George Russell tops second practice in Miami as Max Verstappen breaks down

George Russell finished fastest in second practice for the Miami Grand Prix as Max Verstappen broke down in his Red Bull.

In the sweltering heat, Russell was 0.106 seconds clear of championship leader Charles Leclerc, with Sergio Perez third and Lewis Hamilton fourth, while Carlos Sainz’s poor run of form took another sorry twist when he crashed out in his Ferrari.

Formula One is in Miami for the first time, at a 3.36-mile circuit constructed around the Hard Rock Stadium, 15 miles north of the city.

Mercedes have brought a number of upgrades to America – including a new low-drag rear wing and revised front wing – in a bid to reverse their early-season problems.

And the early signs are positive, with Russell improving on second in the opening running to post the day’s fastest time. Hamilton, 58 points behind Leclerc in the standings, was 0.241 sec adrift of his team-mate.

Verstappen dominated in Imola a fortnight ago to get his championship defence back on track.

But Red Bull’s mechanical woes, which saw the Dutchman retire from two of the opening three races, reared their head again on Friday.

The world champion missed the opening chunk of the one-hour running following a gearbox change, and when he eventually emerged on track, his rear brakes overheated and he was forced to limp back to the pits.

“It’s s***,” said Verstappen on the radio. “I couldn’t f****** steer. I cannot do anything. I’m really sorry.”

Team principal Christian Horner was seen shaking his head on the Red Bull pit wall.

Over at Ferrari, there was further disappointment for Sainz. The Spaniard crashed out on the opening laps of the past two rounds in Melbourne and Imola, and then suffered a front-right puncture in the first action after losing control