Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix sprint race in which Lewis Hamilton was accused of charging like a bull.
Charles Leclerc finished second and Sergio Pérez third.
The insults got off to a dramatic start. Hamilton, who was later sent down to 16th in the finishing order for speeding in pit lane, came flying in from 12th on the grid.
Coming into the first corner, he braked too late and appeared to tangle with Aston Martin’s unsuspecting Fernando Alonso.
Alonso bounced off teammate Lance Stroll, who then hit McLaren’s Lando Norris. Norris and Stroll retired. The safety car was deployed.
Max Verstappen won the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix but it was a controversial race
Lewis Hamilton was accused of charging ‘like a bull’ by Fernando Alonso after a corner
Hamilton braked too late and appeared to tangle with Aston Martin’s unsuspecting Alonso.
“Hamilton arrived like a bull,” complained Alonso, who suffered a puncture but returned to the fray although far behind, after starting eighth.
Verstappen was leading. What’s new? And Hamilton, unscathed in the melee, climbed to ninth position.
“There was a gap inside and I tried it,” Hamilton argued over the radio.
Flight attendants investigated the incident but took no further action. It was a generous decision, although the stated policy is to show judicial leniency at first.
The safety car was withdrawn after four of the 19 laps.
Hamilton remained the center of attention.
He dueled with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen for eighth place. It was all over him like a rash, but the Dane fought back bravely and overshot the mark when he went off the track to keep the seven-time champion behind him.
The stewards did not see the maneuver and imposed a 10-second penalty on Magnussen.
Stewards investigated the incident but took no further action against the Mercedes driver.
Still, Hamilton couldn’t pass. This track at Hard Rock Stadium is not conducive to overtaking.
Hamilton complained about Magnussen: “He shocked me.”
On lap 14, Hamilton saw his moment to try to attack the annoying prey in front of him, but it didn’t work. He even dropped one spot behind RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.
But a lap later he managed to overtake Magnussen, although he was still behind the Japanese driver, whom he eventually overtook.
Mercedes’ George Russell, after a poor start, managed only 12th place. The aggrieved Alonso finished 18th and last.
Hamilton finished eighth on track before receiving a retrospective penalty for his transgression during the safety car phase.
Supreme Verstappen extended his championship lead over Red Bull teammate Perez to 27 points.