03/05/2024
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's Shootout, the air temperature is 29 degrees C, while the track temperature is 49 degrees.
Max Verstappen was quickest earlier - isn't he always - but had spent much of the session at the other end of the timesheets as he focussed on the hards.
Piastri was second, ahead of Sainz, Russell, Stroll and Perez in a session that was red-flagged early on when Leclerc span off and was unable to get going again.
With only a handful of laps completed, the Monegasque goes into the Shootout blind, other than for the data acquired by his teammate.
McLaren has brought a raft (10) of updates all of which are only available to Norris. However, the Briton was unhappy with his car and finished well down the order, while his teammate, who has only "half" of the updates, was quickest until being eclipsed by Verstappen.
A number of teams appeared to split strategies, while many drivers found the softs to be less grippy than the mediums, some feeling they weren't even good enough for a full lap.
Alonso only ran the hards, but teammate Stroll ran the softs and finished fifth.
The lights go green and Leclerc, followed by Zhou, Bottas, Stroll, Alonso, Sainz and Norris.
As per the rules, all are on mediums - as they will be in S2.
A big wobble in Turn 8 for Leclerc, however he gets away with it, however he subsequently crosses the line at 50.790.
Stroll responds with a far more sensible 28.960.
Alonso goes second, ahead of Norris, only to be demoted when Perez stops the clock at 28.681.
Verstappen goes quickest with a 28.601, while Piastri goes second with a 28.639.
A 28.914 sees Tsunoda go fourth as Russell goes sixth and teammate Hamilton seventh.
Replay shows Alonso clotted the wall with his right-rear.
Leclerc goes tenth with a 29.203, however he subsequently improves to third with a 28.654.
Sainz crosses the line at 28.687 to go fifth.
While most drivers pit, a few stay out to try their luck again.
"If that's not a penalty, I don't know what is," says Piastri of Bottas, who had clearly not been warned that the McLaren was closing.
"That was a close call, pretty dangerous," says Zak Brown. "It's really the team's responsibility to let the drivers know what is going on around them, so I'd be surprised if there isn't some kind of penalty."
Ocon posts a 28.873 to go seventh, however he is demoted when Magnussen goes third (28.377).
Bottas, Ricciardo, Sargeant, Hulkenberg and Albon comprise the drop zone.
Tsunoda goes eighth and Ricciardo tenth, but both are demoted when Russell goes fourth.
Stroll goes twelfth and Alonso second, the Spaniard stopping the clock at 28.192.
Albon improves but has his time deleted. "I'm such a dumb ******!" declares teammate Sargeant.
Norris is quickest, ahead of Piastri, Alonso, Verstappen, Magnussen, Russell, Sainz, Leclerc, Perez and Tsunoda.
We lose Gasly, Zhou, Bottas, Sargeant and Albon.
Magnussen leads the way as S2 gets the green flag, the Dane followed by his teammate, Perez, Stroll and Ricciardo.
"Every lap counts," Ricciardo is told, "we focus on every lap."
Of the first wave, Perez goes quickest with a 27.865, ahead of Ricciardo, Alonso, Stroll and Hulkenberg.
As Leclerc goes second (27.977), Norris goes quickest in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 27.597, 0.268s up on Perez.
Piastri goes fifth with a 28.163, ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Stroll, as Ricciardo warns that he hit the wall at Turn 16.
Tsunoda and Verstappen are the last to head out, as Russell goes tenth and Hamilton eleventh.
Unhappy with his car, Hamilton pits for an adjustment to his front wing.
Tsunoda can only manage 14th (28.736), while Verstappen stops the clock at 28.001 to go fourth.
Ocon fails to improve on 13th, while Hamilton also looks set to miss the cut.
"I hit the wall," reports Hamilton, as teammate Russell fails to improve on eleventh.
Both Mercedes out... and Toto Wolff is clearly unimpressed.
"I've got nothing, man," says Hamilton.
Norris is quickest, ahead of Perez, Leclerc, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Piastri, Alonso, Sainz, Stroll and Hulkenberg.
We lose Russell, Hamilton, Ocon, Magnussen and Tsunoda, the RB driver, like Verstappen, only given the one lap in which to make his mark.
The lights go green for S3 but there is no rush to action, indeed when the first driver breaks the deadlock - Hulkenberg - there is only 3:40 remaining.
Perez follows the German, ahead of Verstappen, Ricciardo, Stroll and Alonso. Last out is Piastri.
Stroll and Hulkenberg are on used rubber, the rest on fresh.
As Perez posts a 27.876, his teammate appears to lose time at Turn 16.
Nonetheless, the Dutchman crosses the line at 27.641.
Ricciardo goes third ahead of Stroll and Hulkenberg.
Alonso goes fifth as Leclerc goes second and Norris seventh.
Sainz goes fifth while Piastri goes sixth.
While Leclerc made an amazing comeback following his spin in practice, it all appears to have gone wrong for McLaren.
Told he's got pole, Verstappen asks: "What happened to the others?" Indeed, Max, indeed.
On-board footage shows Norris really struggling for grip.
"To be honest with you, it felt pretty terrible," says Verstappen despite taking pole. "Maybe that last session, it was just really difficult to get the tyres to work. I didn't improve much on the soft but I'll take it.
"It didn't feel enjoyable to drive," he adds, "practice was really comfortable, I was quite confident we could fight for pole. But qualifying it didn't look like that for me... I don't know what happened to the other cars on that last lap."
Verstappen takes pole for the Sprint, ahead of Leclerc, Perez, Ricciardo, Sainz, Piastri, Stroll, Alonso, Norris and Hulkenberg.
Russell is eleventh, ahead of Hamilton, Ocon, Magnussen, Tsunoda, Gasly, Zhou, Bottas, Sargeant and Albon.
Check out our Friday gallery from Miami here.