Oscar Piastri Claims Miami GP Victory Amidst Lando Norris and Max Verstappen F1 Tensions
OSCAR PIASTRI showcased his talent by defeating Max Verstappen to clinch victory at the Miami Grand Prix, marking a significant weekend for the Dutch driver.
Lando Norris secured the second spot, as McLaren delivered a stellar performance in celebration of Verstappen’s new arrival and his pole position for the Sunday event.
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Verstappen, who recently welcomed his daughter Lily with partner Kelly Piquet, finished in fourth place, trailing George Russell who secured third.
Ferrari experienced further turmoil with team orders, as Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration to his race engineer regarding the failure to swap places with Charles Leclerc, ultimately finishing eighth behind Leclerc in seventh.
The race kicked off dramatically, with Verstappen initially in the lead heading into Turn One but he locked up, allowing Lando Norris to make a move as they exited the corner.
Norris went wide, dropping to sixth, while Kimi Antonelli moved into second and Piastri settled in third.
The field settled under a virtual safety car due to Jack Doohan’s Alpine stopping on the track after a collision with Liam Lawson.
Norris vented his frustration over the Verstappen incident on his team radio: “He [Verstappen] forced me off, mate. What was I supposed to do? Just drive into the wall or something?”
“I was completely alongside!”
Race Control was unfazed, stating that no further investigation was necessary, permitting the race to carry on.
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The battle for the front escalated as Piastri applied pressure on Verstappen, who managed to defend until lap 13 when the Australian made his move.
However, McLaren’s challenge was not yet over; just two laps later, Verstappen found himself in another tussle with Norris.
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Norris made a daring inside move to pass but later relinquished the position as the competition heated up.
Eventually, Norris executed a perfectly timed overtaking maneuver on lap 18, snatching second place despite Verstappen’s tough defense.
A dramatic moment occurred when British Haas driver Oliver Bearman suffered an engine failure, leading to a stoppage at Turn Eight, which initiated a virtual safety car and a series of pit stops.
This fortunate turn of events enabled George Russell to jump ahead of Antonelli and Verstappen, securing third under the VSC.
Red Bull faced further complications in the pit lane, as Yuki Tsunoda was handed a five-second penalty for speeding.
A third virtual safety car was deployed following Gabriel Bortoleto’s car stopping due to engine issues.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton executed a skilled double overtake, getting past Carlos Sainz.
As lap 52 approached, Piastri and Norris held a seven-second margin, setting the stage for potential changes.
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Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, displayed clear irritation with his team’s decisions, particularly over the failure to facilitate a swap with Leclerc.
His engineer communicated: “We want to maintain DRS for Charles, so proceed like this.”
Hamilton responded, “You guys! This isn’t good teamwork. That’s all I’ll say!”
Ultimately, the swap occurred, but a vexed Hamilton remarked earlier, “In China, I got out of the way when you were on a different strategy. Have a tea break while you’re at it, come on!”
Leclerc, on the other hand, requested, “I need Lewis to speed up; I’m just stuck in dirty air now.”
The Monegasque was closely following Hamilton but was concerned about overheated tires behind him.
As lap 52 drew near, Hamilton was instructed to “swap positions” with Leclerc, who was then told to move ahead at Turn 11.
Always quick with a quip, Hamilton joked when informed that Carlos Sainz was 1.4 seconds behind, “Want me to let him past as well?”