2025 Miami Grand Prix: Piastri Takes a Third Straight Win

Oscar Piastri won the 2025 Miami Grand Prix for McLaren, claiming his third consecutive Grand Prix win. The race was round six of the Formula One World Championship and the second of six sprint weekends that year. Max Verstappen had taken pole, but Piastri was the driver who controlled the race from the middle stages to the flag.

Where and when was the 2025 Miami Grand Prix held?

The 2025 Miami Grand Prix ran on 4 May 2025 at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. It was the sixth race of the championship and the fourth time the circuit had hosted a Formula One round. The weekend began on 2 May and included one practice session and sprint qualifying.

The single practice session on 2 May ran at 12:30 local time (UTC-4). Oscar Piastri was quickest, with Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in the next places. A red flag came out late in the session after Oliver Bearman's Haas hit the wall at turn 12.

Pirelli brought its C3, C4 and C5 compounds, designated hard, medium and soft. The entry list was almost unchanged. Yuki Tsunoda drove the Red Bull seat that Liam Lawson had held before Lawson moved back to Racing Bulls from the Japanese Grand Prix. Miami was also Jack Doohan's final race for Alpine, and Franco Colapinto took over the seat from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Rain shaped the sprint, Ferrari's team orders tested the mid-field and Piastri held on for his third straight win.

How did the sprint unfold in the rain?

Rain made the sprint on 3 May a chaotic affair. The start was pushed back from 12:00 to 12:28, the race was shortened by one lap after an aborted start, and it began on intermediate tyres before drivers started switching to slicks as the track dried. Lando Norris went on to win it.

Sprint qualifying on 2 May, held at 16:30 local time, gave Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes sprint pole. Before the sprint, Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari in torrential rain at turn 10 after aquaplaning, so his grid slot was left empty.

Piastri challenged Antonelli into the first corner and Antonelli ran wide, dropping to fourth behind Norris and Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton became the first leading driver to switch to slicks on lap 11, and Verstappen and Antonelli followed on the next lap. Verstappen was released early from his pit box and struck Antonelli, who was left on intermediates that were wearing out.

Carlos Sainz Jr. hit the wall at turn 14 and retired. On lap 14 Lawson and Fernando Alonso collided while they disputed eighth, and the safety car came out. Norris was the last driver still on intermediates, so he pitted as the safety car was called and rejoined in the lead. With too few laps left for a green-flag restart, that stop decided the sprint.

Piastri finished second, ahead of Hamilton, and Verstappen crossed fourth before a ten-second penalty for the unsafe release dropped him to 17th. Penalties for Lawson and Albon, plus a later one for Bearman, moved Tsunoda, Antonelli and Pierre Gasly into the points.

How did qualifying shape the Grand Prix?

Qualifying took place on 3 May and was scheduled for 16:00, but it started at 16:15 after the schedule was adjusted following the late sprint. Verstappen took pole for the Grand Prix, with Norris second on the grid. Gasly qualified 18th but had to start from the pit lane because his car was changed under parc ferme conditions.

Doohan, who started 14th, was one of the drivers hoping to gain places early in the race. His Alpine would soon become the subject of a seat change, as Colapinto was lined up to replace him.

How did the Grand Prix develop?

Verstappen led away from pole but locked his tyres into the turn 1 right-hander, allowing Norris alongside on the exit. Norris was then forced wide through the fast left-hander and dropped to sixth. The race settled after a virtual safety car followed a clash at turn 1 between Doohan and Lawson.

Piastri made quick work of Antonelli and took second on lap 4. Norris passed Alexander Albon for fifth and then George Russell for fourth on lap 7, before moving past Antonelli into turn 11 two laps later to return to the podium places.

Piastri had closed on Verstappen for several laps, and at the start of lap 14 he pulled alongside after Verstappen locked up at turn 1. Norris then tried a move around the outside of turn 1, and on lap 17 he passed Verstappen on the inside into turn 11, forcing both drivers off the track. He gave the place back and regained second the following lap, but by then he was nearly 9 seconds behind Piastri.

On lap 28 Oliver Bearman retired from 12th with an engine failure. The virtual safety car let drivers who had not yet pitted gain ground. Russell took the opportunity to stop and stayed ahead of Verstappen, who had already made his stop. Albon passed Antonelli for fifth on lap 31.

Ferrari moved Hamilton and Leclerc around on lap 38. Leclerc was let back through on lap 52, and Hamilton then ran into Sainz at turn 17, with the stewards taking no further action. Tsunoda also received a five-second pit lane speeding penalty, which did not change his finishing place.

Did Ferrari's team orders decide the battle behind the leaders?

Ferrari's team orders shaped the fight between Hamilton and Leclerc, but they did not change the front of the race. On lap 38 the team let Hamilton ahead so he could try to attack Antonelli, who was then sixth. Hamilton could not make progress, and Leclerc was allowed back through on lap 52.

Piastri and Norris finished first and second, and the team orders had no bearing on that order. The episode mainly showed how hard Ferrari was working to find pace in the mid-field during a weekend where the leading cars were well clear.

How did the result change the championship?

Piastri's win took his championship total to 131 points, a lead of 16 over Norris. Verstappen stayed third on 99 points, six ahead of Russell in fourth. McLaren extended its lead in the Constructors' Championship over Mercedes to 105 points.

Before the race Piastri had led with 99 points, ten ahead of Norris and twelve ahead of Verstappen. McLaren had 188 points and Mercedes 111, with Red Bull Racing third on 89 points. The Miami result widened McLaren's advantage at the top of both tables.

Weekend results at a glance