Miami - Race

After a safety car was called in at just the right time, Lando Norris won the sprint race. But the Saturday event was only a prelude to what the weekend had to offer. When the cars lined up on the grid on Sunday, the atmosphere around them was anything but relaxed. Verstappen managed to outqualify the McLarens, but Norris and Piastri were right behind, breathing down his neck. And with young Antonelli caught up in the messy top 4, the start promised excitement. 

Norris attacked Verstappen as soon as the red lights went out, but after their cars made slight contact, he went off track and fell behind his teammate, the two Mercedes, and the Williams of Alex Albon. As Piastri began chasing Antonelli for P2, a yellow flag waved over the circuit. It was quickly revealed that Doohan and Lawson made contact in turn one, which resulted in some damage to the cars and a puncture for the Alpine. A virtual safety car was called in during lap 2. While Lawson was able to continue racing, Doohan was forced to retire much earlier than he would have liked. 

The VSC was withdrawn at the end of lap 3, and racing was resumed. Hamilton didn't waste any time before he overtook Hadjar and moved up to P11. Only a lap later, Piastri found a way past Antonelli, moving into second position. He then set his sights on Verstappen. The young Australian achieved fastest lap after fastest lap and saw the gap between him and the Red Bull melting away. His teammate also put his all into every corner. In the span of a few laps, he managed to overtake Albon, Russell, and Antonelli, making it back to a position that promised a podium. 

As soon as Piastri got within Verstappen's DRS, the two began a defensive dance that spanned much longer than the McLaren driver would have liked. Any time it seemed like an overtake was inevitable, Verstappen found a way to block Piastri's path, keeping him behind until lap 14. He didn't get much room to breathe before Norris, having made up some time as the two cars in front of him fought for the lead, began closing in on his Red Bull. 

After some wheel-to-wheel racing, Norris moved past Verstappen on lap 17. The overtake was done off track, so McLaren advised their driver to give back the position to avoid a penalty. Norris listened and let Verstappen through, only to very quickly take the position back, this time in a much cleaner way.

Bearman was the first driver to visit the pits, doing so on lap 20. Others quickly followed, with the first top 10 drivers to change tires being Antonelli and Sainz, who both pitted on lap 26. Verstappen and Albon followed their lead a lap later. As the strategies were being adjusted, Bearman went off track due to a power unit issue. A virtual safety car had to be called in once more, giving the drivers who had not yet pitted a perfect chance to do so while losing much less time. Both Ferraris, both McLarens, and George Russell jumped on the opportunity. Russell was the one who gained the most, having come out in front of his rival for P3, Verstappen. On lap 30, the top 10 were as follows: Piastri, Norris, Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Albon, Leclerc, Sainz, Hulkenberg, and Hamilton. 

Hamilton overtook the Kick Sauber on lap 31. During the same lap, both Williams performed clean overtakes, with Albon moving past Antonelli and Sainz passing Leclerc. But the halfway point of the race wasn't as lucky for all drivers. Tsunoda was given a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and Bortoleto went off track, taking himself out of the race and bringing out a third virtual safety car. Only a few laps later, Lawson also retired from the race, although he managed to get to the pits on his own. 

As soon as the track was cleared, Leclerc began attacking Sainz. His teammate, Hamilton, was creeping behind the two, hoping to find an opportunity for an overtake. It came just as Leclerc moved past Sainz, giving Ferrari a double overtake on the Williams driver. With the Ferraris now side by side, Hamilton began asking for their positions to be swapped. He believed that he had a chance to catch up to Antonelli, due to his medium tires being quicker than Leclerc's hards. His wish was granted on lap 39, putting him in P7.

Try as hard as he might, Hamilton wasn't able to get close enough to have a proper fight with Antonelli. Meanwhile, Leclerc began complaining about his tires overheating due to being stuck behind his teammate. The two cars may have switched, but they were still going around the track with less than a second between them. On lap 52, the positions were swapped again in hopes of Leclerc being able to catch up to the Mercedes. The chance Ferrari was hoping for never materialised. 

A gap of over 30 seconds separated the two McLarens from Russell in third by the time Piastri crossed the finish line. The team's victory was absolutely crushing and proved that the race couldn't have belonged to anyone else. The victory in Miami was Piastri's 5th race win, putting his total at exactly the same level as Norris'. The young Australian also extended his lead in the championship. He is now 16 points ahead of Norris and 32 points ahead of Verstappen. 

Order of the grid:

1. Oscar Piastri

2. Lando Norris

3. George Russell

4. Max Verstappen

5. Alex Albon 

6. Kimi Antonelli

7. Charles Leclerc

8. Lewis Hamilton

9. Carlos Sainz

10. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Isack Hadjar

12. Esteban Ocon

13. Pierre Gasly

14. Nico Hulkenberg

15. Fernando Alonso

16. Lance Stroll

DNF: Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan