Miami GP Race Report
A busy Miami GP weekend saw McLaren once again on top, with the World Championship leaders logging one-two finishes in both the Saturday sprint and the main event on Sunday.
However it was far from straightforward as the team didn’t earn pole for either race, while the balance of power switched between the two drivers with Lando Norris winning the sprint after getting a lucky break, and Oscar Piastri taking victory in the Grand Prix and extending his lead in the points.
The sprint saw a surprise pole for Mercedes and Kimi Antonelli, the teenager taking the top spot despite FP1 being his only chance to learn what was another new circuit for him. However when the race started on a damp track after Saturday morning rain he went wide, allowing Piastri and Norris to get to the front.
As the track dried a change to slicks became likely, and running in sixth place Lewis Hamilton was the first to take the plunge after 11 of the 18 laps. Others followed on the next lap, but the leaders stayed out.
Piastri then came in leaving Norris to complete one more lap on intermediates – however a crash for Fernando Alonso triggered a safety car and allowed Norris to have a cheap pit stop and get out in front of Piastri, who otherwise would have been the rightful winner.
Hamilton’s early stop allowed him to charge into third place, his best result at Ferrari since the China sprint. Max Verstappen was fourth on the road for Red Bull, but a penalty for an unsafe release in the pits that saw him hit Antonelli dropped him out of the points.
Later in the afternoon Verstappen had some payback when he took pole in main qualifying with another brilliant virtuoso effort, just edging out Norris. Piastri admitted that he made mistakes and could only manage fourth, behind Antonelli.
At the start the fortunes of the two McLaren drivers swapped once again. Norris ran wide while trying to challenge Verstappen and dropped to sixth, while Piastri needed only a couple of laps to get by Antonelli into second place and start chasing Verstappen.
A fantastic and fair fight between the pair followed before Piastri got into the lead. After his poor start Norris worked his way up to third, and then he too had to fight past Verstappen. By the time he did it his team mate was too far away. Both McLarens pulled well clear of the rest as Piastri logged his fourth win of the season, adding to the momentum that he has been building.
A virtual safety car saw George Russell gain through the timing of his pit stop and get the jump on Verstappen for third. However after the race Verstappen was more concerned about the big picture of the gap to the leaders, as once again McLaren showed superior management of tyre temperatures. The Dutchman continues to be far ahead of team mate Yuki Tsunoda, who could manage only 10th place.
Third for Russell was another solid podium finish for Mercedes, and edged him closer to Verstappen in the battle for third in the championship. Antonelli faded to sixth in the main race as he struggled on the hard tyre, but the sprint pole ensured that it was another good weekend for the Italian.
Against expectations Williams was clearly the fourth fastest team in Miami, ahead of Ferrari. Alex Albon lost fourth place in the sprint to a penalty for a safety car offence, but he bounced back with fifth in the Grand Prix, despite first lap contact with team mate Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard had retired from the sprint after clipping the wall, and was ninth in the main event, slowed by damage from the contact with Albon.
Hamilton’s third place in the sprint was a boost for Ferrari after Leclerc crashed in the wet on the way to the grid, but Sunday’s race brought frustration. The cars were running in lowly seventh and eighth places when a team orders controversy erupted after Hamilton, on the quicker medium tyre, asked to be let by.
The order was eventually given after the former champion made his frustration clear. When he couldn’t catch the cars ahead, the places were swapped back. The radio chatter created a fuss that the team didn’t need, with both drivers stressing that the real focus should be on the form of the car.
In the midfield battle Isack Hadjar showed decent pace for VCARB by qualifying and finishing 11th, while his team mate Liam Lawson had another tricky weekend, tangling with Fernando Alonso in the sprint and retiring from the GP with damage after a collision with Jack Doohan.
The incident did not help the Alpine driver, who has been fighting to hold onto his seat while Franco Colapinto has been waiting in the wings. After the flag it became apparent that Doohan will indeed be replaced for the next race, although at the time of writing there had been no official confirmation. It was a generally disappointing weekend for the team after good recent showings, with Pierre Gasly finishing only 13th.
Of the rest Esteban Ocon had his best qualifying session of the year for Haas in ninth, but the Frenchman fell out of the points in the race, while his team mate Ollie Bearman retired. Sauber had another low-key weekend, with Nico Hulkenberg finishing 14th and Gabriel Bortoleto parking with engine issues.
It was a disastrous weekend for Aston Martin. After Alonso’s crash in the sprint he and team mate Lance Stroll finished the GP as the last of the cars still running in 15th and 16th places. There seems to be little sign of progress at the team.
After seven hectic flyaway races battle resumes with the first European race of 2025 in Imola, and a return to a more traditional venue and lower ambient temperatures. It’s also a chance for teams to bring update packages, so there could be a shift in the pecking order.
About Adam Cooper
Adam Cooper logs his 40th season as a motor racing journalist in 2024. Motor racing journalist, author, historian and copywriter. Started writing career in 1985 while still at university, and has been at every Formula One Grand Prix since Japan 1994 without missing one. He contributed to Autosport for nearly 40 years, while other clients have included Motor Sport, Autoweek, Racer, Road and Track, F1 Racing and The Sun.
