Miami Grand Prix Recap

Hi! I know that this is really over-due but I have been busy with my assignments. Now that I am free for the summer, here is a recap of what happened last week in Miami.

Sprint

After the long break, It was obvious that the Mclaren had improved greatly on their car, being able to lower the gap between them and Mercedes. Lando Norris managed to get pole position for the Quali and Oscar Piastri secured P3 with Kimi Antonelli in between the two.

The most shocking position was George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who before Miami, were qualifying on the front row continuously. Everyone expected Russell to be competing with Antonelli, which made this result even more shocking, especially when the public have been worried about how Antonelli will handle the pressure of leading the championship. But clearly he is handling it well and Russell seems to be the one faltering.

When it comes to the most impressive team during the sprint qualifying and sprint race, Alpine takes that place. Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly qualified in the top 10, with Gasly finishing just in the points with 8th. The break seems to have benefitted Alpine well as they have improved on their car, unlike Aston Martin, who seem to still be struggling with getting their car in competing state.

Lando Norris ends up winning the sprint race, which is an amazing feat when you compare it to the start of the season, where there was a double DNS for Mclaren. Oscar Piastri gained his second podium after not starting the first two races and Charles Leclerc took the last place on the podium. Overall, it was a very good sprint for the Mclaren, while for Mercedes it was disappointing as they lost their car advantage.

Qualifying + Grand Prix

While the sprint was great for Mclaren, qualifying was not. Norris qualified 4th while Piastri sat at 7th, which was a far cry from the Mclaren 1-2 we seen a few hours before. However, they were able to turn this around for the race, as Verstappen spun in the opening lap, allowing both Mclarens to gain positions, putting Norris 2nd and Piastri 4th, right behind Antonelli. They both finished on the podium, with Norris chasing Antonelli until the absolute final lap. In my opinion, this was the most exciting race that we have had in a while, with so many overtakes in a track that is known for it’s narrow corners.

What was the most disappointing for many Ferrari fans was the result. Leclerc managed to lead the race for a while, but that all went wrong when the strategy did. He was not able to keep up with his tires and ended up spinning on the last lap. Additionally, there was contact with Russell which granted him a penalty after the race. Lewis Hamilton’s position was also disappointing, as he was 7th by the end of the race. It was an overall bad race for Ferrari but I have hope they can pick it back up.

Now for the midfield action. Gasly and Lawson had a collision on the first lap, which led to Gasly spinning and crashing his car. Simultaneously, Isack Hadjar scraped the wall and ended his own race. This caused a yellow flag and led to Verstappen being in the mix with the midfield, having to make his way back through the traffic. While all of this was happening, Colapinto was able to secure p8, his best position since 2024 Miami Grand Prix (that’s my goat).

Kimi Antonelli ended up winning the race, further expanding his point lead against his teammate, George Russell and being 1 of now 3 drivers to win 3 consecutive races, alongside Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna. The two Mclarens were also on the podium and what makes it more impressive is that this is Piastri 2nd race start and he managed to get a podium both times.

Overall, it was a great race to watch as there was much to focus on with possible rain and action even towards the last lap. Congratulation to Antonelli, who has gained an achievement by being one of 3 drivers to have consecutive wins after his first win!