IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix

After five races in six weeks, the paddock got a well-earned chance to catch its breath a little before the next trip, which sees a return to one of the newest venues on the calendar. With a new championship leader and some drivers searching for answers, there’s no shortage of talking points heading to Miami…

Piastri becomes the hunted

A third victory in the first five races this season has seen Oscar Piastri become the new championship leader at this early stage, marking the first time he has topped the standings in Formula 1.

It has been a very impressive start to the year for the Australian, who bounced back quickly from the disappointment of ending up ninth in his home race to kick-off the season, and has scored 97 points out of a possible 108 since.

HINCHCLIFFE: Why I’m so impressed by Norris’ unconventional and unflinchingly honest approach to his racing

But one thing the Melbourne result did was set Piastri up to be in recovery mode, looking to chip away at the early advantage team mate Lando Norris had built up. Now he’s achieved that, he becomes the driver the rest of the chasing pack are all focusing on, as he sits at the top of the standings.

Piastri has proven to be very comfortable in such a position in the past, winning three straight titles in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 – the latter two as a rookie – before reaching F1, so will it be the same now? Or will the added attention and pressure have any impact on the 24 year old? We’ll get the first answers to those questions this weekend.

Rules of racing

That’s right, we’re talking about this again. Although find me another sport where refereeing decisions or rule making doesn’t also get discussed…

The first lap, first corner incident between Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in Jeddah divided opinion, with Red Bull particularly strong in their defense of their driver. Team Principal Christian Horner brought a printout of an onboard image from Verstappen’s car to try and argue that Verstappen was ahead at the apex and should not have been penalised, but there was no right of review requested.

READ MORE: Theme park fun, discos with Russell and architect dreams – Getting to know the real Kimi Antonelli

Ultimately, it felt like the majority sided with a penalty being justified for Verstappen leaving the track and gaining an advantage, but it wasn’t a unanimous viewpoint, and there was definitely room to argue both sides.

Verstappen received a five-second time penalty rather than the standard 10 seconds because the stewards felt the first corner on the opening lap counted as mitigating circumstances, but that wasn’t enough to appease the defending champion, who refused to comment on the incident post-race.

Not all of the drivers had seen what happened when they faced the media after the race in Saudi Arabia, but you’d imagine most will be aware of it by now, and their opinions are often the most valid as the ones behind the wheel. There could be plenty of discussion on Thursday as to whether the penalty was justified, and if the rules can be improved any further.

Ferrari and Hamilton working on solutions

After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was feeling more upbeat about his understanding of this year’s Ferrari, after a strong middle stint where he said he started to click with the car.

Fast-forward a week, and that optimism had quickly disappeared, as Hamilton struggled to seventh place in both Qualifying and the race in Saudi Arabia, and stated his belief that he could be up against it all season.

READ MORE: ‘I’m 2000% behind him’ – Vasseur backs Hamilton amid early Ferrari struggles as he insists ‘potential is there’

Team Principal Fred Vasseur is far less concerned than his driver, pointing to his impressive Sprint victory in China as proof of what he is capable of when the car is more compliant. Vasseur also said the Bahrain race pace was a further sign of Hamilton’s potential, so the team will be working with the seven-time World Champion during the gap between races to see if quick improvements can be made.

Miami will be the first opportunity to put any solutions to the test, or at the very least continue Hamilton’s learning to try and find a better direction moving forward.

Upgrades on the way?

One year ago, the Miami Grand Prix was a particularly significant moment in the battle at the front of the field.

McLaren arrived with a significant upgrade, and although they did not have long to understand it and set it up during a Sprint weekend, they certainly saw the benefit as Norris ended up taking his first victory in Formula 1.

TECH WEEKLY: How McLaren are making the difference in F1’s intriguing 2025 aerodynamic race

A well-timed Safety Car helped, but the following weeks and months proved it was no fluke, as McLaren regularly became a serious challenger to Red Bull, and at times clearly had the quickest car in the field.

While McLaren are in a far better position arriving in Miami this weekend, perhaps their example will lead others to follow suit when it comes to car development. Usually, a Sprint weekend is not the ideal time to bring an upgrade as there is only one practice session to analyse it and set the car up correctly, but with teams likely to front-load development prior to switching focus to 2026, Miami could still see some new parts arriving on cars after a week to finalise them between races.

A big weekend with extra Sprint racing

This season marks the fourth edition of the Miami Grand Prix, after it debuted on the calendar in 2022, and since then it has grown into a big weekend in the schedule.

There are regular special liveries run by teams, plenty of activations around the event, and often a huge number of A-list names that want to be a part of the action on Saturday and Sunday.

READ MORE: The beginner’s guide to the F1 Sprint

And, as mentioned above, it has become a regular Sprint event that provides competitive action on all three days of the race weekend, and gives the drivers and teams a number of challenges. As a street venue, mistakes can be heavily punished, not only by damaging the car at that moment but also costing limited practice time, or impacting a competitive session.

That alone makes it a rewarding weekend to be successful at. Add in the party atmosphere that Miami provides and even as such a young race, it’s a special one to win.