Formula One is back in the United States this weekend for the fourth annual Miami Grand Prix. After five races, the shape of this year’s field is starting to become clear with McLaren holding advantages in both title fights, but there’s plenty of time for the rest of the contenders to make up ground.
The 2024 Miami Grand Prix served as a major turning point last season, with Lando Norris winning the first race of his career and kickstarting McLaren’s charge up the standings for its first constructors’ championship in more than two decades. McLaren enters this year’s race in South Florida as heavy title favorites, with both Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri among the top performers in the season’s early-going.
Will Norris win for a second year in a row? Can Max Verstappen keep with the pace? Will this finally be Ferrari’s 2025 breakout weekend? Let’s answer those questions and more ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
Can Norris replicate 2024’s Miami magic?
When the paddock arrived in Florida last May, McLaren was in the midst of a turnaround. After a fifth-place finish in the team standings in 2022 and a slight improvement up to fourth the following year, ’24 was a chance to keep climbing up the ladder. However, very few could have predicted that Miami would serve as such a drastic turning point.
A fortuitous safety car gave Norris his first Grand Prix victory and set in motion a season where McLaren was the best team on the grid. Though he wasn’t able to beat Verstappen and win the drivers’ title, it became clear that the team was on the right track and had a lineup that could compete for future championships.
Except for the fact that Norris hasn’t had a smooth start to 2025.
After a win in treacherous rain in Australia, he’s been kept off the top step of the podium. That’s been largely due to his performances in qualifying—in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, he crashed in Q3 and started the Grand Prix all the way back in 10th.
It’s uncharacteristic to see Norris struggle on Saturdays after qualifying was a strong suit for him in 2024—the opening laps of races seemed to plague him more last year. Whether it’s the increased pressure of expectations or just bad luck, the rocky start has landed him in second place, a step off the pace of his teammate.
But if Norris knows anything, it’s that Miami is the perfect place for a launchpad back to the top.
Piastri’s hot start and McLaren’s internal competition
On the other side of the garage, Piastri is delivering on the promise he brought to McLaren when he arrived for his debut in 2023. Three wins in the last four races have skyrocketed him to the top of the leaderboard—and has him in as the championship favorite.
Piastri is unflappable. He’s brought a dependability and calmness that McLaren needs to ensure last season’s constructors’ title isn’t a one-off. He’s also a fierce racer, as evidenced by not giving Verstappen an inch at the opening corner in Saudi Arabia.
Naturally, questions have begun to arise about what McLaren plans to do if the chips are down and the team must prioritize one driver in order to stave off the ever-lurking Red Bull of Verstappen. CEO Zak Brown has been mostly content to shrug his shoulders and say that the drivers are free to race, so long as they do so without a significant incident. With a slightly more desperate Norris and a Piastri at the top of his game, there’s a decent chance that such a battle could unfold in Miami.
If that’s the case, McLaren will need to be ready to make a tough call.
Verstappen’s response to Saudi Arabia start, off-track rumors
The four-time reigning world champion has been busy. On Friday morning, he announced the birth of his first child and rolled into the paddock in Miami shortly thereafter, missing Thursday’s media day.
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But becoming a new father isn’t the only off-track news encircling Verstappen. He remains at odds with the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem over the governing body’s harsh punishments for swearing, as well as the application of the racing rules that landed him a five-second time penalty for his Turn 1 clash with Piastri in Saudi Arabia. Then, there’s the rumors that Verstappen may be looking for a future away from Red Bull when the new regulations begin in 2026—rumors that he and team boss Christian Horner have repeatedly denied.
With the success he’s had in recent years, Verstappen is no stranger to distractions. He’s still managed to scrap his way to third in the standings and a masterful race win in Japan. Once Verstappen is behind the wheel, nothing seems to phase him. Time will tell if that continues in Miami.
Ferrari looks to build off Leclerc’s podium
Among the biggest disappointments of the 2025 season thus far has been Ferrari’s lack competitiveness with the rest of the teams at the front of the grid. A double disqualification in China put the Prancing Horse into a deeper hole after Australia and there hasn’t been much hope of competing for wins since.
Finally, Charles Leclerc broke through in Saudi Arabia for a podium finish—Ferrari’s first of the season. It wasn’t so much that the Monegasque driver was right up at the front competing for the win, but he did an excellent job at holding off Norris, who was charging back up the field from his 10th-place starting position.
Ferrari is hoping that Leclerc’s result is a sign of positive things to come, seeing as the team sits fourth in the constructors’ standings. Lewis Hamilton, despite winning the sprint race in China, still seems to be getting up to speed with his new car and hasn’t finished higher than fifth in a Grand Prix this season.
Apart from China, Ferrari fared the best in Bahrain, where track temperatures were high. If those are the conditions needed for the car to perform at its best, Miami could be the place for the team to finally make its mark this season, with the South Florida sun beaming down all weekend long.
Midfield chasing after Williams despite emphasis on 2026
While there’s plenty to analyze among the top teams, the midfield and the rest of the grid has also brought forth a number of storylines to keep an eye on. Williams currently sits in fifth place, due largely to the steady showing of Alex Albon. Carlos Sainz also put together his best drive of the season in Saudi Arabia, further putting a target on the team in the battle to be the best of the rest.
Williams team principal James Vowles has been candid that the focus remains on the start of the new regulation period next season and that he doesn’t anticipate much in-season improvement. That will make staying in fifth a tall task, as teams behind Williams try to make strides forward.
Haas seems the most likely candidate to vie for the fifth spot, with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman putting together a number of impressive drives on Sundays to make up for underwhelming qualifying performances. Alpine, despite being tied with Sauber at the back of the grid, also seems to have the pieces to start competing more regularly, as shown by Pierre Gasly’s back-to-back Q3 appearances in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The midfield battles are always worth watching, but this year in particular will have a different element at play. Will teams try to fight for every position they can this season? Or turn the focus to next year? As the weeks pass by, this bears watching, especially as it comes time to solidify driver lineups for the future.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Miami Grand Prix Preview: Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri Battle for Upper Hand.