2025 Miami Grand Prix

McLaren delivered an utterly dominant 1-2 in the heat of Miami, half a minute clear of the opposition. This posed two questions: where is the huge advantage coming from? Secondly, how was the order between the two McLaren drivers decided in this Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris show?

That order was decided in the opening seconds of the race by Max Verstappen. The polesitter had kept his Red Bull into the lead into Turn 1, with Norris right with him, Kimi Antonelli and Piastri looking on from behind. But Verstappen fishtailed out of the corner as he tried to get the power down, preventing him from getting across the track to block Norris getting a better run than him down to the quick left of Turn 2.

Partly alongside and with more momentum, but on the outside, Norris had no real option but to go for the lead. With a big gap there, it was the obvious racing move. But as Verstappen went through that left, another oversteer snap took him out wide to where Norris already was – obliging the McLaren driver to take to the run-off area, losing him places to Antonelli, Piastri, George Russell and Alexander Albon.