The Miami heat wasn’t just coming from the tarmac—it was boiling over in the cockpit of Lando Norris’s McLaren.
The British driver, who’s been pushing hard to get his world title campaign back on track, found himself once again shouting in frustration.
This time? It was aimed squarely at Max Verstappen.
Despite giving everything, Norris watched his teammate Oscar Piastri snatch a third consecutive win, and with it, strengthen his grip on the championship.
Piastri’s victory in Miami marked his fourth of the season, and it now puts him 16 points clear of Norris, who finished runner-up.
Verstappen Sparks First-Lap Drama Yet Again
Things kicked off aggressively right from the start. Verstappen, recently a new dad, was as intense as ever.
Starting on pole, the Red Bull driver darted across the track to block Norris.
But in doing so, he locked up heading into the first corner, which led to contact that forced Norris wide.
Norris wasn’t happy. Over team radio, he vented: “He forced me off, mate.
What am I supposed to do? Just drive into the wall? I was completely alongside.”
The stewards took a hands-off approach, as they usually do on opening laps, and decided not to penalize Verstappen.
Piastri Makes His Move—and Makes It Stick
As the field began to settle, it was Piastri who quickly showed his pace.
After overtaking Mercedes’ young driver Kimi Antonelli on lap four, the Australian closed the gap to Verstappen.
A few laps later, he made the move—cleanly passing Max into Turn 1 on lap 14 and never looking back.
Once he had the lead, Piastri pulled away comfortably.
By the end, he had built up a gap of more than half a minute on the rest of the field.
Norris Battles Back, But It’s Too Late
After being bumped down to sixth, Norris had work to do.
He fought his way past Antonelli and then closed back in on Verstappen.
With DRS in play, he twice tried to pass Max into Turn 1 but couldn’t make it stick.
Verstappen was struggling with his brakes—“f***** useless brakes,”* he yelled—but still held him off.
Eventually, Norris made a clean move on Verstappen into Turn 11 on lap 18.
But by then, too much time had been lost. The gap to Piastri was insurmountable.
He finished 4.6 seconds behind, close but never close enough.
Hamilton Battles the Car—and His Own Team
It wasn’t a smooth weekend for Lewis Hamilton either.
After showing some promise with a third-place finish in the sprint race, the main Grand Prix proved to be a grind.
He started in 12th and struggled to make meaningful progress.
Hamilton spent several laps stuck behind Esteban Ocon, finally getting past only when the Haas driver pitted.
Later, he found himself behind teammate Charles Leclerc and believed he had more pace.
Over the radio, he pleaded: “Do you want me just to sit here the whole race?” Then came the sarcasm: “Have a tea break while you’re at it.”
Ferrari eventually swapped the cars, but Hamilton wasn’t pleased.
He later hissed, “Do you want me to let [Carlos Sainz] pass as well?” after being told Sainz was closing in.
In the end, Hamilton finished eighth—far from what was expected when he signed a £60 million deal to drive for Ferrari.
Verstappen Finishes Fourth, but Remains Norris’s Nemesis
As for Verstappen, his race was disrupted by a Virtual Safety Car following a breakdown for Haas’ Ollie Bearman.
The Dutchman came home fourth but played a familiar role—being the driver who always seems to frustrate Norris’s best efforts.
Even with Piastri soaring and Verstappen staying relevant, Norris is left feeling like he’s chasing shadows.
For now, the championship remains just out of his grasp.
And as we head into the next round, one thing is certain—Lando is going to need more than speed to turn the tide.