Oscar Piastri Wins Miami Grand Prix, Extending His Lead in F1 2025 Season

Oscar Piastri extended his championship lead over fellow McLaren driver Lando Norris, who finished second, in an exciting Formula 1 race that included numerous wheel-to-wheel fights on Sunday.

With a contract extension through 2041, the Miami Grand Prix guaranteed the city’s spot on the Formula 1 schedule, showing the sport’s significant wager on the expanding U.S. market.

For Piastri, the first scene was crucial. Two positions behind Norris, he qualified fourth. However, he overtook his teammate when Norris lost positions due to an altercation with Red Bull pole-sitter Max Verstappen in the first few corners. Verstappen was accused of forcing Norris off the track, which caused him to drop to sixth place.

The four-time world champion Verstappen put up a fierce fight against Piastri’s and Norris’s charging McLarens, but he was eventually unable to hold them at bay. Over several laps, Verstappen and Norris battled for second place, switching places before Norris won. Piastri, meanwhile, gained a 9-second lead that was important to his win.

Norris finished 4.6 seconds behind Piastri after closing the deficit considerably in the last few laps of the race.

Piastri stated, “It was a good thing that I built that gap in the first stint,” despite his difficulties later in the race.

After winning four of the first six races, Piastri now has a 16-point lead on Norris in the championship standings.

George Russell, a Mercedes driver, finished third on the podium. Verstappen lost ground to Russell during the pit stops and finished in fourth place.

Leclerc finished seventh, while Hamilton finished eighth. The tension between Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton resulted in Hamilton’s abrupt radio messages condemning Ferrari of poor teamwork when he got caught behind his teammate while on faster tires.

Miami will host F1 races until at least 2041

According to the promoters, the Miami Grand Prix, which debuted in 2022, is currently the race with the longest contract on the schedule.

Miami was described by F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali as “one of the most important and spectacular events on our calendar.”

“Extending this agreement until 2041 is a strategic milestone of enormous importance, which strengthens our presence in America and consolidates the ever-deepening bond with our fan base there, which is constantly growing and passionate like never before,” Domenicali said in a press release.

Celebrities and VIPs were everywhere on the Miami paddock and weekend party circuit, including Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn, former football players Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, comedian Andrew Schulz, singer Jelly Roll, and Lisa, the Thai singer and actor who starred in the most recent season of “The White Lotus.”

President Donald Trump did not attend as he did the previous year, but Tulsi Gabbard, his national intelligence director, was there and was seen chatting with Verstappen following Saturday’s qualifying session.

Norris won the shorter “sprint” race on Saturday, which descended into chaos due to the weather. Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old Mercedes rookie who set a new record for being the youngest pole-sitter in the history of the Saturday sprint, was one of the stars in Miami.

On Sunday, Antonelli came in sixth, behind Williams’ Alex Albon, who ended in a strong fifth.

Launch of the Cadillac F1 Team

To get ready to enter the grid next year, the Cadillac F1 team had a glamorous red carpet launch party in Miami Beach the night before the race to unveil their logo.

“This decision was made with the fans in mind and continues to push the boundaries of motorsport to the highest level. Cadillac’s entry represents a powerful fusion of American engineering excellence, heritage, and innovation and I look forward to welcoming them,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the FIA, the sport’s governing body, said in a statement.

Mario Andretti, the 1978 Formula One world champion, who advises the team on driver selection and other issues, was present.

“Seeing the Cadillac Formula 1 team come to life was an adrenaline rush, coming from my passion and love for it. It was a celebration of teamwork, dedication and resilience. A night to acknowledge the effort and perseverance of so many people,” Andretti told NBC News. “My congratulations to Cadillac and to each individual who helped navigate and offer reassurance about the future. I’m so proud to be on this team with them.”

‘F1’ movie preview by Jerry Bruckheimer

In order to promote the upcoming Brad Pitt film “F1,” which Warner Bros. is set to premiere in the US on June 27, the paddock included a garage experience. The space featured an immersive experience where visitors and VIPs could listen to the film’s album, created by the Los Angeles-based creative firm Sturdy.co. It also provided F1 race simulators that were decorated to resemble the imaginary APXGP team that Pitt’s character competes for.

“It’s romantic, it’s exciting, and it’s most authentic racing movie ever made because of the technology we were able to use,” producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in an interview in the paddock. “The story is emotional. It’s a comeback story — the kind of stuff that inspired me to go see movies and make movies.”

Years after a horrible crash, Pitt portrays Sonny Hayes, a former Formula One racer who suddenly returns to racing.

According to Bruckheimer, Pitt spent three months honing his F1 driving skills. “Did all his own driving,” Pitt claimed. “He loves driving cars. And I think the saddest day for Brad is when he had to step out of the car and we wrapped the movie. I was more relieved than anybody else that everything was safe.”