Miami Grand Prix: Title Race Update

An analysis of the key developments and trends in the early stages of the 2025 Formula 1 world championship battle as the season heads into the Miami Grand Prix after the first five races.

Piastri Solidifies His Position at the Top

Just a week after his Bahrain victory established him as the favourite for the world title, Oscar Piastri reinforced his leading position with another strong performance, securing a win over Max Verstappen in Saudi Arabia.

The Australian driver, in excellent form, has now achieved back-to-back wins for the first time in his F1 career – something his teammate Lando Norris is yet to do in the same season. Piastri has won three of the last four races since a mistake in the Melbourne season opener cost him a potential second place.

Since his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary last July, Piastri has won five of the last 17 races – one more than his teammate and two more than Verstappen during that period.

The 24-year-old`s increasing momentum and confidence throughout race weekends are evident to observers and rivals alike.

“Few people involved in F1 would argue that Max isn`t currently the best driver on the grid,” noted Martin Brundle. “However, Oscar Piastri at McLaren is rapidly improving. Despite having significantly fewer race starts than Verstappen (163 less) and Norris (82 less), he has won 10% of his 51 races and currently leads the world championship. His performance is only expected to improve.”

Verstappen himself commented after the race, praising Piastri`s “very calm approach” and his ability to “deliver when he has to, barely makes mistakes.”

A key moment in Jeddah was Piastri`s wheel-to-wheel battle with pole-sitter Verstappen into the critical first corner. Piastri emerged victorious from this duel after a strong start from second place. The stewards later ruled on the incident where the Red Bull challenged him, resulting in a penalty for Verstappen, a decision that impressed many observers.

Drivers` Championship: Top Five

Norris Returns to First Win Site Needing Qualifying Improvement

As F1 returns to the Miami International Autodrome for the fourth time, it marks the one-year anniversary of Lando Norris`s maiden F1 victory. That win was achieved from fifth on the grid, ahead of Verstappen, in Norris`s 110th race.

Returning to the `Magic City` holds special significance for Norris. However, after a challenging two weeks in the Middle East where he lost his early title lead to Piastri, he desperately needs a result here to regain momentum.

Norris particularly needs to improve his qualifying performance, an area where he previously held an advantage over his teammate. Costly single-lap errors in China, Bahrain, and a crash in Saudi Arabia have meant he has only started on the front row twice this season. His starting positions in the last two races were sixth and tenth.

After recovering to fourth place in Jeddah, Norris commented, “I make things difficult for myself, especially in races like that. It would be much easier and more relaxed starting at the front. In a way, it`s simpler [driving at the front], so I need to help myself by having better Saturdays.”

Team Principal Andrea Stella remarked on Norris`s race from tenth, saying, “It was important for Lando`s morale. He demonstrated brilliant racecraft. On the in-lap, he said, `we just need to polish the Saturdays a bit, and we`ll have fun.`”

A ten-point gap behind Piastri at this point isn`t a major concern yet. However, Norris, who was ahead of his teammate in Saudi before his Saturday crash ruined his win prospects, will be eager to bounce back quickly.

Verstappen Remains a Significant Threat

The fact that a victory in Jeddah instead of second place would have put Max Verstappen, not Piastri, in the championship lead heading into Miami highlights the significant threat the reigning four-time champion still poses to the McLaren drivers.

“We`re likely to see a battle between the McLarens, with Verstappen lurking,” observed Karun Chandhok. “He`s ready to capitalize and is maximizing the performance from the Red Bull team. You cannot rule him out.”

With Verstappen only 12 points behind, McLaren and their drivers are certainly aware of the threat. Red Bull showed genuine speed in Saudi Arabia and are expected to introduce a significant upgrade at the next European race in Imola. While McLaren has downplayed the effect of upcoming changes to front-wing deflection tests in Spain (Round 9), Red Bull hopes these changes will also benefit them from June.

Currently, the focus remains on maximizing results, something Verstappen excels at. As long as he stays within roughly 25 points (the value of a race win) of the championship leader, he remains a strong contender for his fifth consecutive title.

Was Saudi Arabia an Anomaly for Mercedes and Russell?

Was George Russell right to express caution about his title chances this year, especially considering Mercedes` disappointing performance in Saudi Arabia?

The week before in Bahrain, after a strong second-place finish between the McLarens – his third podium in four races – Russell had cautioned, “I don`t expect this level of performance to continue for many races.”

Just one Sunday later, Mercedes` vulnerability from 2024 – tire wear in hot conditions – resurfaced strongly in Jeddah. This left Russell in fifth place, 27 seconds behind Piastri at the finish line.

“Clearly our worst performance of the year so far,” admitted Team Principal Toto Wolff after the race. He added, “The pace simply vanished due to blistering and overheating tires, and we don`t have clear explanations for it yet.”

Miami is also expected to be warm, and historically, it hasn`t been a track where Mercedes has competed at the front since its debut in 2022. This makes the upcoming Sprint weekend another critical early-season test of the Silver Arrows` potential as front-runners in 2025.

Ferrari Needs to Find More Pace Quickly

While it`s still early in the 24-race season to count out any potential title contenders, Ferrari and their prominent drivers must start closing the gap to the leaders soon if they hope to mount a championship challenge.

Charles Leclerc is currently their highest-placed driver in fifth, but he arrives in Miami already 52 points adrift of Piastri – a gap larger than two race wins. Leclerc lost 10 points from his total due to disqualification from fifth in China. His third-place finish in Jeddah remains Ferrari`s best result in a Grand Prix this season.

Although the SF-25 has shown glimpses of genuine competitiveness during certain race stints, consistent front-running has been difficult to achieve, especially in qualifying, which has hindered the team`s performance on Sundays.

Lewis Hamilton is a further 16 points behind Leclerc in seventh. The eight points he lost from the Chinese Grand Prix mean he is currently even behind Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.

Given the significant early-season gap to the fast McLarens, Lewis Hamilton would need a rapid change of fortunes to contend for a record eighth title this year. However, he stated in Japan that winning the championship in his first year with Ferrari was “not my expectation” anyway.

Nevertheless, the seven-time champion will hope his 2025 season improves soon, despite his somewhat grim prediction after his Saudi struggles that the year “is going to be painful” in a Ferrari car he isn`t yet comfortable with.