McLaren dominate Miami as Oscar Piastri leads title charge

McLaren continued their dominant run in the 2025 season with a brilliant one-two finish at the Miami Grand Prix.

The Surrey-based outfit are now the undoubted favourite to reclaim the constructors’ championship, despite only six races having been completed. They hold a commanding 106-point lead over second-placed Mercedes (141 points), with Red Bull trailing further behind on 105 points.

Though Oscar Piastri has carved out an early lead, the world drivers’ championship remains wide open, as fierce wheel-to-wheel battles stir memories of the electrifying 2021 duel between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

Here, Obakeng Meletse unpacks three key talking points from an action-packed Miami GP weekend.

Playing catch-up

Lando Norris’ hunger to reignite his season backfired once again, as his aggressive duel with Verstappen cost him valuable track position and time. Starting from second, the McLaren driver eventually slipped down to sixth. He would eventually finish second.

The 24-year-old Brit now finds himself trailing his younger teammate Oscar Piastri by a modest but growing 16 points. Piastri, who stormed to his fourth win of the season, has looked increasingly assured — a worrying sign for Norris as momentum continues to shift in the Australian’s favour.

Despite his costly mistake, Norris still finished just 4.6 seconds behind the race winner, underlining the pace McLaren clearly possess. Though the gap may be small, the fact that Piastri has come from behind to seize the lead adds urgency for Norris, who must find consistency soon. Verstappen, too, remains a lurking threat.

The McLaren duo clearly have a far superior car compared to the rest of the grid — George Russell, who finished third, crossed the line a massive 37.6 seconds behind the Aussie race winner.

Despite his slow start to the season, Norris still holds the edge in experience and racecraft. But if he doesn’t find consistency soon, he risks watching the rapidly rising Piastri run away with the championship lead.

Ferrari in sixes and sevens

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is up next and, heading into what will be the first of two home races, Ferrari have struggled to get going this season, with the team having only secured one podium in the last six races.

While Hamilton has already secured a win in the sprint race in the Chinese Grand Prix and backed it up with a third-place finish this past weekend, Sunday’s main races and the qualifiers haven’t gone according to plan.

This past weekend was no exception, as both Charles Leclerc (eighth) and Hamilton (12th) were essentially knocked out of contention in the main race due to the team’s poor showing in qualifying.

Heading into Italy, seven-time champion Hamilton will be under mounting pressure to deliver a strong performance in what will be a much-anticipated home race for the British driver in front of his home fans. He has so far been outraced and outqualified by Leclerc, adding a lot more weight of expectation on his shoulders.

Kimi Antonelli a bright spark

At just 18-years old, Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli has stepped into shoes many deemed too big to fill — yet he has handled the pressure with remarkable composure in the early stages of his Mercedes career.

Antonelli made a statement by clinching his first career pole position during Saturday’s sprint race. While he couldn't convert it into a win, his overall performance this season has been impressive, already picking up 48 points and showing signs of a star in the making.

What sets him apart isn’t just raw speed from a Mercedes car that has proven to be competitive, but a rare maturity for a driver so young.

His consistency in qualifying and his ability to avoid costly mistakes have made him stand out among this year’s rookie class, and he will play a huge hand in helping the team in their battle for a good finish in the constructors.