Oscar Piastri wins his first Miami Grand Prix – McLaren dominates with 1-2 finish

The Miami heat delivered a sizzling spectacle for the 2025 FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX, culminating in a sensational maiden victory for McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who led a stunning 1-2 finish for the Woking team. Under the Floridian sun, the race unfolded with relentless action, strategic gambles, and unexpected twists, keeping fans on the edge of their seats for all 57 laps. While Max Verstappen started from his customary pole position, the day belonged to McLaren, who perfectly navigated the challenges of the Miami International Autodrome. Piastri, starting fourth, drove a masterful race, combining blistering pace with cool composure to take the chequered flag ahead of teammate Lando Norris. George Russell secured the final podium spot for Mercedes, while pole-sitter Verstappen endured a challenging afternoon, battling car issues to finish fourth. The race wasn't short on drama, with multiple incidents, Virtual Safety Car periods, and retirements peppering the action-packed event.

McLaren Masters Miami Mayhem for Stunning 1-2

The early laps saw jostling at the front. While Verstappen held the lead initially, Norris, starting P2, found himself battling his pole-sitting rival immediately. Their Turn 2 scuffle on Lap 1, noted by Race Control but deemed a racing incident, saw Norris complain Verstappen "forced me off", setting the tone for a tough fight. Piastri, meanwhile, navigated the opening lap chaos cleanly.

Piastri showed phenomenal pace on the Hard compound, managing his tyres expertly while pushing hard. He inherited the lead when others cycled through their stops and never looked back. He controlled the gap to Norris behind, crossing the line 4.630 seconds clear to claim his first-ever Grand Prix victory. Team radio confirmed his stunning pace, with his engineer congratulating him: "Well done, great job. Really smooth. Pace was phenomenal."

Norris completed the dream result for McLaren, securing second place and grabbing the fastest lap point with a scorching 1:29.746s time. Despite missing out on the win after his Sprint success, Norris played a crucial part in the team's maximum points haul, holding off the challenge from Russell and Verstappen behind. The papaya cars were simply in a class of their own today, converting their qualifying promise into a dominant race performance.

Verstappen's Victory Hopes Fade Amidst Struggles

For Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, the Miami Grand Prix was an exercise in damage limitation rather than their usual demonstration of dominance. Starting from pole position after a stellar qualifying effort, Verstappen's race unravelled through a combination of on-track battles and apparent car trouble.

The Dutchman held the lead off the line but immediately came under pressure from Norris. Their Lap 1, Turn 2 encounter saw both drivers briefly take to the run-off, an incident investigated but ultimately requiring no further action. Verstappen held onto the lead, but the RB challenger didn't seem its usual compliant self around the demanding Miami circuit.

Throughout the first stint on Medium tyres, Verstappen couldn't build his customary commanding gap. He pitted from the lead on Lap 26 for Hard tyres, rejoining behind the McLarens who were yet to stop. Any hope of fighting back was quickly tempered by concerning radio messages. On Lap 22, he reported the car was "difficult to drive." By Lap 25, his frustration was palpable: "Brakes are honestly useless." Just a few laps later (Lap 29), he declared, "Yeah it's I mean everything is just everywhere. It's all over the shop."

Despite these handling woes, Verstappen pushed on, engaging in battles, including another noted incident with Norris through Turn 11 around Lap 17, again deemed fair racing by the stewards. He managed to keep the charging Mercedes of George Russell behind him for a significant portion of the race, but ultimately had to yield the final podium spot, crossing the line in P4, almost 40 seconds behind the victorious Piastri. His engineer's late instruction to "make sure you're within 5 seconds," met with a confused "Ah, why is that?", hinted perhaps at concerns over track limits or managing a potential issue, highlighting a strangely challenging afternoon for the reigning champion team.

Podium Surprise and Mixed Fortunes for Mercedes

Mercedes left Miami with mixed emotions but a valuable podium trophy, courtesy of George Russell. Russell, starting P5, drove a solid, understated race. Utilising an offset strategy starting on the Hard tyre, he ran long in the first stint, climbing as high as P2 before pitting under the VSC on Lap 29 for Medium tyres. Although his stop was on the slower side (4.5s), the strategy worked well, allowing him to rejoin ahead of Verstappen. He then showed good pace on the Mediums, keeping the struggling Red Bull behind and pulling away to secure a well-deserved P3 finish, his consistency paying dividends.

His rookie teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, experienced the rollercoaster nature of Formula 1. After a sensational P3 in qualifying, expectations were high. He maintained third initially but couldn't hold the position, battling hard in the opening laps. His race was compromised by a slow pit stop on Lap 25 (4.4s) while switching from Medium to Hard tyres. Despite this setback, the young Italian drove a mature race, bringing the car home in P6, securing valuable points and demonstrating his potential against seasoned competitors. He showcased racecraft, particularly in his late-race tussles, including defending from Charles Leclerc behind.

Ferrari's Frustrations Continue

Ferrari endured another challenging weekend. Charles Leclerc, starting P8 after qualifying struggles compounded by a Sprint race crash, salvaged a P7 finish. His race wasn't straightforward; he radioed on Lap 41 about discomfort in the cockpit ("The separation between my legs is to the right. I'm getting stuck with it"). He also spent laps asking his new teammate Lewis Hamilton, running ahead, to pick up the pace to grant him DRS access. Hamilton, who had made impressive progress from P12 on the grid (after a Q2 exit) to run ahead of Leclerc, finished P8. Their strategy saw them both start on Hard tyres and pit late under the VSC on Lap 28/29 for Mediums. There were tense moments over team radio, with Hamilton questioning instructions (Lap 37: "You want me to just sit here? So the whole race?"), referencing a previous car swap in China. The intra-team dynamic, coupled with a car still seemingly lacking ultimate pace compared to McLaren and sometimes Mercedes/Red Bull, leaves Maranello with work to do. Hamilton's race also ended under a cloud, with a Turn 17 clash with Carlos Sainz on the final lap noted for a post-race investigation for causing a collision.

