Charles Leclerc crashes out of rain-laden Miami F1 sprint on way to grid

Charles Leclerc crashed out on his way to the grid for a rain-soaked Miami Grand Prix sprint race, with the Ferrari driver complaining of aquaplaning.

The incident led to Leclerc damaging his tyres and leaving debris on the track; his team-mate Lewis Hamilton complained over the radio that the team had sent both drivers out on the intermediate compound.

“I’m so sorry,” Leclerc said over team radio, having explained he had hit the wall after “complete aquaplaning” left him as a passenger in his own Ferrari. He was supposed to start from sixth on the grid.

Rain began to fall over the Miami Gardens circuit around 90 minutes before the sprint race was due to begin at 1200 local time.

Everyone else made it around safely to the grid – bar the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda, who will start the sprint from the pitlane, having been eliminated in the first round of qualifying on Friday.

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start on pole position following his stunning performance in the dry, which saw the Italian not only set a record lap time in Miami but also become the youngest driver to ever take pole in any format of F1 racing.

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