McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Sprint at the 2025 F1 Miami GP after a timely Safety Car intervention put him ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri, who had pitted first for the slick tyres as the damp circuit dried out.
Norris had stayed out for an extra lap, as the two McLaren cars were too close together for a double stack. The Briton then benefitted from a timely collision between Fernando Alonso and Liam Lawson, which effectively destroyed the Aston Martin on the entrance of turn 12, and required an immediate safety car.
Another lucky break for Norris in Miami
As he did his pit stop whilst his rivals were running around at 40% of their usual pace to the safety car delta, for the second year in a row – this time in a Sprint and not the main race – Norris was able to pit and rejoin ahead of his nearest rival before the pit stop sequences.
Speaking in his brief interview after the Sprint, Norris admitted his luck around the F1 Miami GP circuit has been “pretty good” recently, and reflected on how for a second year running his strategy of running long helped pave the way for a good result:
“I mean, my luck in Miami seems to be pretty good at the minute, I’m happy” said Norris. “But the pace was still very good. It’s always just difficult these races, you never know when to box, if you box early [or not].
“It paid off for Lewis [Hamilton], and he had a good strategy,” he added, referencing Lewis Hamilton’s early stop that vaulted him from sixth to third. “Or, do you stay out [until] later and maybe get [lucky with] a safety car? It’s [what] worked two years in a row [for me].”
Sprint win was “good fun”, but his focus remains on the main part of the weekend
Although he’s happy to take maximum points from the weekend so far, Norris admitted he would’ve preferred if this stoke of luck hit in Sunday’s main grand prix again, like last year – but reiterated it was a “fun” Spfint race from his side:
“I’d probably preferred if it happened tomorrow rather than today,” he said. “[But] I’ll take it, I’m happy and good job by the team, it was good fun.”
Looking ahead to qualifying, the championship runner-up expects a close fight between the top four teams, and explained how there’s more to come from him in one lap pace, following a slightly messy Sprint Qualifying on Friday:
“It’s the plan,” he said when asked about scoring pole position for the main race. “But it’s tricky, there’s a lot of quick guys out there. I felt good yesterday to be honest, a couple of little mistakes, but I’m ready to again, and I’m excited.”
After winning the F1 Sprint in Miami, the McLaren driver now sits at 97 points in the drivers’ world championship, just nine off his team-mate and potential title rival Oscar Piastri, who leads the way as of the sixth GP of the season.