Williams Scores Big with Albon and Sainz

Williams enjoyed a fantastic day, securing a double-points finish. Alexander Albon converted his P7 grid slot into a superb P5 finish. The Thai driver ran a clean race, executing the conventional Medium-Hard strategy perfectly with a swift pitstop on Lap 26. His teammate Carlos Sainz, starting P6, backed him up with a solid P9 finish. Sainz also ran the Medium-Hard strategy, pitting a lap before Albon. His final lap involved the contentious clash with Hamilton at Turn 17, where Sainz radioed that Hamilton "moved a bit under braking there." While the investigation result is pending, it didn't detract from a hugely positive result for the Grove-based outfit, showcasing the FW-chassis's strengths on the Miami layout.

Points for Red Bull's Tsunoda Despite Penalty

Yuki Tsunoda claimed the final point for Red Bull Racing, finishing P10, exactly where he started. It was a battling drive from the Japanese driver, made harder by a 5-second time penalty awarded on Lap 32 for speeding in the pit lane during his stop on Lap 27. Despite the penalty, Tsunoda had enough pace in hand over Isack Hadjar's Racing Bulls behind to retain his tenth place, adding another point to Red Bull's tally on a day where their lead car struggled.

Retirements and Early Drama

Attrition played its part in Miami. The race lost its first casualty on the opening lap when Jack Doohan's Alpine came together with Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls into Turn 1. Doohan was out on the spot, pulling off track and triggering желтые флаги (yellow flags). Lawson lamented being "completely hit," though the stewards investigated and deemed it a racing incident requiring no further action. Unfortunately for Lawson, his race also ended prematurely on Lap 36. Oliver Bearman's solid run in the Haas ended abruptly on Lap 27 due to a suspected Power Unit issue ("Oh my god. I lost uh I lost everything," he reported). Just three laps later, Gabriel Bortoleto's Kick Sauber crawled to a halt with engine failure ("My my engine is oh failing... I cannot drive like this"). These retirements triggered two separate Virtual Safety Car periods.

Midfield Battles

Behind the points scorers, the midfield provided close racing. Isack Hadjar narrowly missed out on points for Racing Bulls in P11, finishing right on Tsunoda's tail. Esteban Ocon brought his Haas home in P12, ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpine, P13) and Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber, P14), the latter pair being investigated post-race for potential yellow flag infringements. Aston Martin had a quiet race, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll finishing P15 and P16 respectively, both a lap down after starting on Hard tyres and struggling to make significant inroads.

Analysis: Strategy, Tyres, and Track Challenges

Strategy played a key role, as always. The one-stop Medium-Hard strategy was the favoured approach, used by the top finishers Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Albon, Antonelli, Leclerc, Sainz, Tsunoda, and Hadjar. Mercedes and Russell bucked the trend slightly among the leaders by starting Hard and finishing Medium, which paid off handsomely for P3. The VSC periods (Laps 2-3 for Doohan, Laps 29-30 for Bearman, Laps 33-34 for Bortoleto) offered opportunities. While the first VSC was too early for scheduled stops, the second and third VSCs came right in the pit window. Interestingly, most front runners like Verstappen, Albon, Antonelli, and Sainz had pitted just before the second VSC came out on Lap 29. Those who pitted under it, like Norris, Piastri, Russell, Leclerc, and Hamilton, potentially gained time, particularly Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton who ran long first stints.

Tyre degradation seemed manageable, though Verstappen's complaints suggest Red Bull might have struggled more than others. The Hard tyre proved durable, while the Medium offered good pace, especially in the closing stages for those like Russell.

The Miami track itself contributed to the narrative. The opening corners remain tricky, catching out Doohan and Lawson. Track limits were also policed, although the specific lap deletions noted in the user info might pertain to earlier sessions rather than the race itself based on Race Control message context. The Turn 11 complex saw action between Verstappen and Norris, while the tight Turn 17 hairpin proved a flashpoint for the Hamilton/Sainz incident on the final lap. While rain was forecast and mentioned on team radio (Piastri warned of heavy rain around Lap 14, Alonso of potential rain later), the official session data reported zero rainfall, meaning the threatening clouds ultimately skirted the circuit.

What's Next?

McLaren leaves Miami basking in the glory of a dominant 1-2, firmly establishing themselves as major contenders. Piastri's maiden win is a huge moment for the young Australian, while Norris continues his strong form. For Red Bull and Verstappen, P4 feels like a defeat, and they'll be analyzing their car's performance issues intently. Mercedes secured a crucial podium with Russell, showing progress, while Antonelli's points finish boosts confidence. Ferrari faces questions after another weekend where pace seemed inconsistent, and Williams will be buoyed by their best result of the season so far. With the championship narrative taking an unexpected turn, the upcoming races promise even more intrigue as the battle heats up across the grid. The pending investigation into the Hamilton/Sainz clash could yet alter the final point standings, adding one last footnote to a truly memorable Miami Grand Prix.