Lando Norris capitalized on a dramatic sprint race held in unpredictable, shifting weather conditions at the Miami Grand Prix to secure victory ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Lewis Hamilton completed the podium in third, benefiting from a well-timed strategy call by his Ferrari team.
Defending world champion Max Verstappen endured a nightmare race. He was hit with a penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane by Red Bull, dropping him from fourth to 17th. The setback was significant in his title campaign, leaving him 21 points behind championship leader Piastri. Verstappen expressed relief that no one was hurt in the incident, while Red Bull team principal Christian Horner called it a “human error.” Meanwhile, Norris displayed remarkable composure and control in the treacherous weather conditions.
A sudden downpour had drenched the circuit before the race, prompting officials to begin the formation lap behind the safety car due to the sheer amount of water. With visibility severely reduced, the race was quickly red-flagged after just one lap.
The conditions had already claimed a victim — Charles Leclerc, who lost control and crashed his Ferrari into the wall during the formation lap, sustaining damage that forced him out before the race even began.
Following a 30-minute delay, the drivers returned to the track, again starting behind the safety car before lining up for a standing start over the remaining 16 laps. At the launch into turn one, Piastri made a bold move from second on the grid to overtake Mercedes pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli, who ultimately slipped down the order to finish 10th.
Oscar Piastri’s lightning-fast start gave him early control of the sprint race, as he quickly pulled away from Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, establishing a solid lead in clear air. For the opening half, he appeared to be in command — but the race took a sharp turn past the midway point.
As the track dried rapidly, switching to slick tyres became viable by lap 11. Ferrari seized the opportunity and brought in Lewis Hamilton early, a move that vaulted him into third. Verstappen followed suit but was released into the path of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. The two made contact, damaging Verstappen’s front wing and earning him a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release.
McLaren responded strategically, first pitting Piastri and then Norris a lap later. Norris’s stop proved perfectly timed, as Fernando Alonso crashed moments later, triggering the safety car. The Briton rejoined the track just ahead of his teammate, effectively gaining the lead with a near-free stop. From there, he held position behind the safety car to secure the win.
For Hamilton, the result offered a welcome boost following a challenging run with Ferrari since his sprint victory in Shanghai. Reflecting on the result, he said: “Every moment counts. It’s definitely been not so great obviously since China.” He added that while improvements had been made, more work was needed to consistently fight at the front: “We just need to knuckle down and I do believe that we can get some better results.”
The win marked Norris’s second career sprint race victory, his first coming in Brazil last season. It also narrowed the gap to championship leader Piastri to just nine points.
Off the track, McLaren team principal Zak Brown reignited his feud with Red Bull, calling for changes to F1 regulations to prevent what he described as “bogus allegations” between teams. The latest jab followed rumors from last year — believed to have stemmed from Red Bull — accusing McLaren of injecting water into their tyres to regulate temperature, a claim McLaren flatly denied.
Brown had some fun with the controversy on Friday, sipping from a water bottle humorously labeled “tire water” on the pit wall. But on Saturday, his tone turned serious. He emphasized that any such allegations should be handled through formal FIA channels and carry financial penalties under the budget cap system to discourage baseless accusations.
“That process should apply to all allegations to put an end to frivolous claims that serve only as distractions,” said Zak Brown. “If teams were required to formally submit their concerns in writing and back them up with financial stakes—rather than going through back channels—it would help eliminate the bogus accusations that tarnish the integrity of the sport.”
He added that teams should be held accountable if their claims prove unfounded: “If someone genuinely believes there’s a technical issue, they have every right to raise it—but do it formally, in writing, and be prepared to put money on the line. If you’re wrong, it should come out of your cost cap.”
Brown suggested a penalty of $25,000 (about £19,000) as a suitable deterrent. “Would I rather spend $25,000 on a distraction tactic or on developing my race car? I’d spend it on the car all day long,” he said. “It doesn’t need to be hundreds of thousands, just enough to make teams think twice—because that money comes directly from performance budgets.”
On the track, Alex Albon delivered an impressive performance to take fourth for Williams, followed by George Russell in fifth for Mercedes. Lance Stroll secured sixth for Aston Martin, while Liam Lawson claimed seventh for Racing Bulls and Oliver Bearman rounded out the points in eighth for Haas.
