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Charles Leclerc set the benchmark in an extended 90-minute first practice session for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, leading the field as 10 of the 11 teams evaluated their declared upgrades.
The Ferrari driver looked assured throughout the session, ultimately posting a 1m 29.310s on his second push lap using the softest compound.
Most of the 90-minute session was dedicated to long runs on the hard and medium compounds, allowing teams to gather crucial data on their new parts before switching to softs for qualifying simulations in the final 15 minutes.
Ferrariâs pace was evident early on. On the hard tyres, Leclerc had already established himself at the top of the timing sheets with a 1m 29.855s, sitting ahead of Mercedesâ Kimi Antonelli and his own teammate, Lewis Hamilton. When the field transitioned to softs, Leclerc successfully consolidated his advantage.
Red Bullâs Max Verstappen finished second fastest, 0.297s adrift of Leclerc. The four-time world champion appeared far more comfortable than his teammate, Isack Hadjar, who ended the session in ninth, 1.563s off the ultimate pace.
McLaren, having brought numerous performance upgrades to Miami, enjoyed an encouraging start to the weekend. Oscar Piastri slotted into third, 0.448s behind Leclerc, while Lando Norris finished seventh, 0.898s off the top spot. Norrisâs time, however, was compromised after he was forced to abort a flying lap to avoid the Williams of Alex Albon at the hairpin.
Between the two McLarens sat the Mercedes duo. Antonelli finished fifth overall, with George Russell in sixthâboth just over three-quarters of a second off the pace. However, Antonelliâs session was cut short; the young Italian had to step out of the car before completing any soft-tyre running due to a power unit issue. Russell, meanwhile, had a relatively anonymous session.
Alpine once again established itself as the best of the rest. Pierre Gasly set the eighth fastest time, 1.277s off the lead, finishing three places ahead of his teammate Franco Colapinto, who was 1.705s adrift.
Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10 for Williams, with Albon close behind in 12th, the pair separated by less than a tenth of a second. Haasâs Ollie Bearman took 13th, while his teammate Esteban Ocon finished 16th. Sandwiched between them were the two Audis of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg.
At the back of the field, Racing Bulls, Cadillac, and Aston Martin struggled for pace. Liam Lawson was the fastest of this group in 17th, setting his best time on the medium compound.
Aston Martin, notably the only team without any declared upgrades in Miami, endured a frustrating start to their weekend. Their running was severely delayed by a "power issue in the garage," which caused monitors and telemetry to fail at the start of the session. As a result, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll only managed to turn their first laps 25 minutes into FP1. They finished 19th and 22nd, respectively, in a field covered by 3.649s.
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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