The Miami Grand Prix weekend uses the Sprint format, which means there is only one free practice session before qualifying. FP1 was the drivers’ only chance to prepare before jumping into the competitive part of the weekend.

Max Verstappen was one of the first to head out on track. This was his first time driving as a father, after he and Kelly Piquet welcomed their daughter Lily just before the weekend began. He tested an upgraded Red Bull floor during the session. Meanwhile, his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda had a problem with his seat, which was set too high and made driving uncomfortable.

Lando Norris also had issues. He said everything in his car felt like it was falling apart. Later on, the team noticed a torch had been accidentally left inside his cockpit, which could be considered an unsafe release.

George Russell said his Mercedes felt strange, with very heavy steering. Despite that, he started off strong by setting a fast time early in the session. Verstappen then went quickest, but Russell responded with an even faster lap on the medium tyres.

As the session continued, Norris had to avoid Esteban Ocon, who was moving slowly on the same part of the track Norris wanted to use. They both managed to avoid contact. At the same time, Verstappen was unhappy with another car getting in the way while driving on the racing line.

At the end, Oscar Piastri went fastest with a lap time of 1 minute 27.128 seconds. Norris was trying to beat it and was quickest in the second sector, but before he could finish the lap, Oliver Bearman crashed his Haas at Turn 12. He lost control of the car and hit the barrier, which caused a red flag and ended the session early.