Rand Norris took advantage of a late-race safety car to jump McLaren’s teammate Oscar Piastri, earning a chaotic wet dry miamis print.
The race started 30 minutes later than planned after heavy rain absorbed the circuit 90 minutes before the original start time. Charles Leclerc crashed a Ferrari on his way to the grid, and the safety car led the field with two formation laps before the red flag stopped starting due to a heavy spray.
“Visibility is the worst thing I’ve ever had in a race car,” Piastri radioed his team just before the car returned to the pit lane to wait for the weather.
The delay lasted 28 minutes, after which Race Control ordered two more formation laps (towards the 18-lap race distance) and a standing start of the mid-tyres at the back of the safety car.
Piastri responded to light more fragmentary than Antoneri, and by the time they reached the top, the Australians were claiming the horn.
Antoneri tried to squeeze him when they turned, but it had nothing to do with sailing him out of the truck. In slippery conditions he cost him two more places, making him fourth.
The teenager radioed that he had been pushed off the road, but the steward decided that no investigation was needed. With this decision, Piastri left the lead ahead of Norris, and by the end of the first lap the gap between them was 1.5, growing to 3 seconds by the time the sprint reached half-distance.
By then, however, the circuit had begun to dry out rapidly, and the improvement conditions had caused Red Bull races, carrying snow horns into the pit lane for a medium tire set.
Lewis Hamilton chases after the sixth uninspired suit, suddenly the entire field was in the pit lane, switching to dry rubber to capitalize the dry tracks.
In Chaos, Max Verstappen was released from his pitbox into Antoneri’s path, causing damage to his front wing, resulting in a 10-second penalty. Antoneri transformed into his pitbox when he was hit, bailing him out of the next tour for the second time, returning to the pit lane and dropping him from the point.
McLaren immediately chose his pitting accordingly, and as he put on the intermediate tires, momentum turned away from the piastry and turned towards Norris.
Briton seemed to keep the front of the field, which plagued the Australian 13 laps before Piastri was called to the pit for a switch to medium tires, and switched to the slick almost entirely.
Norris had to wait for another lap before switching compounds, but as was the case with the Miami Grand Prix last season, luck was on his side, allowing the safety car to slow the field as he entered the pit lane, allowing him to rejoin the race in first place.
The safety car was needed to gather Fernando Alonso’s destroyed Aston Martin. Kiwi complained early in the sprint that his visor was fogging up, causing his vision to drop.
Wrap 15/18
⚠️Safety Car⚠️
Fernando Alonso crashes and a safety vehicle is deployed. Alonso is out of the car#F1 #f1sprint #MIAMIGP pic.twitter.com/z3iyaeb8ny
– Formula 1 (@f1) May 3, 2025
This not only moved Norris to first place, but also had only four laps left when the safety car was called, so Sprint finished with caution, preventing Piastri from challenging him for the lead and securing Norris’ victory.
“My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the moment, so I’m happy,” he said. “But it’s still a very good pace.
“These races are always difficult. I don’t know when they’ll be boxed. Should I box them early or go out later to get a safety car? It’s been going well for the second year in a row.
“I’m happy. It’s a good job with the team. It was fun.”
Piastri’s championship was reduced to nine points, and the Australian took the safety car to take him away what was an easy victory.
“I feel like I’ve done almost everything right now,” he said. “It was obviously a bit disappointing to run away second, but that’s the way I go, unfortunately.
Hamilton’s early switch to soft tires proved to be perfectly timed, promoting the Ferrari driver to third place, holding a perfect podium record in this year’s sprint and winning the previous short race in Shanghai.
“I’m very pleased with it,” he said. “It’s been a tough year so far.
“I really, really struggled with the inter. I think everyone was struggling with them. I took the risks, took the gamble and it paid off.”
His profits dropped Verstappen to fourth, but Dutchman dropped to 17th, leaving the field tied up in safety car formations after the teenage penalty was applied after the race.
He promoted Alex Albon to fourth ahead of George Russell and Lance Stroll.
Lawson finished seventh, but will be fortunate to keep it up following a post-race investigation to crash into Alonso.
Oliver Baerman hit Yuki Tsunoda in the final point in 8th place, both of which went 11th, but the British will see the steward after the race on an unsafe release involving Nico Furkenberg.
Paul Getter Antonelli finished 10th, but could potentially score the final point in the race with potential penalties.
Pierre Guthrie finished 11th ahead of Halkenberg, Isaac Hajar, Esteban Ocon, Gabriel Boltreto, Jacques Douhan and fined Verstappen.
Carlos Sign joined Alonso on his retirement list after being clipped to the Apex wall, but Leclair couldn’t start after the reconnaissance rap crash.
