Miami Madness: Lawson’s hopes wrecked by Lap 1 collision with Doohan

The sweltering streets of Miami were witness to one of the most action-packed race weekends of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Oscar Piastri clinched his third consecutive Grand Prix victory, spearheading a sensational McLaren 1-2 finish ahead of teammate Lando Norris.

Amid drama, retirements, and rain threats, the McLaren duo put on a dominant display. Championship rivals faltered and tempers boiled over in the Florida heat.

Liam Lawson’s Miami weekend took a hit early, with battery issues in Q2 relegating him to start 15th on the grid, lining up alongside Nico Hülkenberg’s Kick Sauber.

His Racing Bulls teammate, meanwhile, had a stronger showing, qualifying 11th. He slotted in next to Lewis Hamilton in 12th. But it was all about to unravel in spectacular style once the race began.

As the lights went out, pole-sitter Max Verstappen muscled his way past Lando Norris into Turn 1. However, things got scrappy immediately. Norris, looking for a way through, was forced off at Turn 2 after contact with the reigning champion.

“He forced me off. What am I meant to do, just drive into the wall or something? Like I was completely alongside,” fumed Norris over the team radio.

Replays showed Verstappen holding the apex, and stewards later ruled that no further action was necessary. But it was far from over.

Further back, Lawson tangled with Alpine’s Jack Doohan at Turn 1. That caused damage to his car and dropped him to 19th—20 seconds adrift. The Virtual Safety Car was called as Doohan retired for the second time this season.

“I got completely hit, mate. I have no idea what Alpine was doing,” Lawson reported.

The restart saw Piastri claim second from rookie Kimi Antonelli. Soon after, he was on Verstappen’s tail, pushing the Red Bull into defence mode.

On Lap 11, the McLaren driver made a clean, clinical move for the lead, taking advantage of Verstappen’s fading grip.

“S*** brakes, man. Honestly, useless,” came Max’s furious reaction over his team radio.

Now on a mission, Norris soon dispatched Antonelli and closed the gap to Verstappen, reigniting their earlier battle.

His first overtake attempt came off-track, prompting him to give the place back, but on the next opportunity, he made it stick. The McLarens were now running 1-2.

“It’s super slippery to drive,” Verstappen reported, struggling to match the Papaya pace.

As the leaders pulled clear, drama unfolded in the midfield. Fernando Alonso spun, Antonelli had a slow pit stop, and multiple cars—including Piastri and Norris—pitted under a second Virtual Safety Car, triggered by Oliver Bearman’s power unit failure. Sparks and smoke signalled the end of the Briton’s race at Turn 8.

Meanwhile, Tsunoda incurred a 5-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane after locking up both front tyres on entry and not reaching the restricted speed before the line. Another VSC followed soon after, this time for Bortoleto, who pulled over with terminal engine issues.

“Mate, my engine is failing; I can’t drive like this,” he reported a few laps before becoming the third retirement.

Lawson was the fourth and final retirement of the day. The Lap 1 incident effectively ruined his race, and he never recovered. Trailing the field by more than 20 seconds, the Racing Bulls driver eventually brought the car back to the garage with 19 laps remaining.

The damage was extensive, as television crews captured a hole in one of his side pods, which was responsible for the disappointing race.

Lawson deserves credit for digging deep and keeping the car going as long as he did despite the challenging circumstances.

“I don’t really know what happened. I had a really good launch.,” said Lawson post-race.

“A gap opened up through the middle into turn one, and I took it. Then I felt a hit from the side into turn one. I don’t know what happened, so I need to watch it back.

“But it destroyed the floor, and then we had to retire. It’s not a nice feeling.

Jack Doohan briefly spoke on the subject post-race.

“I don’t want to comment, I haven’t seen the replay yet,” said Doohan post-race. “As we all know, nothing would be intentional.

“Unfortunately, we got squeezed there. Maybe he had a car on his outside. We just have to look into it because it didn’t end well for me, and I don’t think it helped him out as well.”

Out front, Piastri was in a league of his own, extending a lead of over 8 seconds on Norris. George Russell, running third, couldn’t keep up as his medium tyres degraded—unlike the hards working beautifully for the McLaren pair.

Verstappen, now regrouped, pushed hard to catch Russell in the final laps, eyeing a podium, while Hadjar charged toward Tsunoda, attempting to take advantage of the Japanese driver’s penalty.

With only a handful of laps left, tension flared at Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton voiced frustration over team orders after being told to let Charles Leclerc pass.

Every driver pushed their machines to the limit in the final three laps.

On the final corner, Sainz tried to dive down the inside of Hamilton, but the two touched. Hamilton accelerated off the corner and kept his position.

Hadjar nearly snatched the final point from Tsunoda but fell heartbreakingly short—just one-tenth outside the 5-second window he needed to capitalize on Tsunoda’s penalty.

McLaren’s Miami Masterclass:

Under the Florida sun, it was a Papaya celebration. Oscar Piastri took the chequered flag to win the Miami Grand Prix, with teammate Lando Norris in second and George Russell a distant third—37 seconds behind—completing the podium.

“I won the race that I really wanted to,” said Piastri.

“Yesterday was a tricky day. Obviously, the sprint was what it was, but Qualifying was probably one of my trickiest sessions of the year. To come away with a win still on Sunday is an impressive result.

“There was a bit of argy-bargy at Turn 1 which helped me out a little bit, and then I was aware enough to avoid Max coming through in Turn 1. From that point onwards, I knew that I had a good pace advantage, and clearly, the car was unbelievable today.”

The Miami Grand Prix marked Piastri’s fourth win of the season. Further, it extended his lead in the championship, capping off a perfect weekend for McLaren with maximum points after Norris won the sprint race and Piastri finished second.

The final points finishers were Verstappen and Alex Albon in P4 and P5, followed by Antonelli (6th), Leclerc (7th), Hamilton (8th), Sainz (9th – pending post-race investigation), and Tsunoda (10th), with Hadjar agonizingly just outside in 11th.

McLaren has surged into a commanding lead in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship following the Miami Grand Prix, amassing a staggering 246 points—more than 100 clear of second-placed Mercedes on 141. The papaya outfit has demonstrated remarkable consistency and race-winning form, leaving former title favourites Red Bull Racing (105 points) and Ferrari (94 points) trailing in their wake. McLaren’s dominance marks a significant shift in the competitive landscape of the 2025 season, with their rivals now playing catch-up in what is rapidly becoming a one-team race for the title.

Williams enjoyed a strong outing in Miami with a double points finish, as Alex Albon delivered an impressive drive to fifth place while teammate Carlos Sainz secured ninth. The solid haul boosts the team’s momentum in the Constructors’ standings, reinforcing their position in fifth overall

Next up: Imola, where the question remains—can anyone stop Oscar Piastri?