Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace in the sole practice session for the Miami Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.164 seconds. The Monegasque driver's blistering lap was a clear statement of intent as Formula 1 returned from its five-week summer break.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri impressed with the third-fastest time, while Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton—who has made a strong start to the season—finished fourth. However, it was a challenging afternoon for Mercedes, who have dominated the opening three races of the campaign.

George Russell encountered an early turbo issue that required a reset in the garage, limiting him to sixth place, 0.790 seconds adrift of Leclerc. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, in the other Mercedes, managed only fifth after his team investigated an engine problem, preventing him from running on the softer compound tyres late in the session.

The extended 90-minute practice gave teams valuable time to adapt to significant upgrades and new engine-management regulations. The vast majority of the field introduced major car updates, and the extra half-hour allowed engineers to fine-tune their setups.

World champion Lando Norris could only manage seventh in the second McLaren, ahead of Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, and Williams' Carlos Sainz. The session was largely clean, though Piastri had a minor brush with the wall in the closing moments, and several drivers ran wide at the end of the long straights while testing braking points.

With Miami hosting a sprint weekend, the action intensifies quickly. Qualifying later today will set the grid for the shorter sprint race at 16:30 local time (21:30 BST). For fans and teams alike, this early pace from Ferrari suggests a thrilling battle lies ahead under the Florida sun.