There are days when a Formula 1 race unfolds like a Shakespearean tragedy: full of drama, betrayal, and men in tights. Then there are days like the Miami Grand Prix, where Oscar Piastri decided to simply show up, hammer it through 57 laps of humid Floridian chaos, and prove that the papaya car is now less of a Formula 1 vehicle and more of a guided missile painted by Home Depot.
Piastri didn’t just win in Miami. He annihilated. From fourth on the grid to first at the flag, he took the kind of victory that makes team bosses weep with joy and opponents question whether they left the handbrake on. McLaren didn’t just win this race—they owned it, locking out a 1-2 finish with Lando Norris tagging along in second place like the younger sibling trying to keep up on a family hike.
Let’s rewind to Turn 1. Max Verstappen—pole-sitter, three-time world champion, and man most likely to scowl in a Disney movie—got off the line well enough but immediately locked up like a teenager’s iPhone when their parents walk in. He skated wide, Norris tried to capitalize, and the two tangled like two angry crabs in a bucket of Red Bull. Norris ran off, Verstappen held on, and Piastri—calm as a koala on Xanax—slipped through the mess with the grace of a man who’s already picked out the champagne.
From there, it was game on. Verstappen fended off a charging Piastri for a few laps before succumbing in Turn 1, locking up again and gifting the lead to the Aussie, who had the pace of a jet ski on espresso. Not long after, Norris found his way around Verstappen too, leaving Max staring at two McLarens vanishing into the South Beach sunset like a pair of orange Lamborghinis driven by IT engineers.
Behind the frontrunners, chaos reigned. Jack Doohan’s day lasted about as long as a Florida rainstorm—clipped at Turn 1 by Liam Lawson and out before the sunscreen had even set. Later, Ollie Bearman’s car decided Miami was simply too hot to handle and quit dramatically, bringing out another Virtual Safety Car. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ George Russell played the strategy game perfectly, sneaking into third while Verstappen sat in fourth, muttering Dutch obscenities into his steering wheel.
The biggest jaw-dropper? Alex Albon. Yes, that Alex Albon. Fifth. In a Williams. In this economy? The man drove like someone who just found out his 2026 seat depends on it—and frankly, after today, it should.
Further back, Ferrari did Ferrari things. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton spent several laps bickering over team orders like an elderly married couple arguing over the GPS, only for Ferrari to reverse the decision minutes later. Leclerc: “You go ahead.” Hamilton: “No, you go ahead.” Ferrari: “Actually… never mind.” Seventh and eighth for their efforts, and the most Italian display of strategy since someone decided to put Nutella on pizza.
Carlos Sainz tried to join the points party but got a bit too handsy with Hamilton and is now under investigation. Yuki Tsunoda somehow hung onto 10th despite a five-second penalty for pit lane speeding, because of course he did—he’s either the fastest guy on the grid or a YouTube compilation waiting to happen.
In the end, though, it was all about Piastri. Calm, clinical, and just a bit scary. He’s now won three on the bounce and is leaving Miami not just with a trophy, but with a psychological edge sharp enough to cut carbon fiber.
“I won the race I really wanted to,” Piastri said afterward, which is the polite, Australian way of saying, “I just stomped everyone and it felt amazing.” Two years ago, McLaren got lapped twice in Miami. This year, they made Verstappen look like he’d parked in the slow lane. That’s not just progress—that’s the sort of glow-up that should be illegal in some countries.
F1 is changing, and Miami proved it. McLaren are back. Piastri is here. And Verstappen? Well, for once, he didn’t win. And that, in 2025, feels like a plot twist big enough for Netflix.
Miami Grand Prix Results
|
Pos |
No |
Driver |
Car |
Laps |
Time/retired |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
81 |
Oscar Piastri |
McLaren Mercedes |
57 |
1:28:51.587 |
25 |
|
2 |
4 |
Lando Norris |
McLaren Mercedes |
57 |
+4.630s |
18 |
|
3 |
63 |
George Russell |
Mercedes |
57 |
+37.644s |
15 |
|
4 |
1 |
Max Verstappen |
Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT |
57 |
+39.956s |
12 |
|
5 |
23 |
Alexander Albon |
Williams Mercedes |
57 |
+48.067s |
10 |
|
6 |
12 |
Kimi Antonelli |
Mercedes |
57 |
+55.502s |
8 |
|
7 |
16 |
Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari |
57 |
+57.036s |
6 |
|
8 |
44 |
Lewis Hamilton |
Ferrari |
57 |
+60.186s |
4 |
|
9 |
55 |
Carlos Sainz |
Williams Mercedes |
57 |
+60.577s |
2 |
|
10 |
22 |
Yuki Tsunoda |
Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT |
57 |
+74.434s |
1 |
|
11 |
6 |
Isack Hadjar |
Racing Bulls Honda RBPT |
57 |
+74.602s |
0 |
|
12 |
31 |
Esteban Ocon |
Haas Ferrari |
57 |
+82.006s |
0 |
|
13 |
10 |
Pierre Gasly |
Alpine Renault |
57 |
+90.445s |
0 |
|
14 |
27 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
Kick Sauber Ferrari |
56 |
+1 lap |
0 |
|
15 |
14 |
Fernando Alonso |
Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes |
56 |
+1 lap |
0 |
|
16 |
18 |
Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes |
56 |
+1 lap |
0 |
|
NC |
30 |
Liam Lawson |
Racing Bulls Honda RBPT |
36 |
DNF |
0 |
|
NC |
5 |
Gabriel Bortoleto |
Kick Sauber Ferrari |
30 |
DNF |
0 |
|
NC |
87 |
Oliver Bearman |
Haas Ferrari |
27 |
DNF |
0 |
|
NC |
7 |
Jack Doohan |
Alpine Renault |
0 |
DNF |
0 |
|
* Provisional results. Note – Tsunoda received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. |
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Greg has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.