By Matthew Clayton
If … whisper it, when … Oscar Piastri wins the 2025 Formula 1 world championship, a seven-lap snapshot of the Miami Grand Prix might best illustrate why.
The 23-year-old Melburnian became the first Australian driver since Alan Jones in 1979 to win three grands prix in succession on Monday morning (AEST), extending his lead in the world championship over McLaren teammate Lando Norris to 16 points, victory in Miami his fourth from six starts this season.
After sliding off in the rain in the Albert Park season opener and turning second place into ninth, Piastri has outscored Norris by 39 points in five rounds, and has the largest lead by Australian in the world championship since Mark Webber – now Piastri’s manager – enjoyed a 14-point advantage after the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix.
But for Piastri, it was how he achieved the victory that spoke louder than what he achieved. For the second successive race, Piastri stared down Formula 1’s most intimidating wheel-to-wheel racer and didn’t blink.
Once again, Norris wilted, and paid the price.
From pole position, reigning four-time world champion Max Verstappen – as has become his custom – robustly defended his position into the first corner from fellow front-row starter Norris, the Briton having to take to the trackside run-off after being leaned on by Verstappen’s Red Bull and dropping to fifth place.
Piastri – who had qualified fourth – was up to second behind Verstappen within four laps after passing Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, and set off in chase of the Dutchman, lopping six-tenths of a second off Verstappen’s advantage to draw within 0.6 seconds on lap eight.
The overtake
In a slower car, Verstappen’s defence was robust, but futile. Piastri – after a minor lock-up at the first corner on lap 12 – scythed past at the same turn two laps later after Verstappen ran deep and Piastri cut back on the inside, immediately escaping to a 1.6-second lead after one lap.
Norris, up to third and drawing closer as Verstappen and Piastri squabbled for the lead, tried to replicate Piastri’s move, but was edged towards the turn one run-off by Verstappen on lap 15, pushed Verstappen off-track at turn 11 on lap 17 and immediately gave the position back to avoid a five-second time penalty, and finally made a clean pass at the same corner one lap later to establish a McLaren 1-2.
Verstappen defended gamely, but to no avail.Credit: Getty Images
On lap 14 when he took the lead, Piastri was 2.3 seconds ahead of Norris; in not even five laps, the margin ballooned to 8.7 seconds as Norris dithered. At the chequered flag after 57 laps, Piastri’s advantage – which peaked at 10.7 seconds on lap 33 – was a comfortable 4.6 seconds as he cruised to the finish.
One round after a fast-starting Piastri had forced Verstappen into cutting the first corner in Saudi Arabia and being hit with a penalty for retaining the lead while driving off the track, Piastri again showed that he’s not one to be easily bullied.
It might be the key difference between the two McLaren drivers in a season that’s shaping up to be a one-team, two-horse race.
The championship fight
McLaren’s drivers have won five of the first six grands prix this season, Verstappen’s Japanese Grand Prix victory in round three denying the British team a clean sweep.
The Dutchman’s doggedness and ability to transcend the performance of his RB21 machine – Verstappen has scored 99 of the team’s 105 points by himself this season – will see him in contention for race wins and pole positions, but with a sweeping regulation change set for 2026 that will act as a hard reset to F1’s pecking order, teams not in title contention will turn the 2025 development tap off early to devote their resources to next season.
Sunday in Miami showed the dominance McLaren – once Piastri and Norris made their way through to the top two – have in hand. George Russell (Mercedes) finished third, 37.6 seconds behind Piastri; the last time McLaren finished 1-2 with everybody else over 30 seconds adrift was Monaco in 2007.
In a title fight of small margins, Piastri’s unfussed approach in battle – relative to his teammate’s now trademark indecision – might be what swings a knife-edge intra-team fight in his favour.
“Obviously there was a bit of argy-bargy at turn 1 which helped me out a little bit, and then I was aware enough to avoid Max coming through in turn 1,” Piastri said after becoming the first McLaren driver to win three races in a row since Mika Hakkinen in 1998.
“From that point onwards I knew that I had a good pace advantage and clearly the car was unbelievable today.
“Winning the races is what is exciting at the moment. The championship lead is nice, but I think I said after Saudi, I’m much more proud and satisfied of the work and the reasons behind why I’m leading the championship than actually the fact that I am leading the championship, especially given that Melbourne didn’t go very well.
“Considering I started with a bit of a deficit and I’ve pulled it back, that’s kind of the part that I’m enjoying the most.”
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