Formula 1 News: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 in 2025 GP of Miami

The superior McLarens destroyed the field in the 2025 GP of Miami at the Miami International Autodrome, with Oscar Piastri winning his 4th F1 race of the year.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris easily passed polesitter Max Verstappen in the Red Bull sled and left him 40s behind at the finish, such is the dominance of their superior McLaren designed by Rob Marshall.

“I won the race that I really wanted to – yesterday was tricky, Qualifying was one of my trickiest sessions of the year so to come away with the win is an amazing result,” said a happy Piastri.

“I was aware enough to avoid Max in Turn 1, and from then I knew I had a good pace advantage. The car was incredible today.

“The hard stint I was struggling a little bit, so there are some things to work on. Got to keep learning, but very happy to be leaving Miami on top.”

“Two years ago here we were the slowest team, I think we got lapped twice. Here, we just won the race by 35 seconds.” That is because Chief Designer Rob Marshall was poached from Red Bull and has made the McLaren unbeatable. Marshall was the man who made the Red Bull so fast a few years ago, but Adrian Newey got the credit, so Marshall bolted to McLaren to prove a point.

“It’s never the best feeling [to be P2] but the team has done an amazing job, so I can’t fault them at all,” said Norris.

“We were up the road so it is a good feeling. Oscar drove well, Max put up a good fight as always so it is what it is. I paid the price for not doing a good enough job today, but still happy to be second.”

Verstappen lost the final podium position because George Russell’s Mercedes gained 10-seconds on him because he pitted under a Virtual Safety Car. Russell was 37s behind Piastri at the finish – and out to lunch.

“”Really happy to come away with P3 as I have been struggling this weekend personally,” said Russell.

“Well done to the McLaren, they were just too far down the road. Lando is upset with me as we had a crash in the Lego race and I hurt his leg!”

It was the 4th win of the year for Piastri and his 6th F1 career win and his third straight win. Piastri now has more wins than his teammate Lando Norris.

Alex Abon rounded out the top-5 for Williams, 48.1s behind Piastri.

Kimi Antonelli was 6th for Mercedes ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton 7th and 8th for Ferrari, 57s and 60s behind Piastri respectively.

Carlos Sainz Jr. and Hamilton banged wheels on the final lap as Sainz tried to out brake the Ferrari at the end of the long back straight.

Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, grabbed the final point on offer in P10 for Red Bull.

Two F1 drivers have been summoned to see the stewards in Miami following the race.

Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly will visit the stewards’ room over alleged yellow flag infringements.

Three virtual safety cars were deployed during the race for mechanical-related retirements, with the neutralization forcing all cars to follow a time delta.

However, Sainz and Gasly could be in trouble for failing to slow under the yellow flags.

Sainz ended the race in ninth place, securing another two points for Williams.

While he could be dealt a time penalty for an infringement, his points could be safe as Sainz classified 14 seconds ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.

Gasly, meanwhile, crossed the line in 13th and outside the points.

How the Race Unfolded

In front of a sell-out crowd, the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX delivered a spectacular show filled with drama, overtakes and wheel-to-wheel thrills — with Oscar Piastri emerging as the race winner. The McLaren driver led home teammate Lando Norris across the line for a stunning 1-2 finish. Mercedes’ George Russell completed the podium, but it was the McLaren duo’s fierce battle with pole-sitter Max Verstappen that truly made this fourth edition of the race in Miami Gardens one to remember.

From lights out to the checkered flag, the 57-lap contest was packed with action. Off the start, Verstappen held the inside into Turn 1, but Norris attempted a bold move around the outside heading into Turn 2. The Red Bull driver held his line, forcing Norris wide and dropping the British racer down to sixth. That enabled Sprint pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli to briefly run second — but he was soon overtaken by Piastri, who then had his sights on the Red Bull ahead.

Over the opening phase of the race, Verstappen fended off a relentless attack — first from Piastri, then from a recovering Norris. It was a brilliant defensive display from the World Champion. On lap 14, Piastri launched a clinical move at Turn 1 and seized the lead. A few laps later, it was Norris’ opportunity at the first corner, but he failed to get past. The McLaren man then made a move stick into Turn 11 on lap 17, but exceeded track limits and had to hand the place back.

