It’s P1 for Lando Norris, who claims his first win in the 2025 season. It was a solid and lucky performance from third to first after a tumultuous series of events developed during the race.
Nonetheless, Norris will take his luck wherever he can provided it puts a hold on championship leader Oscar Piastri, who finished in second, followed in third by Lewis Hamilton, who, for a change, got lucky as Ferrari nailed his tyre stop at the right time.
Following his shy but competitive race tradition, George Russell nailed an uneventful fifth place, never posing much of a challenge during the race and without enough laps left to fight Alex Albon, who finished ahead, but with a pending investigation for a Safety Car infringement.
Lance Stroll took a solid sixth position, keen to prove to Aston Martin that they made the right choice in supporting his seat in the team. Rookie Liam Lawson claimed a controversial seventh place after colliding with Fernando Alonso, another suspect with a pending investigation post-race.
The last sprint point went to Oliver Bearman with a strong performance, but eager to hear the results of the post-race investigations, as he could be promoted higher.
How It Unfolded
Before the race had even started, the Tifosi fans were already shedding a tear, perhaps hidden in Miami’s heavy rain. The track was soaked and claimed its first victim: Charles Leclerc‘s SF25 was against the wall during the warm-up lap and out of contention for the Sprint. The Red Bull team was already facing a tough sprint as Yuki Tsunoda was starting last due to a suspension change under parc fermé conditions.
The first sprint in the US had one of the youngest front rows in a while, with Kimi Antonelli on pole, followed by Piastri and Norris. As Kimi started leading the pack behind the safety car for the formation lap, the race director decided to red flag the race due lack of visibility in the heavy rain.
The race director decided it would be a standing start to resume the race, a decision which didn’t play well for Kimi, losing first position in the first corner as Piastri had a better reaction off the line, getting relegated to fourth and promoting Norris and Max Verstappen ahead on the grid.
By lap 3, Piastri had already built a 1.7s difference over his teammate Norris, and Antonelli’s maiden win was already a distant memory, and he got comfortable in fourth. Back on the grid, Alonso made great progress, already landing a point in eighth position and eager for more, but Albon’s Williams had an impressive pace, eager to challenge Hamilton for his sixth position.
The clock marked lap 11 and Red Bull gambled with its second driver; Tsunoda had been stuck on the bottom and opted for medium tyres in complex track conditions. Everyone took the hint, and drivers rushed to the pits for a change.
Then, chaos unfolded.
A yellow flag flew as Carlos Sainz clipped the wall and was spun, his fresh left-rear tyre blown. Back in the pits, an unsafely released Verstappen hit Antonelli, and there was debris everywhere.
Then a double yellow for the two-time world champion colliding with Liam Lawson to produce a massive crash; it was game over for Alonso. The safety car was ending, and Verstappen was already under two investigations by the FIA Marshals, one for the unsafe release and another for an out-of-position start.
The race resumed for the last lap with Norris leading and Piastri following behind, with Hamilton in third after a surprisingly well-executed early stop for mediums before the chaos. Verstappen received a 10-second penalty for his unsafe release, and Lawson would be investigated after the race.
Thank you Miami, we love the craziness.
2025 F1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Results
Next up is qualifying for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, just a few hours away. Coverage on ESPN+ begins at 4:00 p.m. ET.
