Norris Claims Thrilling Miami Sprint Victory Amid Chaos

Lando Norris clinches a dramatic Miami Sprint win, as Hamilton secures third and Verstappen struggles to finish at the back.

Saturday at the Miami Grand Prix kicked off with an unpredictable Sprint race, following the previous day’s Shootout which saw Andrea Kimi Antonelli securing the fastest time. Despite impressing the paddock, the young Mercedes F1 driver was not considered the poleman, as the official pole position record remains for Saturday qualifying.

Even with this statistical frustration, Antonelli was set for his first-ever F1 race start from pole position during the Sprint. He led the grid ahead of Oscar Piastri, while Lando Norris and Max Verstappen occupied the second row.

George Russell, who only completed one fast lap in SQ3, started fifth, followed by Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Alex Albon in eighth. Isack Hadjar and Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten, with Alonso hoping to move up two places to earn his first points of the 2025 season.

Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon lined up on the sixth row, with Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson behind them. Carlos Sainz started 15th, followed by Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, Yuki Tsunoda, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Oliver Bearman.

5:33 PM: The big surprise of the Sprint came from the weather, with rain pouring down on Miami, leaving the track soaked! This changed the entire dynamics of the 100-kilometer race, making it even more unpredictable and potentially extending its duration.

5:34 PM: Charles Leclerc crashed into the wall during his reconnaissance lap! His Ferrari was severely damaged, and it seemed unlikely that he would make it back to the grid.

5:35 PM: Tsunoda will start from the pit lane, as Red Bull broke park fermé rules to make adjustments to his car. Tsunoda had initially qualified 18th, but Red Bull made modifications, including to the suspension, and now he’ll start from the pits.

5:37 PM: Leclerc has abandoned his damaged Ferrari by the side of the track. The Scuderia dismantles the pit tent that was meant for him in sixth place on the grid. The Monégasque’s race is over before it even began!

5:45 PM: Hamilton was frustrated over Ferrari’s decision to put intermediate tires on for the reconnaissance laps, calling it an unnecessary risk.

5:50 PM: Laurent Mekies from Ferrari states that teams will have to choose between intermediate or full-wet tires, even though it’s no longer raining in Miami.

5:52 PM: The track temperature is still 30°C, with teams anticipating possible tire changes during the Sprint.

5:57 PM: The formation lap will take place behind the safety car.

5:58 PM: All drivers are on intermediate tires except for Sainz, who is using full wets.

6:01 PM: Leclerc is under investigation for driving dangerously when he crashed. The stewards are looking into this.

6:02 PM: Piastri complains about “horrible visibility,” describing a “huge puddle” at Turn 10.

6:03 PM: Verstappen made an error at the final corner and fell behind Russell and Hamilton in sixth position.

6:04 PM: The safety car leads the cars for another lap, and Antonelli reports that he “can’t see anything.”

6:05 PM: The start procedure is halted! Piastri describes the visibility as the “worst he’s ever had in a car,” and the race direction decides to show a red flag.

6:06 PM: The cars return to the pits. Stroll reports a visor issue as water is getting trapped between his tear-offs.

6:12 PM: Track temperature has risen to 32°C since the delay. Hope is high for a quick resumption of the race as blowers work to dry the track.

6:14 PM: Leclerc managed to drive a few hundred meters with flat tires and broken wheels before stopping the car. He will be summoned to the stewards for further investigation.

6:17 PM: The new race restart time is set for 6:25 PM French time.

6:20 PM: The race director has slightly delayed the restart, now scheduled for 6:28 PM.

6:25 PM: The track is drying quickly, and there’s talk about the race potentially switching to slick tires soon. Ocon tells his engineer Laura Müller that the race could end up on dry tires in a few laps.

6:27 PM: Tsunoda can now join the grid, as the race is officially underway after one lap has been completed.

6:28 PM: The drivers will complete two laps behind the safety car before deciding whether to proceed with the restart.

6:29 / Lap 1: All drivers are on intermediate tires, except for Sainz, who has swapped his wets for intermediates.

6:31 / Lap 2: Verstappen comments that the conditions are now suitable for racing.

6:32 / Lap 2: Piastri complains about standing water on the track. He says visibility is okay but not great down the straights. The race director confirms a rolling start after this lap!

Start: Piastri gets a great launch and pulls ahead, while Antonelli tries to hold his ground but gets pushed off the track at Turn 1. Piastri leads ahead of Norris, Verstappen, and Antonelli.

Lap 3: Antonelli complains of being forced off track, but it’s clear he tried to make a move too aggressively. Russell is fifth, followed by Hamilton, Albon, Alonso, Lawson, and Hadjar.

