that person is leading the race.Formidable drive from Max so far.LAP 28/57 VERSTAPPEN LEADSFunny how life can change isn’t it. One minute you’re Charles Leclerc “fighting for a world championship” the next you’re Charles Leclerc stuck in 13th behind a Haas.Really didn’t see this as the way in which his race would pan out.Further ahead, Hamilton is yet to pit but has climbed to 6th, his teammate coming up in his rear view mirror now.LAP 24/57 TROUBLE FOR SAINZNot great news for any Ferrari fans, it’s looking very likely that five seconds will be added to the Spaniard’s race. He’s currently under investigation with the stewards for speeding in the pitlane. Can’t catch a break this kid.Chritsian Horner speaking mid race is saying their team data predicts both cars will be fighting head-to-head with three laps to go and they WILL be allowed to race.At the back there is a few place improvements for McLaren. Norris is up to 16th and Piastri 18th.LAP 21/57 VERSTAPPEN LEADSPerez has pitted and jeeez if you blink you miss it, 2.2 seconds form the Red Bull crew, that was outstanding.Alonso and Albon the only cars in the top 10 yet to switch to the hard compound and the Aston Martin will likely now play the long game, hopes of taking advantage of a safety car had gone.LAP 18/57 PEREZ LEADSAs expected, Hamilton is climbing and he’s into the points, up to 7th as everyone pits. Cars are sliding across this resurfaced track now, a heavy down pour overnight has not helped the quality of the circuit whatsoever.I’m a little confused about Alonso’s race so far, he’s yet to make any kind of impact at the front, he has not given either Red Bull any cause for concer, he’s really just driving in no man’s land.Red Bull needs to make a decision on Perez’s race, Verstappen is getting close to DRS zone and the leader needs to freshen up.LAP 14/57 PEREZ LEADSVerstappen is coming and he’s coming in fast. The Dutchman is up to third and there’s just .47 between him and Alonso. Three seconds ahead of them is Perez.And I can’t even complete the lap update without Verstappen taking Alonso, we now have a Red Bull 1-2, the speed of that car is terrifying.At the back there is no improvement for the McLarens, they wont enjoy much about this weekend when they get the plane back to Europe but somehow Zak Brown will find a way to spin the data as “encouraging”....doesn’t he always?Plenty of cars coming into pit and the placements are shaking up, this could be Hamilton’s chance to make some moves if he can delay his own stop.LAP 10/57 PEREZ LEADSRussell now saying his car isn’t feeling the best but you would never know it looking at the way he’s overtaking on this track.Sublime move from him in 6th to take Gasly for 5th, no DRS, just a beautifully executed move. Further ahead Verstappen has got himself to 4th and is chasing Sainz down in the Ferrari.Cars being told not to fight Verstappen and to maintain their tyres. Probably wise. That car is FLYING.Thigs are getting no better for Hamilton who is still back in 13th and stuck behind Albon’s Williams which has found some straight line speed from somewhere.Little Hamilton can do until Albon pits.LAP 6/57 PEREZ LEADS Replays of the start show it was Nyck de Vries that locked up and ran into the back of Norris so he also has front wing damage.The McLaren forced into the run off area on the start and has now pitted, a bad strategy from them to start on the softs in anticipation of a safety car, it’s blow up in their faces.Further ahead Hamilton is on the radio saying he’s been hit, no one can figure out by whom Hamilton already complaining about his car and saying he won’t complete the race.His engineers cannot find anything wrong with the car. Seems a little hissy fit areas from the Brit to be honest.LAP 3/57 PEREZ LEADSAn early pit stop for Logan Sargeant and he’s got damage to his front wing from that early issue on the start and this effectively ruins his race, 49 seconds in the pits for the Williams.Terrific scrap for 6th between Leclerc and Magnussen and sitting right behind them is Verstappen, sitting there like he’s set to pounce and wasn’t he just!Leclerc takes 6th but immediately as he secures the spot, the Red Bull launches and executes the sublime double overtake to go 6th and poor old Leclerc is now back in 8th as Magnussen sneaks back through.Terrific racing.LAP 1/57 LIGHTS OUT IN MIAMIA dream start for Sergio Perez and he’s already pulling away from Alonso. The only early bingle came at the back and I think it was the McLaren of Norris who got caught up with an Alpha Tauri.Not good for Hamilton who has lost a spot and is down to 14th, his teammate Russel has moved into 6th off the start. Verstappen avoided disaster, lost an early place but has since made it up.Norris in all sorts he’s back to 19th but look at Oscar Piastri, he’s up ton14th from 19th!5:20AM WHAT HAPPENS AT THE START?Right I know I said this last week in Baku and the race was super boring, But I think we can expect a little chaos on lap one today. Plenty of cars are out of place and if last year’s start is anything to go by there will be significant movement.One to watch, keep an eye on Verstappen (9th) coming up from two spots behind Russell. The pair has a collision in Baku and I’m not convinced the Dutchman has quite forgotten about it. Hamilton also back in 13th, he will be keen to get by the Haas, Alfa Romeo and Williams ASAP.Alonso’s prediction is that Verstappen will be leading by lap 25, I’m not so sure it’s going to take that long.5:10AM BRUNDLE NAILED THE GRID WALKRedemption for Martin Brundle on the Miami GP grid walk.A year on from the unfortunate clanger which saw him approach NBA star Paolo Banchero thinking he was Patrick Mahomes, it seems the duo are the bests of friends.“It’s been a hell of a year and I am honoured you know my name,” Banchero. “I’m here for Team Lewis, Mercedes.”Brundle has been hit and miss in his previous grid walks in the US.