2025 Miami Grand Prix: F1 Driver Ratings and Performance Analysis

The 2025 Miami Grand Prix delivered a thrilling spectacle, showcasing incredible speed, strategic prowess, and a fair share of drama. While one team clearly demonstrated superior pace, the ultimate success of their drivers across the demanding weekend was a story of execution, resilience, and sometimes, a touch of luck. Our in-depth analysis provides a comprehensive verdict on every driver’s performance, scrutinizing their qualifying efforts, sprint race endeavors, and grand prix challenges to offer a definitive rating for the full field.

Lando Norris

Lando Norris’s Miami weekend began with a somewhat untidy practice session, marked by unusual disruptions. He faced an early pit stop due to tools loose in his cockpit, was impeded by Esteban Ocon, and his crucial soft tyre run was unfortunately aborted due to a red flag. Despite these hurdles, his raw pace was evident throughout the weekend.

In sprint race qualifying, Norris was narrowly out-qualified by his teammate Oscar Piastri for second on the grid, a minor setback that hinted at Piastri’s strong form. However, Norris truly came alive during the sprint race. He demonstrated clear superiority over Piastri by the end of the first stint, showcasing his race management and tyre preservation skills. His inherited sprint race victory, courtesy of a timely Safety Car deployment during pit stops, was a testament to his persistent pace and being in the right place at the right time.

For the main Grand Prix, Norris showed incredible potential, possessing the outright pace to challenge and even beat Max Verstappen for pole position. Yet, he ultimately secured second place, a result that, while excellent, left a slight feeling of untapped potential. The Grand Prix start saw him attack Verstappen aggressively into Turn 2, but he was forced wide and dropped four positions to sixth. A swift recovery followed, quickly reclaiming third place. However, the subsequent battle to pass Verstappen for second proved to be a prolonged affair, taking several laps to execute.

In the latter stages of the race, Norris steadily closed the gap to Piastri, displaying a relentless pursuit. Despite his excellent pace and consistent pressure, he couldn’t quite get close enough to launch a decisive attack, finishing a strong second behind his teammate.

Overall Rating: 7/10. A weekend of brilliant race pace and strategic patience, though a missed opportunity in grand prix qualifying and a less-than-ideal start slightly tempered his overall performance.

Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri showcased a highly impressive and largely consistent weekend in Miami, culminating in a memorable victory. His sprint race started with another solid getaway, allowing him to get ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli early on. He appeared poised to hold off Lando Norris and claim the sprint win, demonstrating strong control and pace. However, fate intervened with a Safety Car deployment immediately after his pit stop, which unfortunately allowed Norris to inherit the lead and eventual victory.

The main Grand Prix qualifying saw Piastri display fantastic pace in Q2, posting a time 0.106 seconds faster than his Q3 effort. The inability to replicate this peak performance in Q3 meant he started fourth, a slight disappointment given his earlier potential. Nevertheless, his race start was superb; he gained a crucial position from Norris and swiftly dispatched Antonelli to move up the order. A significant highlight of his race was the relentless pressure he applied to Max Verstappen, which ultimately forced the reigning champion into a vital error, allowing Piastri to seize the lead. From that point, he expertly managed his race, maintaining a composed and unblemished performance to cross the finish line first.

Overall Rating: 8/10. A strong, mature weekend from Piastri, punctuated by a fantastic Grand Prix victory. His only minor blip was the inability to fully maximize his pace in Q3, but his race performance was truly championship-caliber.

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc’s Miami weekend was a mixed bag, hampered by both personal error and a car that seemed to lack the ultimate pace required for top results. In sprint race qualifying, he managed to wring every ounce of performance from his Ferrari, securing an impressive sixth place on the grid, a testament to his inherent talent.

