Max Verstappen got in the mood for qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix with the best time in the last free practice session.

Last year’s winner turned the fastest lap in the Red Bull and thus confirmed his best time of the day on Friday. Two and a half hours before the knockout elimination for the fifth race of the Formula 1 season, Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari came second, albeit more than four tenths of a second behind. Sergio Perez came in third in the second Red Bull.

After his win weekend in Azerbaijan, Perez is only six points behind Verstappen in the World Cup standings. Nico Hülkenberg was a good eighth in the Haas after the 35-year-old native of Emmerich had already finished ninth in the first free practice session on Friday, but also crashed his car into the track wall after a spin.

The appearance of the Silver Arrow duo was not very convincing. George Russell couldn’t get past tenth place, he was over a second slower than Verstappen. Record world champion Lewis Hamilton was only 13th with almost 1.2 seconds more.