Max Verstappen wins inaugural Miami Grand Prix in front of star-studded crowd

By George Ramsay, CNN

Updated 1010 GMT (1810 HKT) May 9, 2022

Max Verstappen celebrates victory at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

(CNN)Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of championship leader Charles Leclerc.

The victory cut Leclerc's lead over Verstappen to 19 points in the championship, while the Monegasque's Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz completed the podium.Verstappen got off to a fast start at the Hard Rock Stadium — which staged the first of two races in the United States this season — as he overtook Sainz at turn one. He then started to close the gap on Leclerc and passed his rival on lap nine — an advantage he would maintain for the remainder of the race. READ: Miami GP is going to be F1's Super Bowl, Lewis Hamilton tells Tom BradyRead More«It's a very good comeback,» said Verstappen. «I didn't even do a [practice] start, so I didn't know what to expect in the actual start. But we had a good launch and I saw the opportunity to go around the outside [of Sainz] in turn one, so I tried. Luckily, it worked.»There was a star-studded crowd in the paddock for Miami's first Formula One race, including Tom Brady, David Beckham and Michael Jordan, who all posed for a photo together alongside seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.

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<a href=«https://twitter.com/LewisHamilton?ref_src=» https: edition.cnn.com>@LewisHamilton <a href=«https://twitter.com/Jumpman23?ref_src=» https: edition.cnn.com>@Jumpman23 <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/DB?src=hash&ref_src=» https: edition.cnn.com>#DB pic.twitter.com/BcLHYNviSI— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) <a