F1 Miami Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri leads 7 drivers to watch ahead of 2025 race

[ASFN Admin]

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Formula One has descended on South Florida for the fourth annual Miami Grand Prix from May 2-4 at the Miami International Autodrome surrounding Hard Rock Stadium.

McLaren’s Oscar Pisatri leads the Driver Standings after winning three of the first five races during the 2025 F1 season.

Just behind him in the standings are the only drivers to win in Miami: His teammate Lando Norris, who won last year, and four-time reigning F1 champions Max Verstappen, who won the first two races.

More: Max Verstappen expecting baby with Kelly Pique, misses media day for F1 Miami Grand Prix

Ferrari’s newest member, Lewis Hamilton, will surely be a big draw as well. However, the seven-time F1 champion has struggled in his transition from Mercedes AMG-Petronas, finishing outside the Top 5 in four of five races already this season.

Despite having just three Grand Prix events under their belt, the Miami race organizers – led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and CEO Tom Garfinkel – were recognized by F1 as the Promoter of the Year in January. They delivered "the best all-round event in 2024” that "embodied the F1 mission statement to deliver the world’s greatest sports and entertainment spectacle."

And Miami is ready for another successful race.

"It’s up to us to create the best environment for all our key stakeholders, including the fans, to come and experience Formula One at its height," F1 Miami race president Tyler Epp told USA TODAY Sports before the race weekend.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 F1 Miami race weekend:

How to watch F1 Miami race weekend​

• May 2: Miami Grand Prix Practice 1 (12:25 p.m. ET on ESPNU); Sprint Qualifying (4:25 p.m. on ESPN News)
• May 3: Miami Grand Prix Sprint Race (12 p.m. on ESPN); Miami Grand Prix Qualifying (4 p.m. on ESPN)
• May 4: Miami Grand Prix (4 p.m. on ABC and ESPN).

Here are the Top 7 drivers in the 2025 standings heading into the Miami race:​

• Oscar Piastri, McLaren (1st, 99 points): Piastri is a rising Formula 1 star from Australia. The 24-year-old McLaren driver is off to a blazing start in 2025. He’s won three of the first five races (China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.) Along with Lando Norris, the McLaren team leads the Constructors standings with 188 points. Can Piastri keep up his pace and continue to hold off Norris in pursuit for his first F1 drivers championship?
• Lando Norris, McLaren (2nd, 89 points): Norris shed his viral nickname “Lando No-wins” when he won the first F1 race of his career in Miami last year. He also won in the Netherlands, Singapore and Abu Dhabi in 2024, and won the first race this season in Australia. But Norris is now behind Piastri on the podium with second-place finishes in China and Japan, and a third-place finish in Bahrain. Will McLaren continue to propel Piastri over Norris, or share the wealth between their drivers?
• Max Verstappen, Red Bull (3rd, 87 points): Verstappen is the reigning, four-time F1 champion whose stranglehold on the sport has been challenged early during the 2025 F1 season. Verstappen placed second in Australia, fourth in China, won in Japan, was sixth in Bahrain and placed second in Saudi Arabia. He also won the first two Miami Grand Prix races in 2022 and 2023, before finishing second behind Norris in Miami last year. The competition has been fierce in Verstappen’s pursuit of a five-peat.
• George Russell, Mercedes (4th, 73 points): After Hamilton’s departure, Russell is the lead driver with Mercedes. Russell has three F1 race wins under his belt (Brazil in 2022; Austria and Las Vegas last year). He has reached the podium with third-place finishes in Australia and China, and a second-place finish in Bahrain this year.
• Charles LeClerc, Ferrari (5th, 47 points): LeClerc enters the Miami race after his first podium of the season, finishing third in Saudi Arabia. He finished fourth in the two races prior in Japan and Bahrain, and was disqualified like teammate Lewis Hamilton in China. He has eight career F1 race wins, including three last year at Monaco, Monza (Italy) and Austin. He finished second in the first Miami race in 2022, and third in last year’s Miami race.
• Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes (6th, 38 points): Antonelli is a baby-faced, 18-year-old speedster who has taken Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes. He’s one of six rookie drivers on the grid in 2025, but is showing he belongs through the first five races of his career. He finished his first race in fourth in Australia, and has placed sixth in China, Japan and Saudi Arabia this year.
• Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari (7th, 31 points): Hamilton’s move from Mercedes to Ferrari is one of the biggest storylines in the sport, but it hasn’t brought much success through the first five races in 2025. Hamilton finished seventh in Japan, fifth in Bahrain, and seventh again in Saudi Arabia in the last three races. He started the year with a 10th place finish in Australia, and was disqualified in the Chinese Grand Prix due to a technical matter after winning the Sprint race. He’s finished sixth in all three Miami races.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: F1 Miami Grand Prix: How to watch on TV, stream, drivers standings

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