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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — McLaren driver Lando Norris won the Formula 1 sprint race Saturday in Miami after a rain-soaked contest produced crashes and ended under the “safety car” as marshals collected debris on the track.
Norris started in third place and jumped to second in the first corner, before overtaking fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri during a frenzied series of pit stops during the final stretch of the race.
“Lovely job. Well done boys,” a subdued Norris said over team radio.
It was an encouraging victory for Norris after struggling in recent races and losing the championship lead to Piastri, who finished second ahead of Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.
“I’m so happy with that,” Hamilton, a seven-time world champion who’s in his first year with Ferrari, said after the sprint race. “It’s been a tough year so far.”
It was a tragic sprint race for Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, who took a sensational pole position on Friday, becoming the youngest ever pole-sitter in F1 for any race format. But he lost positions in the first corner amid a battle with Piastri and his car was hit by Red Bull reigning world champion Max Verstappen in the pit lane.
Antonelli accused Piastri of unfairly pushing him off the track in the first corner, but the officials didn’t take any action, deeming his maneuver valid. He finished 10th, outside the points.
Verstappen, who was running in third place for much of the race, was given a 10-second penalty for an “unsafe release” in his pit stop, an error by his team.
The shortened race, which was delayed by heavy rain, included multiple crashes. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc slid into the wall on his lap to the grid and failed to start. Williams driver Carlos Sainz failed to finish after puncturing his tire.
In the final laps, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso crashed out after a collision with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, which brought out a safety car so marshals could collect the debris.
