Oscar Piastri triumphed in the Miami Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris after both McLaren drivers won thrilling separate fights with Max Verstappen.
There was controversy immediately when Verstappen locked up at Turn 1 and then Norris was edged off the track as he ran alongside the Red Bull into at Turn 2, after which Piastri surged up to second as his teammate fell down the order.
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As Norris was fighting back, Piastri tracked Verstappen through the early laps and then attacked coming towards the end of the 57-lap race’s opening third. By this stage, Norris’s resurgence had brought him back to third, but he then took much longer to pass Verstappen when they went wheel-to-wheel — the battled savage even as Verstappen’s tires wore and his Red Bull’s handling caused him frustration.
By the time Norris was finally by and back into second, Piastri was nearly 10 seconds clear. Although the chasing McLaren cut that gap over the rest of the race, the rain that had threatened to suspend the whole event in the race’s build up stayed away and there was little action for the leading duo to the flag, with Piastri winning by 4.6 seconds.
Behind a virtual safety activation mid-race enabled Mercedes’ George Russell to gain several places when he stopped for the mid-race tire swaps the McLarens and Verstappen had already completed and he ran third across the race’s second half.
Verstappen, down to fourth, kept the pressure up behind Russell, but never got back to close enough to make a move to recover back to the podium.
Alex Albon scored a brilliant fifth for Williams ahead of Miami’s sprint qualifying star Kimi Antonelli in the other Mercedes, while behind them the Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished line astern in seventh and eighth.
But this was only after a major team orders bust up where Hamilton fiercely criticised his team’s slow decision making over an initial position swap and then again when they insisted Leclerc move back ahead.
New dad Verstappen has lost none of his pace
Verstappen’s impressive run to pole on Saturday was the perfect answer to the ludicrous suggestions that becoming a father might cost him a tenth or two. But Sunday showed again there is no sign of the Red Bull driver watering down his hard, elbows out approach to racing.
The first flashpoint came off the start when, after locking up at Turn 1, Verstappen was out of shape into Turn 2, forcing Norris to back out while on the outside to avoid a crash. Norris was upset on the radio, but the stewards took no action. The incident is likely to revive the debate over the racing guidelines and what is and is not allowed in battle.
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Verstappen then was staunch in defending the inside against Piastri, eventually running a bit deep and complaining about his brakes on the radio. The same tactics against Norris lasted long enough to cost the Briton any chance of staying on Piastri’s coattails, and even forced Norris to get aggressive at one stage with a lunge that sent him narrowly off the track, forcing him to give the place back.
Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri battle for track position on the track (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
The Red Bull clearly isn’t suiting Verstappen enough right now to sustain a fight against the McLarens over a full race distance, meaning he needs to fight hard. Going wheel-to-wheel with Verstappen, and trying to interpret the racing rules to plot moves against the Dutchman, is an added, interesting dynamic for the McLarens in particular to consider through this year’s title fight.
Verstappen ultimately crossed the line fourth after quickly losing touch with the McLarens and then falling further back thanks to the VSC, which also allowed Mercedes driver Russell to jump into P3.
Luke Smith
(Top photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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