Miami Grand Prix different for F1 points leader Oscar Piastri in 2025

• Piastri’s success has made him a rising star, with his mother Nicole gaining popularity on social media for her supportive posts.
• McLaren CEO Zak Brown is managing the competition between his two young, successful drivers by ensuring equal equipment and opportunities.

MIAMI GARDENS — Two seasons ago, in the midst of one of his traditional pre-race grid walk-and-interview segments, Formula One television commentator Martin Brundle stopped young Australian driver Oscar Piastri as the rookie made his way to his car and asked Piastri a question about the upcoming race. Midway through Piastri’s answer, however, Brundle looked away, interrupted Piastri and moved forward to wish another driver “Happy Birthday.” 

Understandably a little flustered by the awkward – fully televised – interaction, Piastri still walked away with a smile as Brundle moved on from him to speak to veteran birthday boy, driver Esteban Ocon.

Things are certainly a bit different now. 

Since that awkward exchange, Piastri, 24, has gone on to earn his first five victories, including three already this season making him the Formula One world championship leader coming into the CRYPTO.com Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome at Hard Rock Stadium.  And his No. 81 McLaren Racing car topped the opening practice May 2.

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Piastri’s five wins in 51 starts is impressive but perhaps not entirely surprising. The Australian has been lights-out throughout his junior career, winning the 2020 FIA Formula 3 championship and then the 2021 FIA Formula 2 championship before making his debut with McLaren Racing in open-wheel racing’s prized Formula One world championship in 2022.

A year ago, Piastri came to Miami Garden’s 19-turn, 3.363-mile course still searching for his first F1 victory. He’d scored two podiums as a rookie in 2022, a third place at Suzuka, Japan and a runner-up at the next grand prix at Qatar. Last year he arrived in Miami Gardens with a pair of top-five finishes in the season’s opening five races but finished 13^th while his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, went on to win his first grand prix. 

Piastri responded resoundingly later in the year, however, claiming his maiden F1 victory at Hungary and then celebrating a second at Baku later on the schedule.

Oscar Piastri leads F1 world championship points by 10

This year’s series-best three-trophy haul has really reminded the grid what an amazing talent Piastri has always been – positive results answering the high expectations. And the young driver now sits atop the world championship points standings by 10 over his teammate Norris and 12 points ahead of four-time and reigning world champion, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.

“I think the position we’re in is very different than when we came into Miami last year,’’ he allowed with a slight smile last week from the Miami Grand Prix paddock. “This [race] was kind of the turning point for the team in a good way. This season we’re already on a roll so far. It’s quite a different atmosphere, quite a different position we’re in but I’ve been enjoying it a lot. 

“Every time you can go into a weekend knowing you’ve got a very good chance at winning the race and if you do a good enough job that you will win the race, that’s always a nice position to be in, so I’ve been enjoying it. Again, it’s always fun when you’re preparing to win races and I’ve been trying to enjoy it as much as I can. A lot of hard work that’s been going into it and it’s been good.”

It’s also created a unique and delicate situation at McLaren.

McLaren Racing’s CEO, American Zak Brown, certainly finds himself in a good place with both his young drivers leading a championship that in recent years was an exercise in Verstappen domination. The Dutch driver won a staggering 53 of the 90 races in his four championship seasons (2021-2024) and has a win at Japan this season.

This year, however, McLaren has been the “Force” with four wins (three for Piastri and one for Norris) compared to one for the two-time Miami GP winner Verstappen.

Expectations are legitimately high at McLaren this season and perhaps the biggest issue this week is balancing the competitive drive in-house of two talented, seemingly championship-bound 24-year olds in Piastri and Norris.

“They know they get equal equipment,’’ Brown said. “Every once in a while, one has an upgraded part the other doesn’t for a race, because you can’t [respond immediately] to both so as soon as something’s done, you’re like, get it to the track. 

And if one driver has damage during the weekend, Brown concedes “we just tell them in advance, kind of rotate.”

Nicole – Oscar Piastri’s ‘mum’ – has become social media star

The positive results of the team’s elevation and Piastri’s opportunity to show his skills against the best in the world has made “Oscar” a household name. It’s been, quite a surge in popularity for a normally quiet dog-lover. His mother – or “mum” – Nicole is a huge and vocal supporter, herself a popular figure on social media for her fun and adoring posts about her son; reminding in one recent Twitter message that it was she who taught all four of her children how to drive.

As for his demeanor this week and all weeks, Piastri is proud of the success but steady as he goes, not getting too low in disappointing showings or too high with all the recent achievement.

“Winning the races is what is exciting at the moment,’’ Piastri said. “The championship lead is nice, but … I’m much more proud and satisfied of the work and the reasons behind why I’m leading the championship than actually the fact that I am leading the championship. 

“Especially given that Melbourne didn’t go very well from a my point of view,’’ he said of the season-opener in his native Australia. “I think it did do well as far as execution but considering I started [the season] and fought back, I think that’s kind of the part I’m enjoying the most: the reasons why we’re leading the championship.’’

Miami Grand Prix

May 4, 4 p.m.

Miami International Autodrome, Miami Gardens

ABC