Max Verstappen finished off the podium for only the second time in 2025 in the F1 Miami GP. The Red Bull man started from pole, but could not match the McLaren duo on outright pace.
An up-and-down Miami weekend for Verstappen
Verstappen’s Miami GP weekend ebbed and flowed. Starting fourth for the 19-lap sprint, the reigning champion moved up to third before the switch to slicks late on. It was here that his race came apart.
With Red Bull keen to release Verstappen onto the fast lane, they failed to notice the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli coming down the pit lane. An unsafe release saw Verstappen enter into the Italian’s path, damaging his front wing. As a result, Antonelli could not enter his pit box due to Verstappen exiting his. The Italian had to go around for an extra lap, costing him valuable time.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman damaged his front wing before losing a sprint podium to a charging Lewis Hamilton behind. Verstappen later received a ten-second penalty for the unsafe release, dropping him to last in the Miami sprint results.
The two-time Miami winner made up for his sprint struggles later in the day. A stellar qualifying lap saw him take a second successive pole in Miami by just 0.065 seconds.
However, the writing was on the wall right from the outset. With the dominant McLarens showing superior race pace, Verstappen’s best chances revolved around keeping them behind. Accordingly, the Dutchman scrapped for his position, elbowing Norris out into the run-off at turn 2 on the opening lap. However, he had no answer to the charging Oscar Piastri. Norris later made his way past, too.
The virtual safety car mid-race saw Verstappen lose track position to George Russell. Try as he might, Verstappen could not reel in the Mercedes man, eventually settling for fourth in the 2025 F1 Miami GP.
Verstappen on his fierce battle with the McLarens in Miami
A major talking point from the early laps was Verstappen’s stern defence against the McLaren duo. While he kept Piastri at bay for only a handful of laps, Norris found it difficult to get past the Dutchman’s defensive tactics.
After a battle that frustrated the Briton, even going off track, Verstappen lost second on the road. However, fourth appeared to be his best result in a tough Miami GP.
When asked about his race tactics in the Miami GP, Verstappen said, “Yeah, I mean I had nothing to lose, so I just tried to have a bit of fun out there as well at the same time.”
The Dutchman expressed his lack of pace to challenge the invincible McLaren duo in the 57-lap Miami race.
“I said yesterday that I would try to do my very best, and I think we did that today. But, unfortunately, we just didn’t have the pace.”
In a bid to fend off his competitors, Verstappen had to be on the defensive for longer than he would have liked. The Red Bull driver even received messages from his engineer to ‘defend the inside’ against the charging McLarens.
However, all the defensive driving took more rubber out of Verstappen’s tyres. Not being on the optimum racing line also meant he couldn’t keep his tyre temperatures under control.
“We were overheating a lot on the tyres, so it was just quite a bit of a struggle out there, and then of course we got a bit unlucky with the VSC as well, but that’s racing as well,” he concluded.
Verstappen not surprised by McLaren dominance in Miami
McLaren’s dominance certainly was on display around the Miami International Autodrome. Oscar Piastri finished just 4.6 seconds ahead of teammate Norris. His gap to third-placed Russell, however, was a whopping 37 seconds.
Verstappen finished 39 seconds behind Miami race winner Piastri. When asked if he was alarmed by it, the Dutchman expressed that the gap were to ebb and flow from race to race.
“It has already been their strength for a while,” Verstappen expressed, on McLaren’s tyre management. “So sometimes on a track where the deg is a bit lower, of course, you might not see it as much. But on a track like this with thermal degradation, it’s bigger,” he explained.
Verstappen and the rest will certainly be hoping for a closer battle as the European leg beckons. F1 will return in two weeks time in Imola, for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
