In Miami, Ferrari settled for second and third for Leclerc and Sainz.
Perez was fourth for Red Bull and Mercedes showed much improvement with a fifth and sixth place finish for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. It's the fourth time in five races that first-year Mercedes driver Russell has beaten the seven-time champion.
The race itself wasn't the thriller the 85,000 in attendance Sunday breathlessly expected when they snagged one of the hottest tickets in sports. Promoters never had a general ticket sale because of crushing early demand and the campus surrounding Hard Rock Stadium was the place to party over the last three days.
Whether it was at the man-made beach club where musical acts have entertained since Friday or the "marina" that docked 10 boats on plywood covered in a decal to resemble rippling water, F1 got the sun, sand and Miami backdrop it wanted when it agreed to this 10-year deal.
Come race day, the celebrities were out in full force. Dwyane Wade took selfies on the starting grid and Paris Hilton danced in front of the McLaren garage; Tom Brady, David Beckham and Michael Jordan posed for a pre-race picture with Lewis Hamilton, who hosted former first lady Michelle Obama on Saturday at the track. Serena Williams ducked into Mercedes' hospitality and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny arrived at the venue with Perez and spent most of pre-race at Red Bull with the Mexican driver.
The Miami event gives the U.S. two F1 races in one season for the first time since 1984. F1 will add Las Vegas as a third American race in 2023.
