Oscar Piastri claimed his third consecutive Grand Prix victory in Miami on Sunday. The Australian outpaced his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, thereby extending his lead in the World Championship. Behind George Russell, Max Verstappen had to settle for fourth place after starting from pole position.
ROUND 1/57: What a first round! Verstappen and Norris go side by side through the first corners: the Dutchman, who started from pole, brakes a bit late and widens his line. The Brit ends up off the track and loses a handful of places. Behind the battling duo, there are several duels, with Alpine driver Jack Doohan clashing with Liam Lawson. The Australian suffers a puncture and drops out. This results in a virtual safety car a lap later. Meanwhile, Norris complains about Verstappen’s move: “Where am I supposed to go, should I drive into the wall or something?”
ROUND 3/57: Doohan’s car has been cleared, and the field can resume full speed. Not much later, it’s Piastri who seizes his opportunity. He overtakes Kimi Antonelli and thus climbs to second place. This allows the McLaren driver to start hunting down Verstappen, who is pushing as hard as he can. In other news: there’s a possibility of rain during the race…
ROUND 7/57: No penalty for Verstappen, according to the race direction; a fair conclusion given the footage. Meanwhile, Norris also finds his pace: he overtakes George Russell with a stunning move. Teammate Piastri is closing in on Verstappen, a cat-and-mouse game is imminent!
ROUND 14/57: Lap after lap, Verstappen and Piastri fight a magnificent battle for the lead. The Dutchman shows his class by defending brilliantly and fending off every attack from the Australian. However, Piastri finally overtakes Verstappen in lap 14. The McLaren is so fast, there’s no stopping it, especially when the Dutchman overshoots slightly while braking for the corner.
Lap 18/57
Norris finally overtakes Verstappen. The Dutchman had managed to keep the Brit at bay for a while, even regaining second place from Norris after an overzealous overtaking maneuver. However, the McLaren proves too fast for the RB21. And the rest of the field? Behind the battling trio, Antonelli is in fourth place, ahead of teammate George Russell, Williams drivers Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr, and Charles Leclerc. Tsunoda is in P9, followed by Ocon. And Lewis Hamilton? He’s unremarkably circulating in P11.
Lap 27/57
The teams no longer wait for rain (which has so far not materialized). One after another, drivers pit to switch from medium to hard tires. Verstappen is among them, thereby preventing an undercut from Antonelli. When Bearman’s (Haas) engine gives up, a virtual safety car is deployed, and Verstappen sees Russell emerge ahead of him on the track after a pit stop…
Lap 39/57
There’s trouble at Ferrari. After both Leclerc and Hamilton overtake Sainz, the question arises as to who is the faster of the two Ferrari drivers. Hamilton, on the medium tire, appears to be faster but is stuck behind his teammate. The Brit subtly requests a team order, which is not given, and subsequently expresses his view that this is not “teamwork”. The result: the two eventually swap places. At the front, the situation remains unchanged: Piastri leads Norris, Russell, and Verstappen.
Lap 50/57
The final phase is underway, with Verstappen hoping that Russell’s medium tires will fail. Only then can the Dutchman reach the podium. At the front, it’s shaping up to be a 1-2 finish for McLaren, but in what order? Norris is gradually closing in, but a battle between the two teammates seems unlikely. Meanwhile, the squabbling at Ferrari continues: Hamilton sarcastically asks if he should let Williams driver Sainz pass him too…
Lap 57/57
Piastri easily maintains his lead, the Australian secures his sixth Grand Prix victory ever and thus strengthens his lead in the World Championship. It’s his third consecutive win this season, with Norris finishing second behind him, followed by Russell. Verstappen finishes fourth. The pole sitter has never won in Miami, and this time is no exception. Alex Albon finishes a commendable fifth, ahead of Antonelli, Leclerc, Hamilton, Sainz, and Tsunoda.