However, the lead-up to the sprint race was marred by a costly incident: he crashed in heavy rain during his reconnaissance lap, an understandable but nonetheless frustrating blunder that prevented him from starting the sprint race. For the main Grand Prix, Leclerc was the sole Ferrari representative in Q3, but surprisingly found himself out-qualified by both Williams drivers, indicating a struggle with the car’s ultimate single-lap pace. Despite this, his race craft shone through; he executed a smart move to pass his teammate Sainz after a Virtual Safety Car restart. He also engaged in a team play strategy with Lewis Hamilton, though it ultimately didn’t yield significant benefits for either driver.

Overall Rating: 6/10. A weekend of flashes of brilliance overshadowed by a pre-sprint race error and a Ferrari package that simply lacked the consistent pace to challenge the front-runners. His qualifying effort for the sprint race was noteworthy, but the overall result was limited by circumstances.

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s Miami Grand Prix weekend demonstrated a closer-than-usual battle with his teammate, albeit with moments of frustration. In sprint race qualifying, he was noticeably closer to Leclerc’s pace, suggesting a more competitive edge. However, the damp conditions of the sprint race itself saw him initially lack outright pace. A brilliantly timed switch to slick tyres proved to be a masterstroke, vaulting him into a remarkable third-place finish, showcasing his experience and strategic acumen.

The main Grand Prix qualifying session saw Hamilton narrowly miss out on Q3, a disappointing result despite being within striking distance. In the race, he made steady progress, passing Hadjar and, eventually, Ocon. A point of contention and justifiable frustration arose from the team’s delay in allowing him to pass Leclerc, which potentially hindered his forward momentum. Later in the race, he couldn’t catch Antonelli and was again asked to let Leclerc by. Despite these strategic complications, he displayed characteristic grit on the final lap, squeezing Carlos Sainz hard to narrowly hold onto eighth position.

Overall Rating: 6/10. A weekend of strong recovery drives and flashes of brilliance, particularly in the sprint race. However, the consistent frustration with team strategy and the failure to make Q3 for the main race prevented a higher score. He was undeniably closer to Leclerc’s pace than has been typical.

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen’s Miami Grand Prix weekend was a curious blend of exceptional qualifying speed and uncharacteristic race errors and misfortune. His sprint race qualifying saw him run early in SQ3, a decision that didn’t pay off as track evolution left him fourth on the sprint race grid. A moment of concern arose during the formation laps when he went off track, though he managed to recover and start fourth. His sprint race was effectively ruined when his team released him from the pit box directly into the side of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an incident that forced him to retire and classified him 17th.

Despite the sprint race setback, Verstappen delivered an absolutely superb qualifying performance for the main Grand Prix, masterfully stitching together his best sector times to claim an excellent pole position, a dominant 0.739 seconds ahead of his teammate. However, the race itself presented challenges. He made a slight error at Turn 1 at the start but managed to hold onto his lead. A more significant mistake later at Turn 1 proved costly, allowing Oscar Piastri to snatch the lead. Later, he eventually conceded a position to Lando Norris. Further misfortune struck when George Russell managed to jump ahead of him thanks to a Virtual Safety Car period, pushing Verstappen down the order.

Overall Rating: 7/10. An excellent pole lap for the Grand Prix highlighted his undeniable speed, but a string of errors and unfortunate events in the races meant he rode his luck at times. Considering his raw pace, he arguably should have finished higher than fourth, perhaps securing a podium finish.

Yuki Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda endured a weekend of highs and lows, showcasing flashes of brilliance alongside frustrating errors. His sprint race qualifying was deeply compromised by an error at Turn 17, which left him vulnerable to elimination in SQ1. Compounding this, he failed to begin his final lap early enough to make the cut for SQ2, despite repeated urgent instructions from his team to hurry up, resulting in a last-place start for the sprint.

However, Tsunoda mounted an impressive recovery in the sprint race. His early switch to slick tyres proved to be a stroke of genius, allowing him to scythe through the field. Benefitting from penalties elsewhere, he climbed to an excellent sixth place. A somewhat confusing instruction from his team to drop back at the end of the sprint race after Verstappen was penalized added a strange twist to his strong performance. For the main Grand Prix, he secured a respectable tenth on the grid. Unfortunately, his race was hampered by a needless penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which compromised his strategy and track position. Despite this, he fought valiantly, narrowly pipping Isack Hadjar to the final point after his five-second time penalty was applied.

