Oscar Piastri extended his Championship lead with a decisive drive in Miami, winning his third race in a row. In an intriguing and tense race, Piastri kept his cool in the heat, with the threatened rain never coming to spice it up further.
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Elbows Out At The Start
There was early drama in this one, with Max Verstappen at the heart of it. Having locked up at Turn 1, he gave Lando Norris an opportunity to attempt a move around the outside of Turn 2, but Max wasn’t having it, causing Norris to take to the run off, dropping to 6th and making everyone behind take avoiding action into the Esses. Behind, Lawson and Doohan collided, causing the first virtual safety car of the day.
Once the safety car peeled back into the pits, Piastri started his charge up the field with a great move on Kimi Antonelli at Turn 1. At the same time, Lando overtook the other Mercedes with an unorthodox move into Turn 5, putting himself firmly back in the fight at the front.
Piastri Takes Control
Piastri closed quickly on Verstappen, and the battle commenced on Lap 10. Verstappen made his intentions very clear: hug the inside line and make Piastri go the long way around. It worked for a few laps, but Oscar got through with a lovely cut-back move into Turn 1 on Lap 14. Once he got ahead, he never looked back.
With Norris and Verstappen battling away, suddenly Piastri’s lead was up to 9 seconds, which would prove too much for Lando to overcome once he overtook Verstappen himself.
Once the McLarens were clear of the field, they disappeared into the distance, lapping a second a lap quicker than anyone else.
Norris did close the gap in the last 15 laps, but wasn’t able to get in range to attack, so had to settle for 2nd. Piastri wins from 4th, continuing the race’s streak of never having been won from the front row.
Safety Car, Safety Car, Safety Car
We saw the virtual safety car 3 times in Miami, which helped to decide the podium places. With everyone waiting to see if the rain would materialise, the first stint was extended deep into the 20s. Antonelli triggered stops at the top, trying the undercut on Verstappen. Kimi wouldn’t be able to get past the Red Bull but he did assist his teammate getting ahead.
Ollie Bearman’s engine failure brought out the virtual safety car a lap later, and Russell took full advantage, jumping Verstappen and holding him off to the flag for 3rd place.
Tension at Ferrari
The 2nd half of the race seemed to fly by once everyone settled in after the pit stops, but the Ferraris kept us entertained on track and on the radio. First, Hamilton complained of being held up by his teammate in the battle for 7th, but once the team agreed to swap the cars after a couple of laps, he couldn’t pull away.
So the inevitable happened, Leclerc was quick to show his frustration at the team’s decision on the radio before they decided to swap the cars again when it became clear Hamilton wouldn’t be able to catch the cars in front. Lewis responded with the best line of the race:
“Do you want me to let him [Sainz] through as well?
McLarens Extend Their Lead
McLaren took maximum points in Miami and extended their lead in both Championships with a double 1-2. This dominance doesn’t look like stopping as we move into the busy summer period. Can Piastri continue his streak next time out at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix or will Lando start to close the gap?