Oscar Piastri says he knew it was only a matter of time before he cleared Max Verstappen en route to a commanding victory in the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Piastri lined up fourth on the grid for Sunday’s GP, but circumstances at lights out played in his favour.
Verstappen fending off Lando Norris at lights out opened the door for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Piastri to sweep into second and third, and the Australian made light work of passing Mercedes’ Italia starlet.
Lap 11 through 14 saw Piastri contest with Verstappen in what became a vital confrontation to attain victory, and the Australian knew it was a matter of “when” not “if” he made his way past the Dutchman.
Verstappen initially held him off, but the Australian kept the pressure on through the opening phase before making a decisive move to take control of the race, and, ultimately, the championship fight.
“I enjoyed it at certain points, yes,” Piastri told select media, including Motorsport Week post-race.
“It was tough at the beginning trying to get past Max. I tried pretty hard to get past, with everything still on my car. It was not easy but I picked my moments when I needed to.
“I could tell that we had a lot of pace from the get-go today, and it was going to be a matter of when I got past, not if.”
Piastri’s overtake on Verstappen proved to be the turning point.
Once in front, he pulled away from the Red Bull and built enough of a margin to manage tyre wear and pace, even as team-mate Norris applied pressure from behind in the second stint.
“I wanted to do it as efficiently as I could because I knew once Lando got back behind me, he was going to be catching us a lot,” Piastri continued.
“I wanted to get through quickly but cleanly.
“I felt like I did a pretty good job of that, then built a gap.
“Maybe not the strongest second half of the race of my life, but I think building that gap and being quick at the right times was what I needed.”
Piastri ‘expected’ stern Verstappen test in Miami
In his fight to the front, Piastri noted stark differences between the fight put up from Antonelli and Verstappen, respectively.
The Australian made light work getting past Antonelli, but knew to expect a very different challenge from Verstappen.
“I mean, to be honest with you, Kimi was very nice to me and didn’t make life very tough,” Piastri said when asked about his earlier battles.
“Which is nice when you race against people who identify when someone’s quicker and don’t make the race more difficult for both of us. So that was nice of him.
“Obviously, for Max, leading the race, a different story. But I knew to expect that.
“I could tell we had a lot of pace. Like I said, it was a matter of just biding my time, waiting for a moment, or forcing him into a moment.
“ That’s what I was able to do. Once I got past, I knew I had to try and build a gap while Lando was behind him. That got me the win.”
The result capped off a perfect Sunday for McLaren, with Norris completing a 1–2 finish.
It was a major statement of intent from the Woking outfit, which has now won four of the first six races in 2025.
For Piastri, it also marked redemption after what he described as one of his “trickiest” Saturdays of the year, finishing second to Norris in the Sprint and fourth in a qualifying session that left him feeling on the back foot.
“I won the race that I really wanted to do,” he said.
“Yesterday was a tricky day. Obviously, the Sprint was what it was, but qualifying was probably one of my trickiest sessions of the year. And to come away with a win still on Sunday is an impressive result.”
McLaren and Piastri now head to Imola with momentum firmly on their side and the rest of the field running out of answers.
The win in Miami was Piastri’s fourth of the season, and his third on the bounce, confirming the 24-year-old as a genuine title favourite. It also moved him onto 131 points, now 16 clear of Norris (115), with Verstappen trailing in third on 99.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen hails Oscar Piastri F1 title credentials
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