Five Grands Prix, four McLaren victories and a championship still open. After Jeddah, the paddock prepares for Miami, the sixth round of the 2025 season, on 2–4 May. The Florida weekend also includes a Sprint, leaving teams needing to find their rhythm quickly. These are the established reference points as of this archive’s original publication date, 21 April 2025.
McLaren leads, with two drivers in contention
Oscar Piastri leads the championship with 99 points, ahead of Lando Norris on 89 and Max Verstappen on 87. Wins in China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have put the Australian on top. Norris, winner of the Australian opener, remains ten points behind his team mate. Their internal contest promises to be one of the season’s main storylines.
McLaren has 188 constructors’ points, ahead of Mercedes (111), Red Bull (89) and Ferrari (78). Its lead over Mercedes is therefore 77 points. Woking’s challenge is to turn competitiveness into results with both cars while supporting both drivers’ ambitions.
Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari: three responses to watch
Verstappen won in Japan and finished second in Jeddah after a five-second penalty. He remains twelve points behind the leader. His Red Bull team mate is now Yuki Tsunoda: the change took effect in Japan, with Liam Lawson returning to Racing Bulls. The line-up is no longer the one that started the season.
Mercedes fields George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Fifth and sixth in Saudi Arabia, they contribute to their team’s second place in the championship. Ferrari pairs Charles Leclerc with Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc has just secured the Scuderia’s first Grand Prix podium of the season in Jeddah; Hamilton finished seventh. These teams are seeking consistency and a way to close on McLaren.
The midfield: six teams looking for opportunities
Williams stands fifth in the championship, ahead of Haas. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both scored in Jeddah, finishing eighth and ninth. Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman have also already scored: the team does not head to Miami empty-handed.
Aston Martin pairs Fernando Alonso with Lance Stroll and is seventh, followed by Racing Bulls. Alonso has yet to score after five Grands Prix. Racing Bulls runs Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who has just finished tenth in Saudi Arabia. Alpine, with Pierre Gasly and Australian Jack Doohan, precedes Sauber, whose drivers are Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. In this part of the field, every points finish matters.
Miami: precision and tyre management
The Grand Prix covers 57 laps of the 5.41-kilometre circuit around Hard Rock Stadium. Pirelli has announced the C3, C4 and C5 compounds for this edition. Preparation must balance the circuit’s demands, tyre management and the weekend’s conditions. Race strategy must adapt to observations rather than be treated as a certainty beforehand.
Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix are separate races, each with its own qualifying session. The Sprint does not determine Sunday’s grid. After Miami, Emilia-Romagna at Imola is scheduled for 16–18 May. Miami joined the calendar in 2022; it never hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2007.
Distinguishing announcements from rumours
Cadillac’s entry for 2026 is already approved: the FIA and Formula 1 confirmed it on 7 March 2025. At the time of this archive, the project is therefore no longer awaiting initial commercial approval. Hypothetical transfers, quotations without identifiable sources and unannounced technical developments cannot, however, be presented as established facts.
In Miami, attention turns to whether McLaren can sustain its momentum and how its challengers will respond. The track, followed by the official classifications, will settle their ambitions.
Official sources for the correction
FIA — Championnats après Djeddah, 20 avril 2025
FIA — Liste des engagés à Djeddah 2025
Formula 1 — Tsunoda remplace Lawson dès le Japon
Formula 1 — Résultats et analyse de Djeddah 2025
Pirelli — Pneus de Miami et Imola, 9 avril 2025
Formula 1 — Programme de Miami 2025
