Oscar Piastri lost out on the opportunity to add another win to his season tally as his McLaren team mate Lando Norris benefitted significantly from the timing of a Safety Car during the Sprint in Miami.
The Aussie started the delayed session in P2, just ahead of Norris, and a mighty launch saw him charge through to take the lead at Turn 1 on the opening lap, sending polesitter Kimi Antonelli off the track.
As the surface gradually dried out after an earlier spell of heavy rain, Piastri maintained a steady gap back to Norris, although the two intermittently battled for control of the race.
With McLaren opting to pit Piastri for slick tyres first, the Briton stayed out and later managed to change his tyres just as the Safety Car was called for Fernando Alonso’s collision with Liam Lawson.
Piastri confidently led the majority of the Sprint in Miami
Crucially, he crossed the pit exit line as the first driver behind the Safety Car, granting him victory as the Sprint ended under these restricted conditions where overtaking is not permitted.
“I feel like I did pretty much everything right there so obviously a bit disappointing to come away with second,” Piastri said. “That’s how it goes sometimes, unfortunately racing is a pretty cruel business.
“Hopefully that means I’ve got a bit of luck for this afternoon and tomorrow. Another great start – I knew I had to get my elbows out on that one so I’m happy with what I did.
“I think we had a little bit of pace on the table yesterday in Sprint Qualifying and hopefully we can use that for Quali this afternoon. I’ve been enjoying it and I think we’ve got a quick car underneath us so I’ll try and make it even quicker and have a bit of an easier race tomorrow.”
Norris has now claimed victory twice in Miami
Although it demoted Piastri to P2, the late Safety Car helped McLaren to claim a 1-2 finish ahead of a rapid Lewis Hamilton, with the mixed conditions enhancing this season’s tight competition.
For Norris, today marked his second win around the Miami International Autodrome as he claimed his first Grand Prix victory here last season, marking the American city as a milestone in his F1 career.
F1 EXPLAINS: The making of the Miami Grand Prix
He said: “My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute so I’m happy. The pace was still very good. It’s always just difficult, these races, you never know when to box. You box early – it paid off for Lewis and he had a good strategy – or do you stay out later and maybe get the Safety Car?
“It’s worked two years in a row. I would probably prefer if this happened tomorrow rather than today but I’ll take it. I’m happy. A good job by the team so it was good fun.
“[Winning the Grand Prix is] the plan, but it’s tricky. There’s a lot of quick guys out there. I felt good yesterday to be honest, a couple of little mistakes but I’m ready to go again, so excited.”
RACE TICKETS – MIAMI
Don’t miss your chance to experience the Miami Grand Prix…