Oscar Piastri surged into pole position in the Formula 1 title race with a commanding win at the Miami Grand Prix, delivering a composed, dominant performance that firmly establishes the McLaren driver as this season’s frontrunner.
Starting fourth on the grid, the 24-year-old Australian made rapid progress in the opening laps, overtaking reigning world champion Max Verstappen on lap 14 before stretching out an unassailable lead over teammate Lando Norris, who finished second.
George Russell secured third for Mercedes, while Verstappen faded to a frustrating fourth.
It was Piastri’s fourth win in six races and his first in Miami, extending his championship lead to 16 points over Norris, with Verstappen now 32 points adrift.
“This is a huge moment,” Piastri said after the race. “Two years ago in Miami, we were the slowest team. To win today by over 35 seconds from third is unbelievable.”
McLaren’s superior race pace was on full display, and Piastri’s execution—particularly his tyre management and composure under pressure—highlighted his evolution into a complete driver.
Once clear of Verstappen, he was never threatened, despite Norris briefly closing the gap before falling away in the closing stages.
The victory also underlined McLaren’s development, having now emerged as the team to beat in 2025. “Piastri was simply untouchable once he got the lead,” said team principal Andrea Stella.
Norris, meanwhile, saw his hopes compromised early after a wheel-to-wheel incident with Verstappen at Turn 1 sent him down to sixth. Though he recovered and overtook Verstappen four laps after Piastri, the delay was enough to hand his teammate a decisive advantage.
“Max put up a good fight, and I just paid the price,” Norris said. “With Max, it’s crash or don’t pass. I needed to time it right.”
Verstappen, who started from pole, struggled with grip and tyre wear throughout the race, conceding places to both McLarens and Russell. Red Bull’s protest against Russell for failing to slow under yellow flags was dismissed post-race by stewards.
Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton endured another difficult outing in the Ferrari, finishing eighth after a series of tense radio exchanges with his team.
Frustrated by slow team orders and strategy reversals, Hamilton’s remarks over team radio—“Have a tea break while you’re at it” and “You want to let him past as well?”—revealed a growing rift within the Scuderia.
Despite Ferrari’s efforts, they remain well off the pace, with both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc unable to challenge the top five.
Sunday’s race concluded a weekend of spectacle at the Miami International Autodrome, with drivers taking part in pre-race laps in full-sized Lego replicas of their F1 cars. But once the lights went out, Piastri proved he now has all the building blocks for a serious title challenge.
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