Norris Claims Miami Sprint Victory Amid Chaos and Safety Car

Miami, Florida — Lando Norris triumphed at the Miami Grand Prix Sprint race on Saturday, taking advantage of a timely safety car to overtake his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. This victory follows a dramatic and wet-dry race at the Miami International Autodrome, where Norris edged out Piastri and secured the win, reducing Piastri’s championship lead by one point to nine.

The race began with a 30-minute delay due to heavy rain, transforming the event into a challenging 16-lap sprint. The rain forced teams to start the race behind the safety car and the situation turned chaotic when Fernando Alonso crashed, prompting another safety car with just three laps remaining.

Norris capitalized on the late-race safety car after Piastri had previously taken the lead by pitting for dry tires on lap 14. With Piastri restricted to a controlled speed due to the safety car, Norris managed to pit efficiently, maintaining his position ahead of Piastri on the track.

“My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, so I’m happy,” Norris said post-race. “It’s worked two years in a row.”

Piastri had started strong, quickly jumping ahead of polesitter Kimi Antonelli. However, the late safety car shifted the momentum back to Norris. Piastri expressed disappointment but acknowledged the unpredictability of racing. “I feel like I did pretty much everything right, so a bit disappointed to come out in second but that’s how it goes sometimes,” he said.

Lewis Hamilton finished third after benefiting from an early pit stop strategy that allowed him to move up from sixth place. He expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance. “It’s been a tough year so far, but I’m happy with that,” he remarked.

The race was particularly challenging for defending champion Max Verstappen, who faced penalties after a pit lane collision with Antonelli. He was initially running in fourth but ended up in 17th after receiving a 10-second penalty for the unsafe release that caused the crash.

<pAlthough Norris has won the Sprint, Piastri remains the championship leader heading into the main Grand Prix on Sunday. “Racing is a tough business,” Piastri remarked, expressing optimism for improved results during the main event.