Miami Thrice: Piastri makes it a three-peat
Image: @F1 on Twitter/X
Oscar Piastri delivered a masterclass at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, securing his third consecutive victory and leading a dominant McLaren one-two finish ahead of teammate Lando Norris after starting from fourth on the grid. The Aussie's performance extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 16 points over Norris, with McLaren now boasting five wins in the first six races of the season.
A record-breaking Friday for Mercedes
Image: @MercedesAMGF1 on Twitter/X
Lewis Hamilton’s young successor, Kimi Antonelli, lit up the track on Friday in Miami with a sensational performance in Sprint Qualifying, taking his maiden Formula 1 pole position at just 18 years old. The Mercedes rookie delivered under pressure, hooking up a near-perfect lap to edge out Max Verstappen by a mere 0.073s. Behind him, the McLaren cars of Norris and Piastri lined up well-placed in third and fourth, while Ferrari once again struggled to make an impression, with Leclerc and Hamilton mired in the midfield.
Come Saturday’s Sprint, Antonelli’s dream start was undone within seconds; Verstappen launched cleanly from P2 and took control into Turn 1, never looking back. While Antonelli dropped to fifth after a cautious first lap, Verstappen held off early pressure from Norris and gradually pulled away, claiming his first Sprint win of the season. McLaren stayed sharp, Norris and Piastri securing second and third while Russell finished fourth, and pole sitter Antonelli salvaging fifth. Once again, Ferrari were nowhere to be seen, and Alex Albon nabbed the final point in eighth after a strong defensive drive.
The Mercedes team made certain to celebrate the moment with a statement of intent:
LEGO takes over the pre-race show
Image: @F1 on Twitter/X
Sunday’s drivers’ parade took a playful turn as all 20 drivers rode around the circuit in life-sized, drivable LEGO F1 cars. Built from nearly 400,000 bricks apiece and weighing around a tonne, each model lovingly replicated its team’s livery, complete with sponsor logos, Pirelli tyres, the lot.
Designed in around 22,000 hours by LEGO’s Kladno team, the cars marked the start of a global tour and highlighted a creative partnership between LEGO and Formula 1.
I’d like to see those things trying to go up Eau Rouge!
Piastri's Precision Prevails
Image: @F1 on Twitter/X
Starting from P4 and besting his P2 teammate, Piastri showcased exceptional racecraft and strategic acumen. After overtaking young Antonelli early doors, he set his sights on pole-sitter Verstappen. By lap 14, Piastri executed a decisive pass to take the lead, maintaining a commanding pace thereafter. A well-timed double-stack pit stop under a VSC on lap 29 allowed both McLaren drivers to switch to hard tires efficiently, fortifying their positions at the front.
Oscar showed his usual enthusiasm with an extensive message to his fans on X post-race:
Norris Recovers to Complete McLaren One-Two
Lando Norris faced early adversity, dropping to sixth after a first-lap clash with Verstappen. Despite this, he methodically climbed back up through the field, overtaking key rivals including the rapid Mercedes cars of Russell and Antonelli. Norris eventually reclaimed second place, contributing to McLaren's first-ever one-two finish in a Sprint weekend.
Russell Claims Third, Verstappen Off The Pace
George Russell secured third place for Mercedes, capitalizing on a well-executed pit strategy during the VSC period, and again showing really strong pace to hold off Verstappen, which seemingly went somewhat under the radar. His consistency kept him ahead of the defending world champ, who crossed the line in fourth despite starting from pole.
Russell already has already been given the nickname or ‘Mr Saturday’ for his consistent qualifying results, but perhaps now is the time we begin to consider calling him ‘Mr Sunday’!
George Russell on his podium finish
I am really happy to come away with P3 today in Miami … Verstappen was close behind me after we pitted but I felt positive on the Medium tyre and knew I could manage my pace to keep him behind.
Ferrari Falter Amid Strategy Blunders
Ferrari's weekend was marred by internal tensions and strategic missteps - Lewis Hamilton, running on fresher tires, expressed frustration over delayed team orders that prevented him from overtaking teammate Charles Leclerc and, in the process, needlessly wearing out his tyres.
The team’s delay in making a decision culminated in a sarcastic and fiery radio message from Hamilton, which for him is rather unusual and not something we really saw too often in his Mercedes days:
“You want me to just sit here for the whole race? … In China I got out of the way when you were on a different strategy … Have a tea break while you’re at it, come on!”
Leclerc and Hamilton ultimately finished seventh and eighth respectively - is this more an issue with the team and race strategy than the drivers? I reckon so.
Midfield Mix-Ups
Williams had a strong showing in Miami, with Alex Albon finishing a solid P5 after overcoming early mechanical issues and a first-lap clash with teammate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard recovered to finish ninth, despite frustrations over missed opportunities and a late lunge incident with Lewis Hamilton.
Image: @WilliamsRacing on Twitter/X
Alpine endured a challenging weekend, with Pierre Gasly finishing in a lowly P13 and Jack Doohan retiring on the opening lap due to a puncture sustained from contact with Liam Lawson. Gasly described the weekend as "difficult", citing a general lack of pace and issues with the car's setup that hindered their performance. He also emphasized the need for answers ahead of the upcoming race in Imola.
Image: Alpine F1 Team
Lastly, the Haas team experienced a mixed bag, with Esteban Ocon finishing 12th after a strong Q3 performance, but struggling with pace and poor timing on pit stops, citing that missed opportunities during VSC periods hindered their race. Young teammate Ollie Bearman retired mid-race due to power and steering issues, marking another disappointing result after a promising start to the season. Despite the setbacks, Ocon remains hopeful, confident that the team's development of the VF-25 will bring improvements in future races.
So, the Formula One circus rocks up at Imola for the next round of the 2025 season. With three wins in a row and a car that’s proven monstrously across circuits with vastly different profiles, Oscar Piastri now moves into round seven with a 16-point advantage in the championship and all the momentum he needs. For Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari the pressure is mounting to put a challenge forth for the Constructors’ title.
Final Race Classification
1 - Oscar PIASTRI
2 - Lando NORRIS
3 - George RUSSELL
4 - Max VERSTAPPEN
5 - Alexander ALBON
6 - Kimi ANTONELLI
7 - Charles LECLERC
8 - Lewis HAMILTON
9 - Carlos SAINZ
10 - Yuki TSUNODA
11 - Isack HADJAR
12 - Esteban OCON
13 - Pierre GASLY
14 - Nico HULKENBERG
15 - Fernando ALONSO
16 - Lance STROLL
DNF - Liam LAWSON
DNF - Gabriel BORTOLETO
DNF - Oliver BEARMAN
DNF -Jack DOOHAN
