Papaya Parade: McLaren’s Miami Masterclass
If you’re a McLaren fan, you might want to frame the Miami Grand Prix results and hang them next to your 1998 Mika Häkkinen memorabilia. Oscar Piastri delivered a performance so dominant, even Ron Dennis would have cracked a smile. The Australian claimed his fourth win of the season and third in a row, leading home a McLaren 1-2 with Lando Norris.
The papaya cars were so far ahead, George Russell in third could have stopped for a Cuban coffee and still not caught them.
Piastri’s drive was a lesson in patience and precision. After a less-than-stellar qualifying (P4), he made quick work of Norris and Antonelli, then forced Verstappen into a rare mistake at Turn 1. Once in the lead, he managed the gap with the cold efficiency of a Swiss banker.
Lawrence Barretto, Formula1.com, said:
Oscar Piastri may have messed up the jig he was required to do as part of a bet he agreed to if he won the Miami Grand Prix – but he was inch-perfect when it mattered on track in the Sunshine State.
For those keeping score, Piastri is the first McLaren driver since Häkkinen to win three consecutive races. The last time that happened, the Spice Girls were still together and Ferrari’s pit wall was only moderately confused.
Watch: The 2025 F1 Miami Grand Prix WINNERS & LOSERS
Norris: Second Fiddle, Second Place
Lando Norris, fresh off his maiden win in Shanghai, found himself playing the role of “best supporting actor” once again. Starting on the front row, Norris’s race unraveled at Turn 1 when Verstappen’s robust defense sent him wide and tumbling down the order. He recovered to P2, but by the time he dispatched Verstappen, Piastri was already sipping a virtual mojito out front.
Norris’s frustration was palpable. He’s now 16 points behind Piastri in the standings, and the narrative of “Lando the nearly man” is starting to sound like a broken record from the 1980s.
Lando Norris said post-race:
People will complain if I go for the move and people will complain if I don’t. That may be true, but it’s up to me to make the right decision and not worry about what others think.
Russell’s Lucky Strike
George Russell’s Miami weekend was a tale of two halves: outpaced by rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli in qualifying, but rescued by a strategic masterstroke on Sunday. Starting on hard tyres, Russell benefitted from a perfectly timed Virtual Safety Car, vaulting him ahead of Verstappen and onto the podium.
Russell’s consistency is becoming Mercedes’ only reliable asset. He’s now just six points behind Verstappen in the championship, a testament to his ability to maximize opportunities even when the car isn’t the class of the field.
George Russell put it:
I just had to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that’s all you can do in this sport.
After a tough weekend, very happy to come home P3!!🏆🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/8MtTCpMiKp
Verstappen and Red Bull: The Empire Strikes Out
Max Verstappen started from pole, but that was as good as it got. Red Bull’s chronic tyre degradation reared its ugly head again, and Verstappen’s aggressive defense only hastened his decline. After being mugged by both McLarens, he was leapfrogged by Russell during the VSC and left to stew in fourth.
Red Bull’s Miami floor upgrade was about as effective as a chocolate teapot. The team’s inability to manage tyres is now a glaring weakness, and the RB21’s race pace is a shadow of its qualifying form.
Verstappen’s frustration was evident:
We just didn’t have the pace. I tried to fight, but the tyres just went away. We need to find answers, and fast.
YouTube: Norris GIFTS Piastri Win! 2025 F1 Miami GP Analysis
Williams: The Grove Revival
Alex Albon’s fifth place was the feel-good story of the weekend. Williams, a team that spent much of the last decade as Formula 1’s punchline, outpaced both Ferraris and a Red Bull on merit. Albon’s racecraft was sublime, including a cheeky switchback on Antonelli for P5.
Williams’ decision to shift focus to 2026 hasn’t stopped them from banking points in 2025. With 30 points already, Albon has eclipsed his 2023 tally, and the Grove squad is now comfortably ahead of Haas and, on this evidence, Ferrari. Team principal James Vowles must be pinching himself.
Ferrari: Comedy of Errors, Italian Edition
If you thought Ferrari’s strategic blunders were a relic of the Binotto era, think again. Miami was a masterclass in how not to manage a Grand Prix. The SF-25 was slow, the pit wall was indecisive, and the team orders saga between Leclerc and Hamilton was pure farce.
Leclerc finished seventh, Hamilton eighth, and both were outpaced by a Williams. The radio exchanges were the stuff of tragicomedy, with Hamilton at one point quipping:
Are we racing or are we just making it up as we go along?
Ferrari’s much-hyped Imola upgrade can’t come soon enough. If it doesn’t deliver, expect the Tifosi to start dusting off their pitchforks.
YouTube: Miami GP 2025 DEBRIEF | Ferrari’s Florida Fight!
Antonelli: The Rookie Rises
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Miami weekend was a coming-of-age story. The Italian teenager became the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history during the sprint, and out-qualified George Russell for the main event. While his race pace faded, Antonelli’s raw speed and composure under pressure drew inevitable comparisons to a young Ayrton Senna.
It’s far too early for sainthood, but Mercedes may have found their next superstar.
A paddock insider noted:
Is Antonelli the second coming of Ayrton Senna? That’s a bold claim and one that is far too early to make. However, the way in which the Italian wove his final sprint qualifying lap together to become the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history – by some margin – undeniably had shades of the Brazilian.
Making F1 history one week ago. Kimi’s record breaking pole in Miami 💪 pic.twitter.com/NNoG5f4PAC
Alpine and Aston: The Basement Dwellers
Jack Doohan’s Miami race may have been his last for Alpine, after a first-lap collision with Liam Lawson ended his day and, possibly, his F1 career. Alpine’s season is quickly becoming a case study in how not to run a works team.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, continues its slide into irrelevance. Stroll’s P5 in the wet sprint was a rare highlight, but in the dry, both cars finished a lap down. Fernando Alonso, still pointless in 2025, must be wondering if Adrian Newey’s arrival in 2026 will come soon enough to save his swan song.
The Numbers Game: Miami by the Stats
- McLaren’s margin of victory: 37 seconds to Russell, 40 to Verstappen. The last time a team dominated like this in Miami, it was called “the 1980s.”
- Piastri’s streak: First McLaren driver since Häkkinen (1998) to win three in a row.
- Williams’ points: 30 for Albon, already beating his 2023 total.
- Ferrari’s constructors’ deficit: 152 points behind McLaren. Ouch.
The Race: Winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Miami Grand Prix
The Quotes That Mattered
- “We just didn’t have the pace. I tried to fight, but the tyres just went away. We need to find answers, and fast.” — Max Verstappen
- “Are we racing or are we just making it up as we go along?” — Lewis Hamilton (team radio)
- “Oscar Piastri may have messed up the jig he was required to do as part of a bet he agreed to if he won the Miami Grand Prix – but he was inch-perfect when it mattered on track in the Sunshine State.” — Lawrence Barretto, Formula1.com
Waste a bit more time
- 5 Winners and 5 Losers from Miami – Who excelled in the Sunshine State? (Formula1.com)
- F1 2025 Miami GP winners and losers (Crash.net)
- The winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Miami GP (Motorsport.com)
- Winners and losers from F1’s 2025 Miami Grand Prix (The Race)
- Piastri wins from Norris and Russell as McLaren seal commanding 1-2 in Miami Grand Prix (Formula1.com)
- Norris GIFTS Piastri Win! 2025 F1 Miami GP Analysis (YouTube)