Lap 4: Piastri quickly establishes a near 2-second lead over Norris. Hülkenberg is one of the losers from the start, now in 15th, while Tsunoda has passed Doohan and Bortoleto, moving into 17th.

Lap 5: Piastri sets the fastest lap at 1:40.259. Norris is just a tenth behind per lap, and Verstappen trails by 1.4 seconds. The track is drying rapidly. Hamilton complains that his Ferrari “doesn’t turn.”

Lap 6: Piastri maintains a 1.7-second lead over Norris, with Verstappen 1.4 seconds behind the McLaren. Antonelli is 1.8 seconds back, with Russell closing in on the Mercedes.

Lap 7: The stewards note that Verstappen was out of position on the grid and could face a five-second penalty. Sainz passes Ocon but makes a mistake, allowing the Frenchman to retake the spot.

Lap 8: Piastri sets another fastest lap at 1:40.238, extending his lead to 3.1 seconds over Norris. Verstappen is now 2.3 seconds behind, with Antonelli trailing by 3.2 seconds.

Lap 9: Verstappen complains about his visor causing poor visibility, while Piastri loses a bit of time to Norris, who reduces the gap to 2.5 seconds.

Lap 10: At the race’s halfway point, Piastri comments that the track is drying, but not as quickly as expected. Tires might become an issue for the final laps.

Lap 11: Norris maintains a 1.9-second advantage over Piastri, with Verstappen now 4.1 seconds behind. Russell has made an error, giving Antonelli some breathing room.

Lap 12: Hamilton pits for soft tires, and Stroll and Sainz also make stops. Tsunoda is the first to gamble, switching to slicks, and he immediately finds pace, setting a time 1 second faster in his second sector.

Lap 13: The McLaren pair stays out, while Verstappen, Antonelli, Albon, Lawson, Bearman, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Doohan, and Bortoleto all pit. Antonelli emerges ahead of Verstappen, but Red Bull commits an unsafe release, leading to a collision with Antonelli’s Mercedes, damaging his front wing.

Lap 14: Norris pits, switching to slicks just as a safety car is deployed for Alonso, who has crashed into the wall. Norris leads the race, but it’s unclear when the green flag will be waved due to all the debris on the track.

Lap 15: Replays show that Sainz hit the wall and scattered debris on the track. Verstappen receives a 10-second penalty for causing the unsafe release that damaged Antonelli’s car. Alonso was also involved in an incident with Lawson.

Lap 16: Antonelli is furious, and Toto Wolff responds that it’s a “mini-race, it’s not relevant.” Norris remains in front of Piastri, with Hamilton, Verstappen, Albon, Russell, Stroll, Lawson, Bearman, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Hadjar, Ocon, Bortoleto, and Doohan rounding out the field.

Final Lap: Antonelli is told that Piastri won’t be penalized for an incident at Turn 1. Piastri handled the corner perfectly and didn’t deserve any punishment.

Finish: Norris takes the Sprint win ahead of Piastri, moving him up to 9 points in the championship! McLaren scores a big haul with 15 points. Hamilton finishes third, while Albon delivers a stunning fourth-place finish. Russell is fifth, followed by Stroll, Lawson, and Bearman, who also score points. Tsunoda, Antonelli, Gasly, Hülkenberg, Hadjar, Ocon, Bortoleto, Doohan, and Verstappen—after his penalty—finish in the final positions.

7:09 PM: Bearman is under investigation for an incident with Hülkenberg, and Albon is also under investigation for an incident at the start. The top eight could still change!

os.	Driver	Team	Gap
01	Lando Norris	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	18 Laps- 59m06.758s
02	Oscar Piastri	McLaren Mercedes MCL39	+0.672
03	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari SF-25	+1.073
04	Alex Albon	Williams Mercedes FW47	+2.522
05	George Russell	Mercedes W16	+3.127
06	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	+3.412
07	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	+4.024
08	Oliver Bearman	Haas Ferrari VF-25	+4.218
09	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	+5.153
10	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes W16	+5.635
11	Pierre Gasly	Alpine Renault A525	+5.973
12	Nico Hülkenberg	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	+6.153
13	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02	+7.502
14	Esteban Ocon	Haas Ferrari VF-25	+8.998
15	Gabriel Bortoleto	Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45	+9.675
16	Jack Doohan	Alpine Renault A525	+9.909
17	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21	+12.059
18	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25	DNF
19	Carlos Sainz	Williams Mercedes FW47	DNF
20	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari SF-25	DNS