Charles Leclerc was pleased to come away from the Miami Grand Prix with a P3 result, but acknowledged that Ferrari may have some catching up to do after Lando Norris displayed impressive pace in the McLaren en route to his debut F1 victory.
It was a poor getaway for Leclerc when the lights went out at the Miami International Autodrome, with the Monegasque’s slow start from P2 allowing Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz through in the approach to Turn 1.
However, Perez locked up in the Red Bull and just managed to avoid contact with team mate Max Verstappen in the lead, a move that also saw Sainz slip back while Leclerc reclaimed second place.
With Norris leading when a Safety Car was called on Lap 29 of 57 following a collision between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen, the McLaren man held onto P1 until the chequered flag, crossing the line ahead of Verstappen in second and Leclerc in third
Reflecting on his difficult start to the race, Leclerc explained: “It was very tricky. Checo [Perez] was on my inside. I didn’t have a great start, as soon as I let the clutch I had wheelspin.
“I saw Checo on the right, but there was very little grip and he locked up and I thought we would crash, but fortunately for everybody we all got out that first corner without any damage.
