Oscar Piastri Triumphs in McLaren 1-2 at Miami Grand Prix

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Oscar Piastri secured a dominant victory at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, leading a McLaren one-two ahead of teammate Lando Norris and extending his championship lead by 16 points.

Neither reigning champion Max Verstappen, who started from pole position, nor any other driver possessed the necessary pace to challenge the two McLarens. Piastri crossed the finish line 4.6 seconds ahead of Norris, claiming his fourth win of the season.

Norris, starting from second, attempted to overtake Verstappen for the lead in the opening corner but was pushed wide at Turn 2, dropping to fifth place. Meanwhile, Piastri advanced from fourth on the grid to third.

Piastri moved up to second place by Lap 4, passing Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Norris also recovered, reaching third position by Lap 9.

Over the following nine laps, Verstappen displayed strong defensive driving, successfully holding off Piastri until Lap 14 and Norris until Lap 18. Despite the clear pace advantage of the McLarens, Verstappen strategically positioned his Red Bull to delay their progress.

Once the two McLarens were running in clear air at the front, their one-two finish appeared secure. Piastri managed the gap to his teammate, who attempted to close in during the second half of the race but was ultimately unable to mount a genuine challenge for the lead.

This result extends Piastri`s championship lead for the second consecutive race weekend, having taken the lead at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Speaking after the race, Piastri mentioned his decision to avoid Verstappen at Turn 1: “`I won the race that I really wanted to after a tricky day on Saturday,` Piastri said. `To come away with a win is an impressive result. I was aware enough to avoid Max in Turn 1 and I knew I had a pace advantage. I was struggling on the hard tyres but I had built a gap, there is still stuff to work on. We are constantly learning. Two years ago at Miami we were the slowest team. I think we were lapped twice. Now to have won the Grand Prix by over 35 seconds to third is an unbelievable result.`”

Lando Norris commented on the battle with Verstappen: “`I paid the price, but it`s the way it is. What can I say? If I don`t go for it, people complain. If I go for it, people complain, so you can`t win. But it is the way it is with Max, it`s crash or don`t pass. Unless you get it really right and you put him in the perfect position, then you can just about get there. I paid the price for not doing a good enough job today, but I`m still happy with second.`”

George Russell secured third place for Mercedes, benefiting from a pit stop opportunity under a virtual safety car, deployed to clear the retired Haas of Oliver Bearman from the trackside.

Russell expressed satisfaction with his podium finish: “`Really happy to come away with P3,` he said afterward. `I`ve been struggling this weekend personally and always on the backfoot.`”

Hours after the race, Red Bull filed a protest against Russell`s result, alleging he failed to slow sufficiently under yellow flags. The protest was later denied by the FIA.

Max Verstappen, having pitted under normal racing conditions, finished in fourth place despite his strong defense early in the race. This result means he is now 32 points behind Piastri, having lost 20 points to the McLaren driver over the entire Miami Grand Prix weekend (including the sprint race).

Alex Albon matched his best result of the season with a fifth-place finish for Williams, ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in sixth, who also lost track position during the pit stop phase.

A challenging weekend for Ferrari concluded with an intense battle between its drivers for seventh and eighth positions. Lewis Hamilton, on medium tires, closed in on Charles Leclerc, who was running on harder compound tires, on Lap 36.

Initially, Ferrari instructed Hamilton to maintain a one-second gap behind Leclerc to utilize DRS, but Hamilton responded critically via team radio, stating: “`This is not good teamwork, that`s all I`m going to say.`” He added later: “`In China I got out the way [for Leclerc]. Have a tea break while you`re at it, come on.`”

Following this, Ferrari agreed to ask Leclerc to allow Hamilton past, which he did on Lap 39.

However, less than 15 laps later, Hamilton`s tires began to degrade, and Leclerc requested permission to repass to chase Antonelli for sixth place. This order also took several laps to be enacted, with Leclerc ultimately finishing 3.1 seconds behind the Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz secured ninth place for Williams, narrowly finishing ahead of Yuki Tsunoda in the Red Bull, who completed the top ten.

Miami Grand Prix: Top 10 Finishers

Oscar Piastri is the first McLaren driver to win four of the first six races in a season since Mika Häkkinen in 1998.