Follow usMax Verstappen claimed victory at the Miami Grand Prix after making his way through the field from P9 on the grid to beat his teammate Sergio Perez in the closing stages.
The Dutchman started on a different strategy from everyone else, opting for the hard, more durable, but slower tire.
And it was a decision that would pay dividends for the reigning world champion as it enabled him to preserve his tire-wear and pit deep in the race for a maximum push in the final laps with the medium.
Perez led the majority of the race, establishing an early lead over Fernando Alonso in second, before charging Verstappen quickly emerged in the Mexican’s mirrors.
That forced Perez into somewhat early stop on lap 20, which gave Verstappen clear air and with blistering pace he was able to keep up pace, measurable with that of his teammate, despite being on older tires.
When Verstappen eventually stopped on lap 45, he had a fresh mediums and despite some resistance from Perez the inevitable happened and the Dutchman swept past him into the lead.
Alonso rounded off the podium places after a rather lonely race in the second half. George Russell of Mercedes came in forth, followed up by Carlos Sainz, who had to serve a 5-second penalty, resurgent Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Fastest lap went to Verstappen, who now leads the Drivers Standings with 14 points over Perez in second.
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