13 NEW TIMES ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT May 1-7, 2025 MIAMI RACE WEEK 2025 GUIDE WORDS BY JUSTIN HYNES The Frontrunners McLaren’s momentum to end 2024 suggested that it would be the team to beat this season, and that has proved to be true. The papaya cars have usually been at the top of the order in practice, qualifying sessions and the races. Still, the opposition is close enough to keep McLaren on its toes, and any deviation from perfection is costly. Indeed, only once in six starts (including the Shanghai sprint) has the team secured a one-two finish (at the Chinese GP). “I’m not shying away from the fact we have the best car at the moment,” Oscar Piastri said in Bahrain. “But it is difficult and the margins are pretty tight. It doesn’t take much of a mistake to lose one or two tenths, and that’s been the gap more or less. I think when everyone turns up for qualifying, we know that we still have to put our best foot forward.” Meanwhile, a fascinating duel between Piastri and his teammate, Lando Norris, is emerging. The more experienced driver had the upper hand last year, but his Aussie teammate has been stronger in 2025. Norris won in Australia, but Piastri bounced back to win from pole in China. He matched that feat in Bahrain and then won again in Saudi Arabia. Norris, meanwhile, has shown frustration that the season isn’t quite going to plan, noting that he is not yet comfortable with the MCL39. The Chasing Pack The most consistent challengers to McLaren have been George Russell and Mercedes. The Briton was third in Australia and China, and in Bahrain he successfully stayed ahead of Norris in the closing laps to claim second, despite dealing with some electronic issues in the cockpit. Russell appears to have slipped easily into the role of team leader after the departure of Lewis Hamilton. His young teammate, Kimi Antonelli, has impressed, and his steady progress in qualifying—eighth, sixth, fourth and fifth over the last four races—says a lot. The positive is that the car is no longer a “diva” and responds well to changes. Are Mercedes ready to mount a title challenge? “I’d love to say yes, but I don’t think we are,” Russell admits. “McLaren are just too dominant right now. I think [Piastri’s big win in Bahrain] is probably going to be their peak performance. And what we saw in China and Suzuka is probably their worst-case scenario— and they still got one victory from those two races. So we’ve got to keep on picking up the points.” The only team to beat McLaren in a full- length race is Oracle Red Bull Racing, and that was down to the brilliance of Max Verstappen rather than the form of the RB21, which has proved to be an unpredictable beast. The world champion found the sweet spot in Japan and took pole, and on a track where the passing is tough he was able to keep the McLarens behind in the race. It was back to Earth in Bahrain, where he could not better sixth after fighting brake and balance issues. In Jeddah, Verstappen had a brilliant qualifying lap to take pole, ultimately finishing P2 after some early drama. Behind them, Ferrari remain an enigma. The high spots so far: pole and victory for Lewis Hamilton in the Shanghai Sprint and a strong P3 for Charles Leclerc in Jeddah, but the team has generally been the third-fastest car. Though Hamilton has been open about his struggles to adapt, he did claw out a fifth-place finish in Bahrain and seventh in Saudi Arabia. The team still has work to do. The Midfield Mash Several teams have appeared at the head of the midfield pack and have on occasion been inside the top 10. In terms of points and race performances, Haas has been impressive since a poor start in Melbourne, helped by floor revisions. The car is not at its best over one lap—P10 is its best qualifying result—but Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman have often made the points. By contrast, Williams definitely has a fast car in qualifying, with Alex Albon starting as high as sixth in Australia. Carlos Sainz is just starting to find his feet at his new team, as the Spaniard qualified sixth in Saudi Arabia and then finished P8 for his first points of the year. The car is clearly a significant step up on last year’s, but while the team has already outscored its 2024 points total, it could have done even better. Those two appear to be at the front of the midfield, but Alpine and the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls have been in the mix, too. Alpine got off to a poor start to the season, but in Bahrain, Pierre Gasly enjoyed a clean weekend, taking P5 in qualifying and seventh in the race to log the team’s first points. And with the Racing Bulls, rookie Isack Hadjar has impressed, starting as high as seventh in China and Japan, where he finished in the points in eighth, and again scoring points with P10 in Jeddah. There’s clearly potential in the car, which has a friendlier operating window than the Red Bull. The Strugglers Two teams are clearly on the back foot thus far in 2025, although coincidentally both took some pressure off by scoring early points thanks to good strategy in the Melbourne rain. In dry conditions, neither Aston Martin nor Sauber have been close to breaking into the top 10. Aston in particular is struggling for pace, and while outwardly upbeat, Fernando Alonso is clearly unhappy. Sauber is also missing qualifying speed, and there’s little that Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto can do. Both teams have big ambitions to turn things around for 2026. With rain, resurfacing, red flags and sprints, the season-opening races offered only a blurry glimpse of the 2025 pecking order. But after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the picture is getting clearer. Here’s where the 10 teams stand rolling into Miami. F1 NATION STATE OF THE GETTY IMAGES
