McLaren s Oscar Piastri heads into Miami GP as the man to beat

MIAMI – Formula One’s high-octane show rolls into the Sunshine State this weekend for the sixth round of the 2025 season, the Miami Grand Prix, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri holding a slender lead in the drivers’ championship.

The 24-year-old Australian arrives in Miami fresh off his third victory of the season in Saudi Arabia, where he outpaced Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and reigning champion Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

Piastri is on 99 points with teammate Lando Norris, who won at Miami last season, ten points behind and Verstappen, who won the first two races around Hard Rock Stadium, on 87 points.

The consistency of McLaren’s MCL39, coupled with Piastri’s cool-headed approach, has made him the man to beat, but Miami’s tight, twisty layout and scorching temperatures will be a tricky test.

The weekend also includes the second of six sprint races this season – the 100km dash offering eight points that could influence who heads to Emilia-Romagna in the lead.

For the first time in his F1 career, Piastri is now the hunted rather than the hunter but he says he is relishing the competition.

“I’m excited to be getting back to business this weekend in Miami and will be aiming to execute another strong all-round weekend before we head into the European swing of the season,” he told the team’s official website.

“I love the city, the atmosphere and the people and it’s a track that I’m feeling very positive about. It’s also a sprint weekend, so there will be plenty of opportunities to keep the current momentum and energy building.”

Team principal Andrea Stella expects the battle in the heat to be fierce.

“This is a special race for us as it’s where Lando took his first F1 race win, which was a key turning point in our journey