In Pictures: Miami 2025
Formula 1 travels from shore to shore, from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, from the Asian continent to North America, and from Saudi Arabia to the United States—further proof of the truly global reach of this sport today.
The Miami Grand Prix is the first of three races to be held in the United States this year, continuing a trend that began in 2023. Joining the calendar in 2022, it follows the debut of Jeddah a few months earlier. The race takes place on a track surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins NFL team and one of the nine venues for the ATP Masters.
The Miami International Autodrome is 5.412 kilometers long, featuring 19 corners, and wraps around the Hard Rock Stadium. The layout offers a blend of high-speed stretches and technical sections, with several overtaking opportunities—particularly down the DRS-assisted straights between turns 8 and 11, and from turn 16 to 17. Drivers and engineers must find the right compromise between low aerodynamic drag for the straights and stability through the slower corners.
FRIDAY
Lap times were significantly quicker than in the same session last year—by around 1.4 seconds in FP1 and 1.2 seconds in Sprint Qualifying. Beyond the natural performance gains of the 2025 cars, Pirelli’s decision to bring a compound range one step softer than in 2024 also played a key role.
As for Sprint Qualifying, it was Andrea Kimi Antonelli who emerged on top for Saturday’s Sprint Race, setting the fastest time of 1:26.482 at the Miami International Autodrome. He becomes the 14th Italian driver to lead a Formula 1 grid-deciding session. The last instance dates back to the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, when Giancarlo Fisichella famously put his Force India on pole.
““First of all, allow me as an Italian to congratulate Kimi for this wonderful pole position. It’s the first time since Pirelli returned to Formula 1 in 2011 that one of our countrymen has topped a qualifying time sheet.””
SATURDAY
The Sprint was shaped by heavy rain that fell before the start. Conditions were so slippery that Charles Leclerc aquaplaned on his way to the grid, crashing his Ferrari into the wall. Of the remaining 19 starters, Carlos Sainz (Williams) gambled on Extreme Wets, but a red flag and delayed restart—due to excessive water and poor visibility—led him to switch to intermediate tires, followed later by slicks. The race was red-flagged again when Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin hit the wall after contact from Liam Lawson, who clipped Alonso’s right-rear tire.
In the end, it was a McLaren one-two finish in the Sprint, with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton completed the podium. It marked Norris’s second Sprint win and the fourth for McLaren. Several drivers received penalties during the race, including Max Verstappen for an unsafe release while switching from intermediates to slicks.
Verstappen later responded by taking pole position for the Grand Prix in his Red Bull. It was his third pole of the season, his second in a row both this year and at this circuit, and the 43rd of his career. His fastest lap, a 1:26.204, set a new outright record for the Miami International Autodrome. McLaren’s Lando Norris (1:26.269) secured a front-row start, just two-thousandths of a second ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who qualified third for Mercedes with a 1:26.271. Championship leader Oscar Piastri lines up fourth with a time of 1:26.375 in the second McLaren.
SUNDAY
As predicted before the event, the grid saw drivers split into two camps—13 opted for the Medium tire for the first stint, following the theoretically faster strategy, while the rest chose the Hard, banking on a delayed pit stop window to capitalize on a potential Safety Car period or to manage the looming threat of rain, which remained throughout the race.
Two drivers completed the longest stint of 36 laps on the Hard compound: Nico Hülkenberg in the Sauber and Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin. On the Mediums, the longest run was 29 laps, achieved by both McLaren drivers, as well as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in his opening stint and Lewis Hamilton in his second.
McLaren scored a perfect 58 points in Miami: a one-two in Saturday’s Sprint and another in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Norris took the win in the Sprint, followed by Piastri, while today it was the Australian who crossed the line first—his fourth Grand Prix victory of the season, third in a row, and sixth of his career. It also marked McLaren’s 51st one-two finish in Formula 1, and their second this year.
Joining them on the podium was George Russell (Mercedes), notching his fourth top-three finish of the season, with one second place and now three thirds.
With its trademark blend of spectacle, unpredictability, and raw speed, the 2025 Miami Grand Prix delivered a weekend to remember. As Formula 1 continues its journey across continents, the momentum now shifts to Europe, with Imola up next.
NEXT STOP: IMOLA 🇮🇹
Excerpts from this article provided by Pirelli S.p.A. Photographs courtesy of Formula 1 teams and partners.
