Lando Norris claims 2025 Miami Sprint victory under safety car conditions
Pre-Race
The 2025 Miami Sprint race was an action packed event marred by crashes and collisions, spearheaded by Charles Leclerc as he hydroplaned on his way to the starting grid, resulting in the first crash and DNF of the race before it officially started.
Following Leclerc's crash, and thanks to poor visibility on the rain soaked track, red flags would raise and starting procedures would be delayed until the track could dry up a little bit. This caused the FIA to shorten the race by one lap due to time restraints, bringing the total down to 18.
Race Highlights
When the lights finally went out around 12:30 Eastern Time, Oscar Piastri got off the line a little quicker than rookie pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli, with both going side-by-side and making a little bit of contact as they came into Turn 1. This forced Antonelli out wide and into the runoff area, while both Piastri, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were able to capitalize on the rookie's mistake.
To be honest, I thought Antonelli did a great job at the start from his first ever pole position, and even though they didn't make it easy on him, he managed to hold his own against the veterans around him and stay ahead of his teammate George Russell, which shows a lot of promise in my opinion.
Antonelli ⚔️ Piastri
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2025
The Sprint begins with a bold move from championship leader, Oscar Piastri 😮#F1 #F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/FF8ihcJwr6
After that, we were back to the McLaren show as it has been through the season so far, with Piastri and Norris leading the pack. Lewis Hamilton looked strong after taking his soft tires around Lap 12 and had set the fastest lap of the race, even though the rest of the field had slowed down to avoid debris at the chicane at Turn 14-15 due to Carlos Sainz hitting the wall on Lap 13. Sainz would ultimately retire from the race after hobbling back to the pits.
Clipping the wall at the chicane cost Carlos Sainz dear in the Sprint 😥#F1 #F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/Ob3r8ZO7bB
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2025
When Verstappen and Antonelli pitted for new tires on Lap 13, I'm assuming in an attempt to undercut the McLaren’s for the lead, Verstappen was released from pitlane as Antonelli was coming up beside him! This unsafe release resulted in a 10 second time penalty for Verstappen that would be handed out immediately after the race, and caused quite a bit of damage to both vehicles as well!
All the drama! 😮
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2025
Catch this pit lane collision and many other dramatic moments in the Sprint highlights ▶️#F1 #F1Sprint #MiamiGP
Piastri led the race until he pitted on Lap 14 which is when the McLaren teammates swapped positions, and Norris took over as the lead McLaren. Antonelli also came back into the pits for another set of tires thanks to the collision caused by Verstappen, which resulted in him coming out at P11 after starting from Pole position.
Right after Norris pitted on Lap 15, Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin into the wall, bringing out a safety car with only 3 laps left to go in the race. It was a nasty wreck that resulted in the third DNF of the race, but thankfully he wasn't injured, and will be able to compete during the Grand Prix!
___Unfortunate contact between Alonso and Lawson 💥
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2025
This is how Fernando's Sprint came to an end 😬#F1 #F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/zdBuVl3N7F
Norris seemed to time his pitstop perfectly, making his way out of the pits just before the safety car was deployed staying just ahead of teammate, which ended up securing his victory.
While this isn't necessarily the most thrilling ending to a race, we still saw quite a lot of overtakes and plenty of mistakes being made all over the track thanks to the wet weather, which is also in the forecast for the Grand Prix. In any case, I just pray that it doesn't end under a Safety Car like we saw today.
Personally, I believe that if Alonso hadn't crashed into the wall, Hamilton could have caught up to Piastri before the end of the race, and maybe even have given Norris a run for his money. But, that just goes to show how quickly things can, and will, change in motorsports. Thankfully, no drivers were injured, and all were able to take part in the Grand Prix Qualifying sessions.
Current Standings
With this victory, Norris is still within striking distance of Piastri for the lead in the Drivers' Standings, with Verstappen still coasting along behind them in 3rd and only 19 points back, meaning that if he can kept up the pressure and we see another safety car, it's completely possible to see a new leader in the Drivers' Championship fight.
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The 2025 Miami Grand Prix will kick off tomorrow, Sunday May the 4th, at 4pm Eastern Time.
Even though it was full of incidents and ended under a Safety Car, the 2025 Miami Sprint Race was still an action packed and entertaining race to watch and gave us a taste of what's to come tomorrow during the Grand Prix in my opinion. Did you get to watch this race, and if so, what did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below.
God bless, and thanks for joining me!
-Tyler