Overall Rating: 5/10. Tsunoda showcased impressive race craft and recovery drives, making up for a dismal sprint race qualifying. However, the self-inflicted penalty in the Grand Prix ultimately cost him a more significant result, preventing a truly standout weekend.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Miami outing was a testament to his raw qualifying speed, though his race pace and fortune didn’t quite match up. He delivered a terrific lap on soft tyres, which he hadn’t even been able to run in final practice, to claim a sensational sprint race pole position – a truly remarkable achievement for the young driver. However, the sprint race start saw him run wide as Piastri passed him, causing him to fall to fourth. His race further deteriorated when the track became damp, and he was unfortunately hit by Max Verstappen in the pits, compounding his woes.

For the main Grand Prix, Antonelli once again delivered a fine qualifying performance, securing third place on the grid, showcasing his consistent single-lap prowess. In the race, a slow pit stop crucially cost him the opportunity to launch an ‘undercut’ attack on Verstappen, a moment that could have significantly altered his race trajectory. Later, he lost a position to Alexander Albon at a restart and subsequently struggled to regain it, highlighting areas where his race craft needs further refinement against experienced competitors.

Overall Rating: 7/10. Antonelli demonstrated exceptional speed in qualifying, underlining his immense potential. However, his race pace seemed to be lacking, and a significant dose of bad luck, especially in the sprint race, prevented him from converting his qualifying form into stronger results.

George Russell

George Russell experienced a weekend where he never seemed to fully ‘click’ with the Miami circuit, yet still managed to extract excellent results through sheer determination and capitalizing on opportunities. In sprint qualifying, he was beaten by his teammate Antonelli for the first time, a result that came after he ran early in SQ3 on a track that was rapidly evolving. However, in the sprint race itself, Russell demonstrated better underlying pace than Antonelli, allowing him to climb to fourth.

He performed better in qualifying for the main Grand Prix but was again outpaced by Antonelli, highlighting a persistent challenge to unlock the car’s full potential over a single lap. Crucially, Russell showcased strong pace on the hard tyres during the Grand Prix. His performance truly shone as he gained speed when both Antonelli and Verstappen ahead of him pitted. He masterfully capitalized on a Virtual Safety Car period, which allowed him to execute a strategic leapfrog over both drivers. Despite battling cramp towards the end of the race, he held his position firmly to secure a commendable podium finish.

Overall Rating: 7/10. While Russell struggled at times to extract the ultimate single-lap pace and never fully felt at one with the circuit, his strategic brilliance and opportunistic driving in the Grand Prix secured an excellent podium finish, a fantastic result given the circumstances.

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll’s Miami Grand Prix weekend was a tale of two very different races, marked by contrasting fortunes. In sprint race qualifying, he failed to make the cut for SQ2 by a mere tenth of a second, laying the blame squarely on Max Verstappen for impeding him on his crucial final lap. This left him starting 16th for the sprint race.

However, Stroll pulled off a significant coup in the sprint race. He was among the big midfield winners who made an early switch to slick tyres as conditions improved, a strategic gamble that paid off handsomely. Coupled with penalties affecting other drivers, he ascended to a brilliant fifth-place finish, demonstrating excellent timing and execution. Unfortunately, his fortunes reversed in the main Grand Prix. He pitted too early in the race, a decision that meant he was unable to benefit from the subsequent Virtual Safety Car periods, which others successfully exploited. This left him stranded at the back of the field, ultimately finishing last amongst the classified runners.

Overall Rating: 7/10. Despite being consistently out-qualified by his teammate Fernando Alonso, Stroll delivered an opportunistic and highly successful sprint race performance. His Grand Prix strategy, however, was unfortunate and ultimately led to a disappointing finish, making it a weekend of extremes.

