If you stop aiming for a gap, you cease being a true racing driver.
Ayrton Senna
’s scolding words to
Jackie Stewart
, discussions about Ayrton’s controversial maneuver at the first corner during the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, where he took out both himself and Alain Prost, continuing to echo through the decades. This moment often gets thrown into debates as a dismissive point-scoring move in online arguments, serving as an enduring talking point.
Lando Norris
repeated when asked if, looking back, he would have approached the initial two turns of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix in a different manner.
“There is a void. I have to take the chance. I won’t retreat,” he stated.
Norris encountered issues during qualifying, a crucial part of each race weekend.
McLaren
McLaren’s MCL39 continues to pose challenges for both its drivers. Despite being undeniably the quickest car during a race stint, as demonstrated by their dominance in Miami, it struggles when pushed to its extremes over shorter periods. Both drivers have noted issues; particularly Norris has mentioned that the car lacks sufficient feel, disrupting his rhythm.
Despite having high limits, it fails to clearly indicate their upcoming arrival sufficiently throughout the course of the season.
Oscar Piastri
has performed better than Norris overall, but not at this event in Miami, where a third-quarter lock-up relegated him to fourth place on the starting grid behind
Max Verstappen
, Norris and
Mercedes
’
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
.
As he explains, ‘The car performs at its peak during consecutive laps rather than in a single lap where you go all out,’ says Team Principal Andrea Stella.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Image courtesy of: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
In the heat of Miami, the MCL39’s widely recognized advantage with its rear tires was bound to play a crucial role in determining the race’s result, irrespective of McLaren failing to secure the front row. However, it’s tempting but misleading to let post-race insights color our evaluation of the pre-race odds.
Max managed to reach Turn 1 first – barely – but he skidded wide after locking up his wheels, giving Lando an opportunity to move up the inside line. As they entered Turn 2, where the track curved left, Lando found himself moving to what was now effectively the outside line due to Max’s position. Inside the corner, Red Bull experienced another wobble; Verstappen had to correct his drift, pushing Norris towards the edge of the track and leaving him with little choice but to go off-road or risk being hit.
That dropped him to sixth place and began the chain of shoulda-woulda-couldas. Piastri had rather less on his plate, needing only to not get stuck behind Antonelli (whom he passed on lap four) and then bridge the gap to Verstappen.
Once I realized this, I understood that my speed was superior,” stated Oscar, “and obviously, the vehicle performed exceptionally well.
While Piastri was contending with Antonelli, Norris was positioning himself to overtake him.
Alex Albon
’s
Williams
For fifth. After three more laps, he firmly passed.
George Russell
At the unconventional passing spot at Turn 4, where Mercedes faced challenges with their unexpected selection of hard-compound Pirelli tires for the initial phase.
Soon after, Norris overtook Antonelli, showcasing the McLaren’s impressive performance, and started catching up with the front two racers as Piastri began testing Verstappen’s defenses from lap 10 onwards. Realizing he couldn’t match their speed, Max concentrated on complicating things for the McLaren drivers.
“I figured I had nothing to lose, so I just wanted to enjoy myself,” he stated.
Lando Norris from McLaren, Max Verstappen with Red Bull Racing
Image courtesy of: Sam Bagnals / Motorsport Images
“They [McLaren] were just miles faster than everyone else on a track where the thermal degradation is very high. Yeah, they just have a massive advantage, that’s quite clear.”
Verstappen sturdily occupied the inside line at every possible braking point, signifying that the only way round was the long one. After probing his defences and getting nowhere, Piastri checkmated his opponent at the start of lap 14, getting close enough on the approach to Turn 1 to prompt a lock-up which sent Max wide, enabling Oscar to pick up the inside line and clear off into the distance.
Norris had more difficulty overtaking Verstappen, attempting an aggressive move into Turn 11 during lap 18 which resulted in both drivers going off the track and onto the runoff area. Norris promptly decided to yield the position back out of caution. One lap later, he successfully completed the overtake, though by this time Piastri was ahead by nearly 10 seconds.
Excluding errors or concerns about performance, the sole obstacle preventing a potential McLaren win was rain; however, forecasts predicted significant showers that ultimately stayed clear of the region. Despite this, tensions ran high as anticipated rainfall aligned with the ideal moment for teams starting on medium tires to make their stops. Consequently, all were wary of needing an additional trip to change into intermediate tires if conditions changed unexpectedly.
Even though this danger dissipated, Verstappen found himself being caught by the two Mercedes racers. When Antonelli made his pit stop on Lap 25 clearly aiming for an undercut, Red Bull countered by calling Verstadden in one circuit afterward to fit with harder Pirelli tyres. However, Antonelli’s pit-stop wasn’t swift enough to gain any advantage from it; subsequently, both drivers suffered due to their premature stops when the race progressed further.
Ferrari
power unit in
Oliver Bearman
Haas’ contract ended, leading to a Virtual Safety Car being deployed on lap 29.
This allowed McLaren to provide both their racers with new hard tires without losing much time, all during the same pit stop. Russell also benefited from this strategy, coming out in third position equipped with brand-new medium tires.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Image courtesy of: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Even though Norris managed to narrow Piastri’s lead somewhat (“perhaps not the most robust second-half performance I’ve had,” admitted Oscar), he couldn’t get near enough to pose a threat and finished more than four seconds behind at the finish line.
Piastri doesn’t usually display his emotions outwardly, yet he felt compelled to do a ‘Griddy’ — the trademark dance move of NFL star Justin Jefferson — in parc fermé. This small gesture didn’t just resonate with viewers on TikTok; it also revealed how unexpectedly thrilled he was about winning, as it stemmed from a lost bet between him and Jefferson.
Ultimately, indeed, I secured victory in the race this weekend, yet I believe the chances of winning numerous races after starting from fourth position are quite slim,” he stated. “Today, I executed many aspects correctly, however, considerable luck played into it too, along with having an exceptionally fast vehicle.
Norris had to field numerous queries about whether he could have handled the situation differently. Perhaps he should have retreated at Turn 2 and patiently utilized the McLaren’s better racing speed when the opportunity arose? Or did his performance indicate less skillful driving compared to his teammate in finding ways to eventually overtake Max?
We managed to get around him, but as usual, timing was everything,” Norris mused. “Ultimately, he allowed me to pass without resistance; it seemed like he wasn’t willing to make an effort. So, I guess it all comes down to whether he decides to challenge you or not. That’s just how Max operates.
Previously, amidst the somewhat ridiculous scene of the post-race interviews taking place inside a flatbed truck, Norris identified the issue he was dealing with in that particular race.
What can I say? Whether I decide not to pursue something, people grumble. And if I do go after it, they still grumble, so there’s seemingly no winning.
Sure, if you no longer opt for a gap…
