Oscar Piastri continued his relentless march toward the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship with a dominant display at the Miami Grand Prix, claiming his fourth victory of the season in what amounted to a high-speed demonstration run. The Australian never looked troubled after snatching the lead early on, ultimately leading teammate Lando Norris to a commanding McLaren 1–2 on the sun-drenched streets of Florida.
It was a bruising afternoon for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had started from pole but quickly saw his race unravel after a tangle with Norris in the opening exchanges. The incident allowed both Piastri and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli to surge ahead, and once the McLaren driver slipped past Antonelli, he never looked back.
Verstappen’s slide down the order continued as Norris recovered and made his way back into second, sweeping past the Dutchman and sealing McLaren’s total control of the front. From there, the papaya duo disappeared into the distance, with Piastri crossing the line 4.6 seconds clear of Norris. The nearest challenger? A distant George Russell, 37 seconds adrift in third, underlining just how far ahead McLaren was.
Verstappen had to settle for a frustrating fourth, extending Miami’s bizarre tradition of pole-sitters failing to convert into winners. Behind him, Alex Albon put in one of the drives of the day to take fifth for Williams, resisting Antonelli’s advances to keep the second Mercedes behind in sixth.
Ferrari, meanwhile, once again managed to complicate its own afternoon. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton—both embroiled in team order chess—finished seventh and eighth respectively after a strategic shuffle that briefly saw Hamilton promoted, only for the team to reverse the decision.
Carlos Sainz, now sporting Williams blue, came home ninth after a late scrape with Hamilton, though his result remains under review due to a possible yellow flag infringement. Yuki Tsunoda quietly picked up the final point for Red Bull in tenth.
Just outside the top ten, rookie Isack Hadjar showed flashes of promise for Racing Bulls in 11th, ahead of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, both of whom may yet face post-race penalties for their own yellow flag run-ins.
Lower down the grid, Kick Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg claimed 14th, while Aston Martin’s woes deepened with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll limping home in 15th and 16th—last of the classified runners.
The attrition rate was notable: Jack Doohan’s race ended on the opening lap after contact with Liam Lawson, who also retired later. Technical failures struck Gabriel Bortoleto and Ollie Bearman, both of whom pulled off-track and prompted Virtual Safety Cars.
As the championship picture sharpens, McLaren has sent a clear warning: they’re not just back—they’re out for blood. And with Piastri in this kind of form, the rest of the grid may soon be fighting for the scraps.