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso’s Miami weekend was a challenging affair, characterized by strategic hesitations and on-track incidents. He impressively seized an opportunity to reach SQ3 in sprint qualifying, showcasing his ability to maximize performance when it counts. However, he couldn’t improve his time after switching to soft tyres, indicating a struggle to find optimal grip in the changing conditions.

A major turning point in his sprint race was Aston Martin’s apparent reluctance to risk an early switch to slicks. A late change left him vulnerable on track, and he was unfortunately knocked into a barrier by Liam Lawson, leading to a non-classification. For the main Grand Prix, Alonso started on hard tyres but spun at Turn 11 during the race, an early error that put him on the back foot. He then took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car to jump back in front of his teammate Stroll, salvaging some track position. However, the overall result remained uninspiring.

Overall Rating: 5/10. Alonso paid a significant price for Aston Martin’s hesitation in pitting him during the sprint race. While he made the most of a VSC pit stop to mitigate an early Grand Prix error, the weekend was ultimately defined by missed opportunities and strategic missteps.

Jack Doohan

Jack Doohan’s Miami Grand Prix weekend was a frustrating one, starting with an unfortunate incident in sprint qualifying. He fumed at his team after getting stuck by the pit exit wall, an error that ultimately led to his SQ1 elimination. In the sprint race, he made little headway, finishing where he started. Despite this, he put in a commendable performance in Grand Prix qualifying, beating Pierre Gasly for the first time, a notable achievement for the young driver, securing 14th on the grid.

However, his main Grand Prix race was short-lived and disappointing. He dived aggressively down the inside of Liam Lawson at the start, resulting in contact and damage to his car that forced him to retire prematurely. This aggressive move, while born of ambition, ultimately cost him a chance to demonstrate his race pace.

Overall Rating: 4/10. Doohan was perhaps too harsh on his team for the sprint qualifying mishap, but his decent Grand Prix qualifying was a positive. Unfortunately, he threw away all potential by making an overly aggressive move at the start of the main race, leading to an early exit and a low score.

Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly faced a challenging Miami Grand Prix weekend, struggling to extract performance from an uncompetitive car. In sprint qualifying, he clipped a wall in SQ2, an error that prevented him from progressing further. For the sprint race itself, he was not among the earliest drivers to switch to slicks, but he wisely stayed out of trouble. His 11th place finish at the flag eventually became the final points-scoring position after penalties were applied to other drivers, a small victory in a tough race.

For the main Grand Prix, Gasly admitted his Q1 runs weren’t fast enough after being eliminated. He adopted a long opening stint on hard tyres, riding his luck and waiting until the final Virtual Safety Car to pit. Despite this strategic play, he never truly looked to be in contention for points, ultimately finishing 13th. His efforts were largely commendable given the limitations of his machinery.

Overall Rating: 5/10. Gasly battled hard throughout the weekend, often struggling to make significant headway with a car that lacked competitive pace. He made the most of the sprint race conditions but couldn’t convert his efforts into points in the Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon delivered a strong performance in Miami, particularly in qualifying, despite a touch of bad luck in the main race. His weekend began with a warning for impeding in first practice, a minor blip. However, he quickly found his stride, impressively beating his teammate to reach SQ2 in sprint qualifying. A slight error at Turn 17 might have cost him a place in SQ3, but his overall pace was promising. In the sprint race, he left it late to change to slicks and consequently finished out of the points, a strategic misjudgment.

Ocon truly excelled in the main Grand Prix qualifying, pulling off a superb job to claim ninth on the grid, significantly outperforming his rookie teammate Oliver Bearman who qualified last. In the race, Hamilton inevitably passed him. However, his early pit stop meant that other drivers who capitalized on the later Virtual Safety Car periods managed to jump ahead, effectively ending his hopes of scoring points. Despite his strong driving, circumstances worked against him.

Overall Rating: 8/10. Ocon’s performance in qualifying was excellent, and he engaged in a commendable battle with Hamilton during the race. He was unlucky with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car, which ultimately cost him a deserved point-scoring finish. A strong showing that went unrewarded.

