After every Grand Prix, we present the RaceReport, a unique and engaging digital recap of the race weekend. Reporter André Venema brings you the latest from Miami!
EERST DE SHOW, DAN HET RACEN: FIRST THE SHOW, THEN THE RACING
Former commercial F1 rights holder Bernie Ecclestone tried for years without success. But in 2022, the new American owner Liberty Media succeeded: a Grand Prix in Miami. With a circuit that doesn’t wind along the famous South Beach, as powerful and wealthy residents opposed that plan, but around the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL team Miami Dolphins.
Most Dutch providers of Formula 1 trips stopped trying to entice customers for a trip to the Miami GP after a few years. Not because it’s an uninteresting race in a dull metropolis, on the contrary, but because of the exorbitant prices. The Miami GP is a costly event for fans. Tickets for this much-hyped event in the Sunshine State of Florida are extremely expensive. Everything about the festival exudes luxury, ostentation, and chic: even a beer, sandwich, or burger requires a hefty wallet.
As is customary in America, (professional) sports are primarily about the spectacle. The race in Miami is no exception, adhering to the local tradition of being over the top. Where else would you find a ‘faux harbor’, an artificially constructed beach nestled between strips of asphalt, and a cable car running above the circuit? The Miami GP is for the wealthy, as is Las Vegas. The Grand Prix in Austin, on the other hand, is considered by many Americans – and Latinos – as the ‘purest’ of all three races in the old world. It’s affordable and places the sport at the forefront, not the entertainment.
Yet, the Miami GP undeniably has a magnetic appeal. It attracts stars from the worlds of sports, music, and film. Even the American president has been known to make an appearance. The paddock is small and overcrowded, and the grid before the race is packed with celebrities like nowhere else in Miami. Under the pleasant sun, it doesn’t get much more American than this.
Highlights from Miami
Max’s Quote of the Day
“That’s kind of the story of this car: it remains a bit of a hit and miss. We’ve only made some minor adjustments, searching for the perfect balance. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. You note it all down and that’s how you learn what works and what doesn’t. I just keep trying to understand the car better, but this pole is much more”
Highlights and Lowlights
Who or what stood out? Or, on the contrary, who fell short? After each Grand Prix, we bring you the highlights and lowlights of the race weekend! This time, the spotlight falls on the young Kimi Antonelli and Fernando Alonso amidst Aston Martin’s disappointing performance.
TOP
Kimi Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli has brought a whole new dynamic to Mercedes. The teenager, successor to Lewis Hamilton and recently passed his driving test, brings many smiles to the garage with his cheerful character. Team boss Toto Wolff gives him all the time and space to exploit his talent, discover the circuits and the car, and gain experience. At his debut in Melbourne, he shows through an impressive overtaking race in the rain that he is made of the right stuff. In Miami, two months later, he becomes the youngest pole sitter ever in the sprint qualification. A day later, he qualifies third for the main event, in which he finishes sixth. The teenager seems to have passed his initiation. He leaves Florida with a bag full of World Championship points.
FLOP
Fernando Alonso
For Aston Martin, 2025 is going as dramatically as last year. The ambitious racing team of billionaire Lawrence Stroll stole the show in 2023 with then newcomer Fernando Alonso: it took eight podium places through the Spanish veteran and finished fifth in the constructors’ title. Since then, however, the British racing team has been in a real crisis. This year’s challenger, the AMR25, is also disappointing. Aston Martin is now seventh in the constructors’ championship. Alonso, who will be 44 in two months, is not the points machine of previous years. In Miami, he finishes second to last, ahead of teammate Lance Stroll. In the sprint race, he has a big crash through no fault of his own. The sacred fire is still there, but his time to retire seems to have come.
BEHIND THE SCENES
A peek behind the scenes at the Miami Grand Prix!
Results of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix
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Race
* 5-second penalty
Additional Observations from Miami…
“In collaboration with Automobilist.com, an official partner of Formula 1, several luxury posters are being given away this season – true works of art! This time, it’s about special posters of the AMR25 from Aston Martin and the SF25 from Ferrari of this season! (both 50×70 centimeters, valued at 99 euros)”
Three Questions for… Liam Lawson
‘I had time to reset myself’
Liam Lawson had the fright of his life when Red Bull showed him the door as Max Verstappen‘s colleague after just two Grand Prix at the end of March. But he has since come to terms with the setback. “I think I’ve come out of it mentally stronger.”
Liam, was the tripleheader in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia a curse or a blessing after your departure from Red Bull?
“I think it was good for me that we had three races in a row immediately after leaving. Especially for my mind, as I simply had no time to think about anything else but racing for three weeks. You know, our lives as F1 drivers are very intense and focused on just one thing. I can’t change what happened. We have to move on. And the entire team at Racing Bulls has helped me a lot with that.”
Reflecting on the Journey from Jeddah to Miami
“Indeed, those few days off were quite refreshing, given the intensity of the past few months. A lot has happened, I’m back with my old team. I had the time to calmly reflect on everything that has happened this year, to reset myself, so to speak. I’ve processed it and I believe I’ve emerged mentally stronger. The team has done everything possible to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Have You Fully Acclimated?
“I’m working with a different engineer this year (Ernesto Desiderio, who previously worked with Yuki Tsunoda), which is a change. But he’s not a stranger to me. Last year, I analyzed a lot of data with him and built a rapport with Ernesto. You know, I was never really focused on which side of the garage I was on. After all, we share all the data. And if you want to be successful as a team, that’s necessary. In that regard, not much has personally changed for me.”
Formule 1 Podcast
Formule1.nl reporter André Venema responds to three provocative questions from the paddock at the Miami circuit:
– What does the birth of daughter Lily mean for the future of Max Verstappen?
– Should Formula 1 drivers have a voice within the FIA?
– Is Miami still about racing, or is it all about the show?
Next Grand Prix: Emilia-Romagna
Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari
“After the spectacle in Miami, the Formula 1 circus moves to Europe, with the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at the iconic Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. The teams and drivers will have three free practice sessions this weekend before the serious work begins on Saturday and Sunday. Below you will find the full schedule for the race weekend in Italy.
Schedule for the Emilia-Romagna GP 2025
Friday, May 16
- First free practice: 11:30 – 12:30 UTC
- Second free practice: 15:00 – 16:00 UTC
Saturday, May 17
- Third free practice: 10:30 – 11:30 UTC
- Qualification: 14:00 – 15:00 UTC
Sunday, May 18
- Race: 13:00 UTC
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