“There’s one of the Williams sisters but I honestly don’t think I can handle the rejection this time,” he said when he saw Venus.Brundle then made a bee line for Roger Federer who is also in town to back the Mercedes duo.5AM: WILL RED BULL BRING OUT TEAM ORDERS?Formula One world champion Max Verstappen said victory in the Miami Grand Prix is “not impossible” despite him starting ninth on the grid.Red Bull’s Verstappen, who leads the driver’s championship after picking up two wins from opening four races of the season, was unable to get his late fast lap after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed and qualifying was cut short with one minute 36 left.The Dutchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez, who is second in the standings just six points behind Verstappen, grabbed pole position after Saturday’s qualifying.Despite the setback, Verstappen, who won the maiden Miami race last year, was not giving up hope of a strong result.“A podium, for sure, but I want to win, so this is not great. (Winning is) not impossible, but it’s not going to be easy,” he said.While Leclerc’s crash didn’t help, Verstappen had already made life difficult for himself by not getting his full fast lap in earlier.He said he had only himself to blame for having to pull out of his earlier lap after a mistake.“I was a little bit offline out of (turn) six into seven, I felt a bit of understeer, and I just couldn’t get it back on the line. So I aborted my lap. It was definitely a mistake of mine trying to put it on the limit.“Then of course, you need a bit of luck, hoping that there won’t be a red flag. But of course, when you try to think like that, then it happens. So, it’s a bit upsetting,” he said.But Verstappen, winner of the last two Formula One seasons, was keeping a sense of perspective.“I’ve been in this position before, you have sometimes a few setbacks but that doesn’t mean that it carries on for the rest of the year or whatever.“It can’t always be perfect, you hope that it’s going to be perfect. Last year we had a tough start, but you still need to nail a few bits yourself. Today was not great,” he said.Red Bull team principal Christian Horner questioned why the race was only stopped 20 seconds after Leclerc’s crash.“Had it been stopped immediately, you could have possibly got around,” he told Sky Sports.Horner has been happy to let Perez compete with Verstappen, with no heavy use of team orders as of yet, and the Mexican says he is relishing the inner-team competition.“I’m enjoying it. I’m just thinking race by race. I will go out ... for my team because they’ve done a tremendous job and see what happens tomorrow (Sunday),” he said.“It is a new opportunity, starting from pole. We are the ones that have (something) to lose, but we will just go out there and try to enjoy this amazing crowd,” he saidF1 STAR WHACKS RICCIARDO AS PIASTRI BOMBSMcLaren driver Lando Norris says current Aussie teammate Oscar Piastri is pushing him harder than Daniel Ricciardo ever did in an apparent swipe to his former colleague.The comments were made before Piastri and Norris registered a disastrous 19th and 16th in qualifying respectively at the Miami Grand Prix with McLaren season on the rocks since the start.Asked about the main differences between the two Australians, Norris said: “I wouldn’t say we (he and Piastri) have the same driving style, but our comments and complaints are generally always the same. So I think that’s a good thing.“He’s a lovely guy, down to earth, a normal guy, a worker. So it’s good fun. Different, I guess, to Daniel, I feel like a bit of a contrast of Australian [character], but still good fun.“He’s very fast at the same time, so he’s probably been pushing me a little bit more than in the past couple years.”With the weekend in Miami going worse than anticipated, Piastri really struggled on the newly resurfaced circuit.And the Aussie was not the only driver caught out with Nico Hulkenberg and Charles Leclerc crashing out.“It’s been a difficult day,” Piastri said after qualifying.“At the beginning of the session, I was a bit surprised that the track wasn’t quick compared to the end of Free Practice 3 – then it obviously improved quite a bit through the session.“Regardless of track evolution, I think we were struggling for pace throughout the whole session today.Miami Grand Prix“It’s super, super close. It’s been the same story the whole year – we’re at risk of going out in Q1 every weekend but also where we have the chance to be in Q3 every weekend.“Today we’re just at the back end of that bracket, unfortunately. It’s been a tough day.”Temperatures in Miami have clocked over 31 degrees which Piastri said was causing some issues.“We’re struggling a bit with these hotter conditions,” he said.“In general, it’s not sort of one place where we’re struggling massively; it’s just little bits everywhere.“P2 yesterday looked more encouraging; maybe our fuel load or engine mode was maybe a bit better than others at that point.“But it was also the coldest track conditions and we looked more competitive as well.“So I think we need to understand why we struggle a bit more when it’s hotter.“The temperature is obviously massively different to Baku.“I think the type or tarmac is also a bit different as well; the layout is very different.“So there’s quite a lot of differences to Baku; a lot of longer corners here.“All of those factors are probably contributing to the pace this weekend.”Sergio Perez will start on pole for Sunday’s race sharing the front row with Fernando Alonso.World champion Max Verstappen is back in 9th which will make for an interesting start.Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton endured his worst ever qualifying in America and will start in 13th.HOW THEY START1 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull2 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin3 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari4 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas5 Pierre GASLY Alpine6 George RUSSELL Mercedes7 Charles LECLERC Ferrari8 Esteban OCON Alpine9 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull10 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo11 Alexander ALBON Williams12 Nico HULKENBERG Haas13 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes14 ZHOU Guanyu Alfa Romeo15 Nyck DE VRIES AlphaTauri16 Lando NORRIS McLaren17 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri18 Lance STROLL Aston Martin19 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren20 Logan SARGEANT WilliamsUpdates to story