Oliver Bearman

Oliver Bearman’s Miami weekend was a rollercoaster, combining moments of genuine promise with frustrating rookie errors and bad luck. He started with a crash in practice, a costly mistake that set him back. In sprint qualifying, he expressed considerable unhappiness at failing to reach the line in time in SQ1, leading to his elimination. Despite these setbacks, he showed great resilience in the sprint race. He gained significant ground at the start and made a timely switch to slicks, propelling him into a points-scoring position. Unfortunately, a penalty for an unsafe release in the pits dropped him back to 14th, denying him a reward for his strong drive.

His Grand Prix qualifying effort was described by Bearman himself as “messy,” as he again finished last, highlighting a struggle to string together a perfect lap. The main race ended prematurely when he suddenly lost drive and was forced to retire, an unfortunate end to a challenging weekend.

Overall Rating: 6/10. Bearman’s excellent sprint race drive deserved a reward, showcasing his potential in race conditions. However, he made life too hard for himself with multiple qualifying mishaps and an unlucky race retirement. Plenty of lessons to be learned for the young talent.

Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar delivered a generally strong and highly promising weekend in Miami, coming agonizingly close to scoring points in the Grand Prix. He brilliantly squeezed into SQ3, securing an impressive ninth position on the sprint race grid, a testament to his qualifying prowess. However, in the sprint race, he lost several places at the start and pitted late for slicks, which ultimately left him outside of the points.

For the main Grand Prix qualifying, Hadjar put together all his best sector times at the very end of Q2, narrowly missing out on a spot in Q3, a frustratingly close call. In the race, he ceded a position to Lewis Hamilton early on, demonstrating a sensible approach. He then came incredibly close to denying the penalized Yuki Tsunoda the final point, showing remarkable race pace and determination. He was perhaps a bit harsh on himself regarding his last-lap mistakes, as he had genuinely pushed to the very limit.

Overall Rating: 8/10. A highly impressive and generally strong weekend for Isack Hadjar. He showed great pace in qualifying and came frustratingly close to scoring his first Grand Prix points, a performance that bodes well for his future.

Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson’s Miami Grand Prix weekend was plagued more by bad luck than by outright poor performance. He admitted his sprint qualifying session had been “messy” after failing to join his teammate Hadjar in SQ3, a minor setback. However, he made a great start in the sprint race and made a timely pit stop for slick tyres earlier than some key rivals, moving him into a points-scoring position. Unfortunately, he was deemed at fault for making contact with Fernando Alonso at Turn 11, believing he was entitled to more space. The stewards disagreed, handing him a penalty that cruelly cost him his first points finish in Formula 1.

For the main Grand Prix, Lawson was eliminated in Q2 after encountering a problem with his battery, forcing his team to revert to an older power unit for the race. His Grand Prix then ended prematurely and disastrously when he was knocked into a spin by Jack Doohan at Turn 1 at the start, suffering damage that ruined his entire day. It was a sequence of unfortunate events for the young driver.

Overall Rating: 5/10. Liam Lawson’s weekend was largely defined by a series of unfortunate circumstances rather than a lack of pace or effort. He was arguably more unlucky than anything else, with a penalty and two major incidents outside of his primary control derailing his races.

Alexander Albon

Alexander Albon delivered a truly giant-killing performance at the Miami Grand Prix, single-handedly pulling his Williams far above its expected capabilities. He was the only Williams driver to make it into SQ3, securing an impressive eighth place on the sprint race grid, demonstrating phenomenal single-lap pace. In the sprint race, he ran close to Lewis Hamilton but pitted later, which caused him to drop back. A penalty for failing to respect the Safety Car delta time, with Russell close behind him in a braking zone, was a minor blip on an otherwise strong weekend.

For the main Grand Prix, Albon continued to shine. He made an excellent start, getting ahead of both Norris and Sainz, though the Williams pair made slight contact as they navigated around the McLaren. He was later passed by both, but then impressively re-passed his teammate, showing his fighting spirit. The highlight of his race came after the last Virtual Safety Car restart, where he launched a decisive attack on Andrea Kimi Antonelli to seize fifth place. Crucially, he then masterfully held off the faster Mercedes behind him, securing an incredible and unexpected fifth-place finish for Williams.