The intense duel gave Piastri the breathing room he needed. While Norris finally got ahead of Verstappen on lap 18, Piastri had already built an eight-second cushion. Norris gradually reeled him in — slashing the gap to just over three seconds at the finish — but the Australian was never truly under threat.

“To come away with the win is an impressive result,” said the race winner. “There was a bit of argy-bargy at Turn 1  which helped me out a little bit and I was aware enough when Max was coming back through in our duel. From that point onwards I knew I had the pace in the car and it was unbelievable today. Very happy to be leaving Miami on top.”

Further behind there was more mayhem at Turn 1 at the start when the Alpine of Jack Doohan made contact with the special pink-liveried Racing Bulls machine of Liam Lawson. Doohan was the race’s first retirement and he stopped with a front-left puncture. That led to a Virtual Safety Car — where drivers have to reduce their pace and not overtake. There were two more occasions a VSC was used, to recover cars that had broken down on track. They included Oliver Bearman’s Haas on lap 29 and for Gabriel Bortoleto’s Sauber four laps later.

Russell made his pit stop during the second VSC and that enabled him to leapfrog Verstappen for third place. Behind them the Williams and Ferraris were enjoying their own closely-fought battles. The duel for eighth place even came down to the final lap, when Carlos Sainz attempted to pass Hamilton at the last corner. The pair touched, but it was the Ferrari of Hamilton that just managed to stay ahead, capping off a thrilling end to a dramatic race.

Adding to the electrifying lineup of world-class performances over the weekend, GRAMMY Award-winning DJ and dance music producer Tiësto performed on the gantry above starting grid as well as the post-race podium. Additionally, before lights out, there was a heartwarming rendition of the U.S. National Anthem performed by a talented local student from nearby Fort Lauderdale. King Bell, a 14-year-old with an extraordinary voice, has previously performed at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, and delivered a stirring version of the anthem to a global television audience of millions.

On the grid, Dolphins players Tua Tagovailoa, Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Patrick Paul, and Zach Sieler were joined by head coach Mike McDaniel. A number of celebrities from the world of film, music and sport were also in attendance, including actors Timothée Chalamet, Terry Crews, Michael Douglas, film & TV producer Jerry Bruckheimer, chef Gordon Ramsay and musicians, Seal, Jon Bon Jovi, Lisa, Chris Stapleton and Myke Towers, an artist from the new F1 soundtrack album, released by Apple Music this weekend. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was also on the grid to unveil the FIFA Club World Cup trophy which is being hosted at Hard Rock Stadium in June.

Ahead of the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX the 20 Formula 1 drivers had the chance to test their skills in fully drivable, team-custom LEGO big build cars that replaced the traditional drivers’ parade truck. Each team had its own custom car in team colors and livery, and the drivers completed a lap of the 3.3-mile track in front of the fans ahead of the race. “That was the most fun Drivers’ Parade we have ever had,” said Hamilton. There was some dirty driving! All weekend the crowd has been incredible but also on this lap you really get to see people. A big, big thank you to everyone in Miami for having us.”

The pre-race ceremonies also featured a performance by Justin Quiles, showcasing the music and dance styles of Miami’s vibrant culture. Meanwhile, the Hard Rock Beach Club kept the party going all day with performances by Miami resident Pitbull and Sofi Tukker.

Earlier in the day, rain impacted the second race of the all-female F1 ACADEMY series, as a major downpour arrived just before the scheduled start. All 15 drivers, led by American Chloe Chambers on pole ahead of her Campos Racing teammate Alisha Palmowski, circulated behind the Safety Car for several formation laps. Even at reduced speeds, a few cars spun on the slick track. With conditions failing to improve, Race Control ultimately decided not to start the race. Doriane Pin, who won yesterday’s race, leaves Miami second in the Drivers’ Standings — just one point behind Maya Weug.

Across the three days, a total of 275,480 spectators flocked to the Miami International Autodrome to experience an exceptional weekend of exciting racing, off-track entertainment and the very best food and beverage that South Florida has to offer. In its first four years of hosting a race, the FORMULA 1 CRYPTO .COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX has established itself as a showpiece event and one of the most desirable to visit on the calendar. During another successful weekend, the race’s promoter, South Florida Motorsports, also announced a new 10-year extension to make the race the longest-contracted on the Formula 1 calendar, with the race continuing through to 2041.

2020 GP of Miami Results – 57 Laps

* Provisional results.