Liam Lawson exits the FIA garage during the Sprint/qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami. Photo: Kym Illman/Getty Images
Miami Grand Prix
Starts: 8am Monday 5 May
Miami International Autodrome, Florida
Live updates on RNZ Sport
Formula 1 has moved stateside for the first time this season, with this weekend's action taking place in Miami. Liam Lawson is yet to score a point in 2025, and with the Red Bull replacement saga now a month in the past, now is as good a time as any to make a statement in the Driver's Championship.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen has had even more reason to celebrate after becoming a father earlier in the week.
The Red Bull driver has claimed pole position after fending off an outstanding effort by Kimi Antonelli. The 18-year-old Mercedes driver finished pole in the sprint race and will start third in the main race behind Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris, with Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri slipping back to fourth on the grid. Piastri has a nine point lead over Norris in the overall standings, with Verstappen 19 points back.
How's the weekend been so far
After a promising practice, things were looking great for Lawson when he finished eighth in the sprint race, which earned him his first point of the season. However, his old mates the stewards handed Lawson a five-second time penalty for colliding with Fernando Alonso. The incident caused Alonso's Aston Martin to spin out, so the penalty dropped Lawson to 13th in the final classification.
Then an underwhelming qualification saw Lawson line up in 15th overall, which is about exactly where you'd think he'd be after this season's results of a DNF, 12th, 17th, 16th and 12th.
Liam Lawson driving the (30) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls VCARB 02. Photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images
What does Lawson need to do
Starting to sound like a broken record but it's pretty much all about getting in the points yet again. Lawson is now literally one of the 'also-rans' in every Grand Prix and unless he can start overtaking people, he's in the same category as the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll. One thing his mechanics can have a look at is his batteries, which were a major source of frustration during qualifying.
"We were dropping power through the run, just trying to fight it and fix it," Lawson said after coming in 15th.
"I don't know what the issue is, but it is frustrating, and we made a good step with the car balance, so it is a shame the issue cost us."
Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar updates
Yuki Tsunoda Photo: photosport
While Lawson was stung with a penalty in the sprint race, he wasn't alone. Yuki Tsunoda was promoted from ninth to sixth after Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman were stung too, which was a good start to the weekend for the Japanese Red Bull driver. He then qualified in 10th, one ahead of Lawson's team mate Hadjar. Speculation still abounds regarding just which car either man will be driving by the end of the season.
What about the rest of the race
The battle between Verstappen, Antonelli and the McLaren drivers will be the obvious focus in this one. Verstappen is after his third win in Miami in four years, meanwhile it's not been a great day for Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. He was bounced out of the second qualifying session after a good sprint race, dropping down to 12th and with a lot of work to do to make something out of this race. His teammate Charles Leclerc is starting eighth.
Miami International Autodrome details
An aerial view of Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Grand Prix is held here at The Miami International Autodrome which is a purpose-built temporary circuit. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images
First Grand Prix: 2022
Number of Laps: 57
Circuit Length: 5.412 km
Race Distance: 308.326 km
Lap Record: 1:29.708 Max Verstappen (2023)
The second street circuit in a row, Miami doesn't exactly have the greatest reputation among drivers. Hamilton this week described it as "bottom of my list" of preferred circuits, and Verstappen has claimed that one part of the track would be better to race in go-karts. However, the track has been re-laid recently, which may improve things.
Full starting grid
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Lando Norris (McLaren), 3. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 5. George Russell (Mercedes), 6. Carlos Sainz (Williams), 7. Alex Albon (Williams), 8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 9. Esteban Ocon (Haas), 10. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull), 11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), 12. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 13. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), 14. Jack Doohan (Alpine), 15. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 16. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), 17. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 20. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
