Norris Takes Chaotic Miami Sprint Win Ahead of Piastri and Hamilton

Lando Norris benefited from fortunate circumstances to win the chaotic wet-dry Miami Grand Prix Sprint, finishing ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Lewis Hamilton secured third place, while Max Verstappen was relegated out of the points following a pit-lane collision with pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli.

The short 16-lap Sprint race, which was delayed by 30 minutes due to unexpected heavy rain showers at the Miami International Autodrome, proved exciting from start to finish.

Norris`s victory came after a late Safety Car period, triggered by Fernando Alonso`s crash with three laps remaining, played directly into his hands regarding strategy.

Piastri had taken the lead but pitted for dry tyres at the end of lap 14. With the Australian then having to circulate at a controlled speed behind the Safety Car due to Alonso`s incident, Norris lost significantly less time in the pits than he otherwise would have. This allowed Norris to make his own stop and rejoin the track still ahead of his teammate.

This marks the second consecutive year at this circuit where a well-timed Safety Car has helped Norris, following his maiden Grand Prix victory against Verstappen under similar circumstances a year prior. With considerable debris on the track, the race concluded under Safety Car conditions.

The Briton reduced Piastri`s championship lead by one point, bringing it down to nine points before Sunday`s main Grand Prix.

Hamilton was one of the first drivers to gamble on slick tyres, a strategy that significantly improved his race. He climbed from a struggling sixth position to finish third, securing his second Sprint podium (following his victory in China).

“It was my call [to pit],” Hamilton stated. “But it stemmed from the fact I was struggling so much on the intermediates. I was losing pace and I couldn`t keep up with the guys ahead.”

In contrast, Hamilton`s teammate Charles Leclerc did not even start the race, crashing on his way to the grid when the heavy rain began. Ferrari had sent both cars out on intermediates, but the sudden intense rain overwhelmed the tyre grip, causing Leclerc to aquaplane into the barrier.

World champion Max Verstappen also failed to score points for the first time this season, finishing 17th and last. This was due to a 10-second penalty incurred when Red Bull released his car from a pit stop directly into the path of Antonelli`s approaching Mercedes. The two cars made contact, resulting in a broken front wing for the Red Bull. Antonelli was forced to continue down the pit lane, missing his planned stop. He eventually finished 10th but was later classified seventh after other penalties.

Miami GP Sprint: Revised Top 8

1) Lando Norris, McLaren
2) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
3) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
6) Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
7) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
8) Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Post-Sprint Penalties Reshuffle Points

Highlighting the chaotic nature of the Sprint, three drivers initially finishing in the top eight points positions received post-race penalties from the stewards. Given the race ended behind the Safety Car with the field closely bunched, these penalties proved particularly costly as they all dropped those drivers out of the points.

Alex Albon, who had finished a strong fourth for Williams, was given a five-second penalty for speeding behind the Safety Car. As a result, Mercedes` George Russell and Aston Martin`s Lance Stroll each moved up one position to fourth and fifth, respectively.

Racing Bulls` Liam Lawson also received a five-second penalty for his role in spinning Alonso, which caused the Safety Car. This cost the New Zealander what would have been seventh place. Oliver Bearman, who impressively climbed from 19th to eighth, also lost his position after a five-second penalty for an unsafe pit release by his Haas team.

Kimi Antonelli was therefore classified seventh, and Alpine`s Pierre Gasly took the final points-paying position in eighth.

`I won`t be buying lottery tickets at this place` – Piastri laments late misfortune

For much of the absorbing Sprint contest, it seemed likely that Piastri would extend his title advantage over Norris. He had seized the lead from Antonelli at the start in a move reminiscent of his pass on Verstappen in Saudi Arabia. Coming from second on the grid, Piastri held the inside line for the first corner, forcing Antonelli wide.

Unlike the Saudi incident, Piastri remained ahead this time, with Miami`s run-off area sending Antonelli wide and costing him places to both Norris and Verstappen.

Antonelli complained on team radio that Piastri had forced him off, but Race Control disagreed and took no action against the McLaren driver.

On intermediate tyres, Piastri initially built a comfortable lead of about two seconds over Norris. However, as the track dried in the final six laps and rivals began switching to slicks, Norris started to close the gap.

As the lead car, Piastri had priority when McLaren eventually switched both cars to slicks on lap 14. But the Safety Car appearance on the next lap, after Lawson spun Alonso into the barriers, inadvertently handed the pit-stop advantage to Norris.

“I don`t think I will be buying any lottery tickets at this place!” a frustrated Piastri exclaimed on team radio after finishing second. In his post-Sprint interview, he added: “I did pretty much everything right. A bit disappointed to come away with second but that`s how it goes sometimes. Racing is a pretty cruel business. Hopefully that means I get a bit of luck this afternoon in qualifying and tomorrow.”

Norris, conversely, was happy to accept another stroke of good fortune in Miami. “My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, so I`m happy,” he commented. “It`s worked two years in a row. I probably would prefer if this happened tomorrow rather than today, but I`ll take it. I`m happy. Good job by the team. It was good fun.”

Verstappen loses costly points after Red Bull error

Verstappen was running third behind the McLarens when he made his ill-fated pit stop for slicks on lap 13. “It was a human error. We will learn from it,” said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner after the Dutchman was released too early from his pit box and collided with Antonelli.

Verstappen, whose front wing was damaged in the incident, was also overtaken by Hamilton upon rejoining the track. He crossed the line in fourth place but the 10-second penalty dropped him to the back of the field, which was condensed behind the Safety Car.

“We all don`t want that to happen, but it happened,” Verstappen commented. “It`s something we need to investigate but I`m just happy no one got injured. With these cars if you hit someone, it`s not great. It`s super clear what happened, so there`s not much more for me to add.”

Verstappen`s loss of five points for what would have been fourth place means he now trails Piastri by 19 points heading into Sunday`s Grand Prix.

Miami GP Sprint Result

*5s penalty

**10s penalty