Overall Rating: 9/10. Albon’s weekend was nothing short of phenomenal. Only marked down for his Safety Car delta error, his driving was otherwise a masterclass in extracting maximum performance from his car, delivering a truly giant-killing result for the Williams team.

Carlos Sainz Jnr

Carlos Sainz Jnr experienced a Miami Grand Prix weekend that showcased his raw speed but was ultimately marred by errors and strategic misfortunes. His sprint qualifying session was compromised when the decision to do only one lap in SQ2 backfired; he made a mistake, resulting in a tenth-place start for the sprint. In the sprint race itself, his early call to switch to slicks was spot-on, a potentially brilliant strategic move. However, soon after, he unfortunately hit the barrier at the chicane, leading to a retirement and a non-classification.

For the main Grand Prix, Sainz delivered an excellent Q3 lap, masterfully stringing his best sector times together to claim sixth place on the grid, a strong indication of his pace. However, he was forced to start on used medium tyres as his team had fitted his fresh set during the sprint race. He later reported sustaining damage after contact with Alexander Albon on the first lap and expressed unhappiness about dropping behind Albon during the first stint. Further frustration came at the restart when he was passed by both Ferraris, highlighting a struggle to manage tyre degradation and maintain position under pressure.

Overall Rating: 6/10. Sainz demonstrated that he is clearly mastering the FW47 over a flying lap, as evidenced by his strong Grand Prix qualifying performance. However, a series of costly errors, particularly in the sprint race, and strategic compromises held him back from a truly impactful weekend.

Nico Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg’s Miami weekend was characterized by valiant efforts and missed opportunities, particularly in the sprint race. He nearly succeeded in a tremendous effort to drag his Sauber into SQ3, missing the cut by less than a tenth of a second, showcasing the potential of his machinery and his own skill. However, in the sprint race, he dropped back at the start and was undercut by rivals who switched to the soft tyres sooner, ultimately finishing ninth.

For the main Grand Prix qualifying, Hulkenberg could have potentially reached Q2 but for a snap of oversteer on his crucial final lap, a small error with significant consequences. He started the race on hard tyres, and the team waited until after the Virtual Safety Car periods to pit him, a strategy that did not ultimately pay off. Despite displaying good pace on mediums towards the end of the race, he found himself too far back to challenge Pierre Gasly for a point-scoring position, finishing 14th.

Overall Rating: 6/10. Hulkenberg displayed strong flashes of speed, particularly in sprint qualifying, and a point-scoring chance went begging in the sprint race. However, minor errors and an unfortunate Grand Prix strategy meant he couldn’t convert his potential into significant results.

Gabriel Bortoleto

Gabriel Bortoleto’s Miami Grand Prix weekend offered glimpses of promise, though it ultimately ended in frustration. In sprint qualifying, he was noticeably further off his teammate Hulkenberg’s pace than usual, a situation exacerbated by locking up at Turn 17, which compromised his lap. He made little progress in the sprint race, eventually finishing 15th.

However, Bortoleto delivered a much better qualifying session for the main Grand Prix, impressively claiming 13th place on the grid, a significant highlight of his weekend. His race was then impacted by strategy; he lost ground by pitting before the second Virtual Safety Car period, which allowed others to gain an advantage. His race unfortunately concluded early when he was forced to retire with a loss of power, a mechanical issue that subsequently caused the third Virtual Safety Car period of the race.

Overall Rating: 5/10. Bortoleto’s qualifying performance for the Grand Prix was undoubtedly the highlight of his weekend, showcasing his capabilities over a single lap. However, strategic misfortunes and an untimely retirement meant he couldn’t convert this into a strong race result.

Over to you

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• Albon did not disobey team orders in Miami says Vowles after Sainz’s complaint
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