Berlin, 4 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Lando Norris benefited from a late safety car phase to beat McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri for victory in a chaotic sprint race at the Formula One Miami Grand Prix on Saturday, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen took pole position for the main event.

Four-time defending champion Verstappen finished the rain-hit sprint race in fourth, but dropped to 17th because he was handed a 10-second penalty for unsafe release.

But the Dutchman overcame the setback to clock the fastest qualifying time of 1 minute 26.204 seconds and beat Norris by 0.065s.

"We improved the car a tiny amount. It worked out well, I'm very happy to be on pole. Race pace, I don't know, we have to wait and see with the weather," said Verstappen, who announced the birth of his first child, a baby girl, ahead of the weekend in Miami.

Sprint race pole-sitter and rookie Kimi Antonelli got another good result, qualifying third for the main race on Sunday, while drivers' championship leader Oscar Piastri was fourth.

"This weekend is going well so far. A bit disappointing this morning, but good to bounce back this way," Mercedes' Antonelli said.

Norris shines again in Miami

Norris has fond memories of Miami as it was where he claimed his maiden F1 win last year.

"My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute, so I'm happy. The pace was still very good but it's so difficult these races. I'd rather this happened tomorrow but I'll take it," he said after the sprint.

The race started some 30 minutes later than planned due to the wet track conditions, and with the drivers behind the safety car for two laps before a standing start was allowed.

Pole-sitter Antonelli lost his position to Piastri, with Norris following suit to take second.

Piastri was leading until lap 14, when he was called into the pits to change his intermediate tyres for a pair of slicks on a drying track. Norris was called in immediately after but the safety car was deployed while he was in the pits after Fernando Alonso crashed his Aston Martin into the wall.

That meant Piastri had to slow down and couldn't take back his lead, with Norris returning to the track in first. With the safety car staying out until the chequered flag, the McLaren duo couldn't race each other.

"I feel like I did pretty much everything right there, so a bit disappointed to come away with second. But that's how it goes, racing can be a cruel business. Happy with what I did," Piastri said.

This is Norris' first top spot since he took victory at the season-opener Australian Grand Prix in March. Piastri had to settle for second, while Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari completed the podium in third.

"I really, really did struggle on the inters. I made that call at the end as I was going nowhere. Take the risk, take the gamble and it paid off," Hamilton said. He was one of the first drivers to opt for the slicks.

Piastri still tops the drivers' standings, but his advantage over Norris was cut by a point to nine points.

Race suspended after first attempted start

Heavy rain started to fall some 30 minutes before the scheduled start.

A formation lap was done, but several drivers complained about the lack of visibility caused by the water spray, with Piastri describing it as "the worst visibility I've ever had in a racing car."

Before the attempted start, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari crashed on his way to the grid and didn't take part in the sprint race due to the heavy damage caused to his car.

Leclerc had the intermediate tyres on, but the heavy rain and standing water caught him out, and he slid into the wall.

Alex Albon of Williams finished the sprint in fourth, but was given a five-second penalty for safety car infringement and dropped out of the top eight and, therefore, not scoring points.

Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls and Oliver Bearman of Haas were also hit with five-second penalties and lost their positions in seventh and eighth respectively.

With the post-race round of penalties, George Russell of Mercedes moved up to fourth, Lance Stroll of Aston Martin took fifth, Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull sixth, while Antonelli and Pierre Gasly of Alpine completed the top eight.

The top 10 for Sunday's race

Piastri will start Sunday's race in fourth as he chases a third consecutive and fourth overall win this season.

Russell was fifth, followed by the Williams cars of Carlos Sainz and Albon. Leclerc had his Ferrari repaired and was eighth, while Esteban Ocon of Haas and Tsunoda completed the top 10.

Photo: epa