Lando Norris clinches rain-hit Miami Grand Prix sprint in McLaren one-two

MIAMI – Lando Norris lucked in to win a rain-hit and crash-strewn Miami Grand Prix sprint race in a McLaren one-two on Saturday that trimmed teammate Oscar Piastri's Formula One lead to nine points.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, winner of the season's first sprint in China, had a smile on his face again after finishing third with the safety car leading the closing laps before peeling off at the end.

"My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, really happy," grinned Norris, who won last year's main grand prix for his first F1 victory after also benefitting from a safety car period.

"I don't think I will be buying any lottery tickets at this place," commented Piastri over the car radio.

Norris got lucky with the safety car deployed just as he pitted for slick tyres, with Piastri having already stopped, and came back out still in the lead he had inherited from the Australian.

"I probably would've preferred if this had happened tomorrow, rather than today, but I'll take it. Good job by the team," he said.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was demoted to last place after being handed a 10 second penalty for an unsafe release that led to a pitlane collision with Mercedes' pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli finished 10th but moved back to seventh after Williams' Alex Albon, Racing Bull's Liam Lawson and Haas's Oliver Bearman all collected time penalties and dropped out of the top eight.

That lifted Mercedes' George Russell to fourth, Lance Stroll to fifth for Aston Martin and Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda to sixth after starting in the pit lane.

The final point went to Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who was 11th at the chequered flag.

LECLERC OUT

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed on his way from the pits to the starting grid in treacherous conditions and did not start.

The safety car led the field around before the start procedure was suspended, with drivers struggling to see in the spray, and all 19 cars returned to the pit lane before an eventual standing start on a drying track.

Piastri seized the lead into turn one, with Antonelli forced wide and dropping to fourth as Norris and Verstappen also went past.

"He pushed me off," shouted the Italian over the team radio, but the move stuck.

Verstappen was investigated for a possible false start, with no further action, and then the track began to dry making a change of tyres increasingly look a rewarding but potentially risky move.

Tsunoda was first to take the plunge, with nothing to lose and 37 seconds off the lead, and then Hamilton pitted for softs from sixth and began moving back up rapidly.

Carlos Sainz crashed his Williams, leaving debris, and Fernando Alonso was pitched into the wall after contact with Lawson, triggering the decisive safety car to the finish.

"I did pretty much everything right. A bit disappointed to come away with second but that's how it goes sometimes. Racing is a pretty cruel business," said Piastri, who will be chasing a third grand prix win in a row on Sunday.

"Hopefully that means I get a bit of luck this afternoon in qualifying and tomorrow."

Qualifying for the main race followed later but was delayed due to the earlier weather.

Hamilton said he had made his tyre call and reaped the rewards.

"It's been a tough year so far but ... I never thought it was going to rain in Miami. It's the first time we've been on track in the wet here and what a race it provided us," said the seven-times world champion.

Reuters