MIAMI—Palm trees, yachts in a fake marina and thousands of Formula One fans lined the brand new Miami International Autodrome surrounding Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, straining to catch a glimpse of their favorite drivers.
Afternoon storm clouds rested in the distance as the Formula One cars hit the track in Miami Gardens for the first time on Friday, getting a feel for the locally-sourced materials—a mixture of U.S.-mined granite from Georgia and limestone from Southern Florida.
And in a turn of events, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc barely edged past Mercedes’s George Russell during the first practice rather than his normal foe this season, Marx Verstappen, who ran a pace 0.179 seconds away from Leclerc’s. The two rivals have been exchanging wins throughout the first four races as Ferrari leads Red Bull by just 11 points in the constructors standings.
