Lando Norris came out on top in a frantic, action packed F1 Miami GP Sprint on Saturday. The McLaren man benefitted from a late safety car to grab a win ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. Lewis Hamilton made it two sprint podium finishes in sprints in 2025, finishing an excellent third for Ferrari.
A delayed start to the day
It was a sodden Miami International Autodrome when the drivers took to the track for the second F1 sprint of the year. Charles Leclerc crashed into the barriers on his way to the grid.
With the damage too much to repair, the Monegasque would not be starting from his sixth position slot. With plenty of standing water, the 19-lap sprint would commence behind the safety car.
All drivers bar Carlos Sainz started the sprint on the intermediate tyres. The Williams racer tried an alternate strategy by going onto the wet tyres.
After a formation lap and an additional lap behind the safety car, the FIA decided to suspend the starting procedure. Championship leader Oscar Piastri radioed to his engineer of poor visibility and standing water, even from second on the grid.
After a 15-minute delay, the stewards announced a resumption for the sprint at 12:28 local time (16:28 GMT). This gave the drivers plenty to ponder.
A wet start to the 2025 F1 Miami GP
Kimi Antonelli, who became F1’s youngest pole sitter after Friday’s Miami GP sprint qualifying, was eyeing his first win in F1. With no more rain expected, a tricky sprint beckoned. Perhaps even an element of strategy beckoned in the short race.
As drivers trundled out behind the safety car for two laps, the FIA announced a standing start for the sprint. Drivers radioed of raceable conditions, with the spray being minimal.
With three laps under the belt, the race was shortened to 16 laps. However, off the five red lights, Antonelli’s ambitions vanished.
The Italian was slower to react compared to Piastri, who managed to slide his McLaren into the apex of turn one. Although Antonelli tried to keep it alongside the Australian, he veered off the track, losing further positions to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Elsewhere, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson made a stellar start, climbing up five places. The New Zealander had made his way up to ninth, one spot off the points position.
Meanwhile, the stewards noted Piastri and Antonelli’s start for forcing the Mercedes man off the track. The gaps at the front widened, with the two Mercedes cars the closest battle on track.
As the track dried, DRS was enabled onto lap 11. Chancing an opportunity, Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda pitted onto slicks. He was not the only one, as Hamilton dived into the pits onto soft tyres.
A frantic end to the 2025 F1 Miami GP Sprint
As the track continued to dry, drivers steamed into the pits. Chaos ensued on track too, as Sainz had a spin into turn 14, puncturing his rear left wheel. The Spaniard had to limp back to the pits, triggering a yellow flag.
In the pits, Verstappen was released into the path of Antonelli’s Mercedes, damaging his front wing. The resultant debris also hurt the Italian rookie’s race, forcing him to pit once again for repairs.
Meanwhile, Hamilton, who pitted a couple of laps earlier, managed to get past the reigning champion into turn 11. Accordingly, this promoted the Ferrari man, who was having a tough day, to third.
Verstappen’s day only went from bad to worse, with a ten-second penalty slapped for his unsafe release in the pits. Meanwhile, the two McLarens squabbled over track position on the intermediate tyres.
Piastri pitted first, rejoining in second, while Norris stayed out on his older intermediates. Although Piastri fancied his chances, a late safety car denied him a shot at victory.
As Liam Lawson and Fernando Alonso squabbled over position into turns 11 and 12, the Racing Bulls man made contact. This spun the Aston Martin around into the barriers. With significant damage and a stricken car on the track, the safety car stayed out until the end of the race.
Norris benefitted from the stop under safety car conditions to grab a second victory around Miami. He joked about “buying a lottery ticket” at this venue, given he had won two races around the venue in two years.
Piastri was left to rue a missed opportunity, while Hamilton praised the Ferrari pit crew for their swift turnaround. Meanwhile, Verstappen’s penalty dropped him to last on the road. His penalty was amplified by the late safety car bunching up the field.
Final Classification: Miami sprint
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Nico Hulkenberg (KICK Sauber)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (KICK Sauber)
- Jack Doohan (Alpine)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – DNF
- Carlos Sainz (Williams) – DNF
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – DNS
