The Miami Grand Prix 2025 delivered a high-drama finish as the McLaren duo, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, took a commanding win even after starting behind Max Verstappen on pole positions. George Russell rounded out the podium for Mercedes, with Verstappen slipping to the fourth position.
Verstappen started from the pole and locked up the lead, too, until Norris threatened his lead at Turn 2. However, Verstappen defended his lead and pushed Norris to the side. As a result, Norris dropped from second position to sixth, while Verstappen maintained his lead under pressure.
However, the absolute powerhouse of the F1 2025 season, Oscar Piastri, overtook Verstappen on lap 14 to seize the lead while Lando Norris fought back and eventually passed Verstappen to claim second position. The McLaren duo finished first and second, while being 30 seconds ahead of Russell, who capitalised on a mistake.
Lando Norris On Max Verstappen’s Tactics
After the race, Lando Norris was visibly frustrated about Max Verstappen’s tactics. He accused him of being aggressive but not racing smartly. He said, “He’s fighting hard, but it’s up to him to do that. He’s ruining his own race. He’s not racing very smart. He probably could have finished third today, and he didn’t because of that. So yeah, he’s fighting, that is always expected, but that’s what it is.”
Norris further described Verstappen’s approach as “crash or don’t pass.” He said, “Good pit stops, great pace. We were up the road, so it was a good feeling. But Oscar drove well, Max put up a good fight as always, and I paid the price, but it’s the way it is. If I don’t go for it, people complain; if I go for it, people complain, so you can’t win,”
“But it’s the way it is with Max, it’s ‘crash or don’t pass’. Unless you get it really right and you put him in the perfect position, then you can just about get there. But I paid the price for not doing a good enough job today. I’m still happy with second.” said Norris.
Max Verstappen Unfazed By The Loss And Criticism
Max Verstappen, on the other hand, finished fourth and missed out on the podium, but was not bothered by the results and criticism. He said, “Honestly, it’s not frustrating at all (to lose a podium). We are here to win, and today we were miles off that, so it doesn’t really matter if you are a P3 or P4. I had nothing to lose, so I also just wanted to have a bit of fun out there.”
The Miami Grand Prix was highly dramatic as it intensified the rivalry between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. While Norris is in the second position in the F1 standings, Verstappen is trailing behind him in third position with 16 points. Both drivers will now look for a win in the next race scheduled for 18 May 2025.
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Also Read: Oscar Piastri Claims Fourth Title In F1 2025, Lando Norris Falls Behind
