A quarter of the 75th anniversary Formula 1 season is now behind us, and this weekend saw the first race of the season on the other side of the Atlantic, in Miami. Fans were met with cold and rainy weather at the street circuit.
The second of six sprint races also took place in Miami. After only one hour of free practice on Friday, drivers went into sprint qualifying. In a tense battle, Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli took a sensational victory, beating the McLaren drivers.
Saturday's sprint race was delayed due to rain. Antonelli lost ground in Turn 1, allowing Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen to pass. Ferrari’s experienced driver Lewis Hamilton was the first to switch to slick tyres, and this smart decision earned him the final podium spot. Lando Norris made his pit stop during the Safety Car period and took the lead, holding it until the end. With Piastri in second, McLaren celebrated their first sprint of the season.
Later that day, qualifying for the main race took place. For the first time this season, Hamilton failed to make it to the final session. In Q3, Max Verstappen narrowly beat Lando Norris by 0.065 seconds to claim pole position.
Despite rain forecasts, race day remained sunny. Verstappen held his lead, but after forcing Norris off track, the Brit dropped to sixth. Oscar Piastri made quick progress and overtook Verstappen on lap 14 to take the lead. Verstappen then lost second and eventually third place as well. George Russell pitted during the Virtual Safety Car period, returned on soft tyres, and climbed to the podium.
In the final laps, Ferrari drivers engaged in a tight battle. Leclerc overtook his teammate Sainz, and Hamilton capitalized on the fight. However, Sainz later regained the position from Hamilton. Despite contact between Ferrari and Williams cars near the end, both drivers finished the race.
Oscar Piastri took his third consecutive and fourth career win. With Norris in second, McLaren celebrated their second one-two of the season. Russell achieved his fourth podium. Despite starting from pole, Verstappen finished only fourth. He was followed by Alex Albon (Williams) in fifth and Antonelli in sixth. Ferrari’s Sainz finished ninth, and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top 10.
With these results, Oscar Piastri solidified his lead in the championship with 131 points, followed by Norris with 115 and Verstappen with 99. In the Constructors’ standings, McLaren leads with 246 points, holding a 105-point advantage over Mercedes.
The season continues in two weeks at the legendary Imola circuit in Italy.
