With Charles Leclerc securing P3 in Miami, along with a second-place finish in the Sprint race, the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team has made a strong start to a big month of racing.
After a good showing in qualifying, Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc started the Miami Grand Prix on the front row, in P2, on Sunday 5th May.
He appeared slow off the line, however, and though he initially held on to his position, he was overtaken by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on Lap 5. The young Australian later drove the fastest lap of the race.
Leclerc benefitted from a well-time – and rapid – pitstop on Lap 19, rejoining in sixth. He spent the rest of the race gradually working his way up through the field.
His P3 finish brings Ferrari’s tally to six podiums across the six races of the 2024 season thus far.
His teammate, Carlos Sainz, finished in a respectable P4, but was later demoted to P5 due to a five-second time penalty and one penalty point on his licence for having caused a collision with Piastri.
Their combined results from the weekend have added 26 points to the Ferrari pot; 15 points from Leclerc’s P3 in the Grand Prix, his seven points from a P2 finish in the Sprint, and Sainz’s four points from the Sprint.
Both drivers have extended their congratulations to McLaren’s Lando Norris on his first-ever Grand Prix win following the race.
“I hope he enjoys it fully,” Leclerc told reporters.
Sainz, who was previously a teammate of the 24-year-old at McLaren, said, “Congratulations to Lando, I’m truly happy for him! He deserved a win for a long time and today was his day.”
Thoughts will now be turning to the next race, which will take place at Imola in Emilia-Romagna on Sunday 19th May. Following the Italian Grand Prix, the grid will be heading to the Principality and Leclerc’s home turf for the fabled Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday 26th May.
Read related:
F1: Less than satisfying weekend in Shanghai for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc despite decent points
Join the Monaco Life community – sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.
Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre
