MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Oscar Piastri claimed a commanding win at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, leading a McLaren one-two finish ahead of his teammate Lando Norris. This victory further bolstered Piastri`s championship lead, extending his advantage to 16 points.
Neither the reigning champion Max Verstappen, who started from pole position, nor any other competitor possessed the necessary speed to challenge the two McLarens. Piastri secured his fourth win of the season, finishing 4.6 seconds ahead of Norris.
Lando Norris, starting from the second grid slot, attempted to overtake Verstappen for the lead on the initial lap. However, he was forced wide on the outside of Turn 2, dropping to fifth place, while Piastri advanced to third from his starting position of fourth.
Piastri successfully passed Andrea Kimi Antonelli for second place on Lap 4, and Norris recovered to third position by Lap 9.
Over the following nine laps, Verstappen displayed exceptional defensive driving, holding off Piastri until Lap 14 and Norris until Lap 18.
Although the superior pace of the McLaren cars was evident, Verstappen skillfully positioned his Red Bull to delay their progress for as long as possible.
Once the two McLarens had clear track ahead of them, their one-two finish seemed assured, with Piastri managing the gap to his teammate behind.
Norris attempted to close the distance, chipping away at Piastri`s lead during the latter half of the race, but ultimately couldn`t mount a serious challenge for the win.
This result marks the second consecutive race where Piastri has increased his championship lead since taking the top spot in the standings at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
In a post-race interview, Piastri mentioned his deliberate approach to avoid contact with Verstappen at Turn 1.
“I won the race that I truly wanted to, especially after a challenging Saturday,” Piastri commented.
“To secure a win is a remarkable outcome. I was cautious enough to avoid Max in the first corner and I knew I had a pace advantage. I found it challenging on the hard tyres, but I had built a lead. There are still areas for improvement; we are constantly learning.”
“Just two years ago here in Miami, we were the slowest team, I think we were lapped twice. Now, to win the Grand Prix by over 35 seconds ahead of third place is an absolutely incredible result.”
Similarly, Norris acknowledged Verstappen`s strong defense, stating, “I paid the price, but that`s just how it is. What can I say? If I don`t go for it, people complain. If I do go for it, people complain, so you can`t really win.”
“But it`s typical with Max, it`s either a crash or no overtake. Unless you execute it perfectly and position him just right, you can barely get past. I paid the price today for not doing a good enough job, but I`m still pleased with finishing second.”
Miami Grand Prix: Top 10 Results
Oscar Piastri is the first McLaren driver to win four of the first six races in a season since Mika Häkkinen in 1998.
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:28:51.587 |
| 2. Lando Norris | McLaren | +4.630 |
| 3. George Russell | Mercedes | +37.644 |
| 4. Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +39.956 |
| 5. Alex Albon | Williams | +48.067 |
| 6. Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +55.502 |
| 7. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +57.036 |
| 8. Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1:00.186 |
| 9. Carlos Sainz | Williams | +1:00.577 |
| 10. Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +1:14.434 |
George Russell secured third place for Mercedes, benefiting significantly from pitting under a virtual safety car period. The VSC was called to allow marshals to remove Oliver Bearman`s broken-down Haas car from the trackside.
Russell expressed satisfaction with his podium finish.
“I`m really happy to take P3,” he stated afterwards. “I`ve personally struggled this weekend and felt like I was always playing catch-up.”
Hours after the race concluded, Red Bull lodged a protest against Russell`s result, alleging that he failed to slow sufficiently under yellow flags.
Max Verstappen, who had pitted under normal race conditions, ultimately finished in fourth place despite his strong defensive efforts in the initial laps. This result means he is now 32 points behind Piastri in the championship standings, having lost 20 points to the McLaren driver across the entire Miami Grand Prix weekend, including the sprint race.
Alex Albon matched his best result of the season by finishing in fifth place, ahead of Antonelli, who also lost track position due to the timing of the pit stops.
A challenging weekend for Ferrari concluded with a tense battle between their two drivers for seventh and eighth positions.
On different tyre strategies, Lewis Hamilton closed in on Charles Leclerc on Lap 36, utilizing the better performance of his medium compound tyres compared to Leclerc`s hard tyres.
Ferrari initially instructed Hamilton to remain one second behind Leclerc to benefit from DRS while maintaining their positions. However, the driver of car number 44 responded over the radio: “This is not good teamwork, that`s all I`m going to say.”
Hamilton added in a subsequent message: “In China, I moved aside [for Leclerc]. Take a tea break while you`re at it, come on.”
Upon hearing this, Ferrari agreed and instructed Leclerc to allow Hamilton to pass, which he did on Lap 39.
Less than 15 laps later, Hamilton`s tyres began to degrade, and Leclerc was now on the radio requesting to repass Hamilton so he could chase Antonelli for sixth place.
Again, it took several laps for the order to be implemented, with Leclerc finishing 3.1 seconds behind the Mercedes driver at the checkered flag.
Carlos Sainz secured ninth place for Williams after attempting to overtake Hamilton on the final lap, just ahead of Red Bull`s Yuki Tsunoda who finished in 10th position.
