Yuki Tsunoda was elevated from ninth to sixth place in the results of the Miami Grand Prix sprint race after multiple penalties reshuffled the order, a dramatic turnaround that provided a boost for the Japanese driver. The outcome came after Alex Albon, Liam Lawson, and Oliver Bearman each received five-second penalties, allowing Tsunoda to claim valuable points in a fiercely contested wet-to-dry 18-lap event on Saturday.
The turning point emerged on lap 14, when Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson clashed with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso during a battle for eighth place. As Lawson attempted an outside pass at Turn 11 — which leads into the tight right-hand Turn 12 — the Auckland native’s car struck Alonso’s rear corner, sending the two-time world champion into the barriers. Despite the low speeds involved, the collision immediately impacted the race’s momentum and penalty decisions that followed.
Lawson, who was running behind the safety car shortly after the incident, insisted he had the right of way at the apex and denied responsibility. His race engineer supported this claim, but Alonso took a starkly different view, calmly stating he “knew” the clash was inevitable. Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who was closely trailing the pair, offered an outsider’s perspective, describing it as “Typical Lawson,” hinting at a pattern of aggressive moves by the New Zealander.
Lawson elaborated on the accident:
He came out on cold tyres and I’d done a lap, so I was trying to get by him early in the lap. I waited for DRS, made sure to get my wheels ahead at the apex when I’m trying to overtake. And I feel I did that and then I got squeezed off. So, at that point, honestly, I was heading for the concrete wall, and I was trying to get out, but he just kind of left me no space. So, obviously not my intention, but I do feel like I had my wheels ahead.
Despite this defense, FIA race stewards assigned Lawson a five-second penalty for the clash, stripping him of his seventh-place finish and awarding him a sixth penalty point in the past year. The stewards clarified that although Lawson managed to pull alongside Alonso’s car at Turn 11, his front axle was never ahead at the apex as required, which negated his claim to room at Turn 12. The subsequent contact was deemed a result of Lawson driving beyond the track limits, leading to the collision.
Adding to the confusion, Alex Albon received a penalty for failing to respect the minimum time under the safety car. As the pack crossed the finish line bunched together behind the safety car, Albon was demoted out of the points from fourth place. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman was handed another five-second penalty for an unsafe pitlane release, which forced Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg to take evasive action. Unlike a recent incident involving Max Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Bearman’s release did not cause contact and earned a lighter penalty.
These penalties collectively shifted the race order and promoted Yuki Tsunoda, who had started from the back of the grid after missing a clean qualifying lap on Friday. Making an early switch to slick tyres in changing weather conditions, Tsunoda’s confident pace saw him climb into the top 10 during the sprint, and the penalties ensured he finished sixth, securing three points. This marks his second points finish with Red Bull, symbolizing a glimmer of progress amid a challenging opening season.
Further up the order, Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who shocked observers by taking pole for the sprint, moved into seventh place, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly claimed eighth, joining Tsunoda in the points-paying positions. The results underscored the unpredictable nature of the Miami event, where weather and penalties dramatically altered the standings.
The stewards also reprimanded Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after he drove a damaged car in a dangerous condition during the sprint warm-up. Leclerc failed to start the sprint race due to a crash on the way to the grid caused by aquaplaning while on intermediate tyres. Despite significant damage, Leclerc continued driving for four corners before the team instructed him to retire, a decision the stewards questioned given the risks involved in continuing with a compromised vehicle.
The Miami sprint race exposed the intensity and complexity of Formula 1’s rapid-fire competition, where split-second decisions, weather shifts, and stringent regulations collide. Yuki Tsunoda’s climb through the chaos highlights his growing resilience and potential, though it also reflects the unforgiving environment in which drivers must operate. As the F1 season unfolds, the implications of these penalty decisions will ripple through team strategies and driver standings, setting the stage for relentless battles ahead.
