Piastri on Verstappen: It Wasn’t If, It Was When

Oscar Piastri coolly dismissed Verstappen’s defence in Miami, declaring confidence in McLaren’s pace made the overtake feel inevitable.

Piastri secured his fourth Grand Prix victory of the year in Miami, once again getting the better of Max Verstappen, and doing it on Max’s own terms. The McLaren driver forced the reigning world champion into a rare mistake, locking up under pressure, and took control from there.

Was overtaking Verstappen a moment of excitement or tension for the Aussie?

“It was tough at first trying to get past Max,” Piastri admitted. “I pushed hard, but the car still felt strong. I knew we had pace from the start, so really, it was just a matter of when, not if.”

“I wanted to make it clean and quick because I knew once Lando got close, we’d all be bunched up again. So I had to be decisive.”

He managed just that, and once through, he pulled a comfortable gap. “Maybe not my strongest second half of a race ever, but building that lead and being quick when I needed to be made all the difference.”

Earlier in the race, Piastri had made light work of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Was the Italian simply more respectful than Verstappen?

“Kimi was fair. He didn’t make it harder than it needed to be,” Piastri said. “That’s what you appreciate, when a driver recognizes who’s faster and doesn’t turn it into something messy.”

“Of course, Max was leading the race, a different story. But I knew what to expect. It was all about picking the right moment or forcing one. That’s what I managed to do.”

Once ahead, Piastri kept pushing, using the time while Lando was still behind Verstappen to open up the gap, and that, he says, is what sealed the win.

McLaren were untouchable in Miami, George Russell finished 37 seconds behind Piastri. Was this McLaren’s best weekend of the season?

“Not for me, personally,” Piastri admitted. “The race was solid, but I was pretty frustrated with the sprint. Sure, I won the main race, but starting fourth doesn’t usually put you in that position.”

“There were things I did well, but also a bit of luck and a really fast car. I’m not expecting that kind of scenario every weekend.”

“Honestly, the pace surprised us too. We’ve been competitive this year, but this level of speed from lap one? We didn’t see that coming.”

He’s clear there’s still work to do, both for himself and for the team.

Where did McLaren have the edge in Miami?

“In qualifying, we weren’t the fastest through the high-speed corners. But in the low-speed stuff, that’s where we looked strong.”

“In the race, everything slows down a bit more, and tyre management becomes key. That’s something we’ve been good at this season.”

“It was also the hottest track temperature we’ve seen all year. That probably helped us a bit too.”

So what’s tougher this year: overtaking Max or keeping Lando behind?

“They’re very different challenges,” Piastri said. “Both of our cars were clearly ahead of the rest this weekend.”

“I’ve been Lando’s teammate for a while now, I know how strong he is. It’s never easy. But racing Max isn’t easy either, as everyone’s seen.”

“In the long run, it’s going to be a close fight between me and Lando. Both are tough. Just different kinds of tough.”

Should McLaren Focus on 2026 Already?

After dominating the field in Miami, some are wondering if McLaren should stop developing the current car and start focusing on the sweeping regulation changes coming in 2026, especially given their reduced development time under the ATR rules.

“I’m not the one making those calls,” Piastri smiled. “There are smarter people figuring that out.”

“We’ve clearly got an edge right now, but not every weekend has looked like this. Saudi Arabia, for example, was much tighter.”

“This weekend was something else. But I don’t expect it to be like this every time. Sometimes we’ll be ahead by a little, sometimes by a lot.”

“We’re still very focused on this season, we want both championships. But yes, we’re also thinking about what comes next. It’s about getting ahead without letting go of what’s right in front of us.”