George Russell left it late to top the timesheets of the opening practice session at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, with the Mercedes driver leading the way ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

Under the sweltering Miami heat that saw track temperatures reach as high as 51C, the drivers filed out on to the Miami International Autodrome as they looked to get to grips with the resurfaced circuit.

And, as he so often does, Max Verstappen – driving the new fan-designed livery of the RB19 – made a fast start to the weekend, setting the early pace on the hard tyre, ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton.

Following the early runs on the hard and medium tyres, the drivers switched to the softer rubber, with Verstappen going quickest with a time of 1m 31.054s, just before a red flag was waved after Nico Hulkenberg, who was at the time second fastest, crashed into the barrier at Turn 3.