Piastri fumes at F1's new regulations despite second consecutive podium in Miami

Key facts

• Oscar Piastri finished third at the Miami Grand Prix, his second straight podium.
• Piastri started seventh after a messy qualifying session.
• He overtook Charles Leclerc on the penultimate lap; Leclerc later spun and received a 20-second penalty.
• Kimi Antonelli won the race from pole, his third consecutive victory, extending his championship lead to 20 points.
• Piastri is 51 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
• McLaren introduced a major upgrade in Miami and achieved its first double podium of the season.
• Piastri said the cars are 'pretty crazy' to drive and that overtaking and defending are extremely difficult.

A podium earned through late-race drama

Oscar Piastri climbed from seventh on the grid to third at the Miami Grand Prix, securing his second consecutive podium finish for McLaren. The Australian made a late charge, passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the penultimate lap before Leclerc spun and dropped to sixth, then was penalised a further 20 seconds for leaving the track without justifiable reason on the final lap. That penalty demoted Leclerc to eighth. Piastri finished 27.092 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli, who drove a flawless race from pole position. Antonelli's third straight win — after Japan and China — gave him a 20-point lead in the drivers' standings over his Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Frustration boils over in the cooldown room

Despite the strong result, Piastri was visibly frustrated after the race. In the cooldown room, watching replays with Antonelli and McLaren teammate Lando Norris, he said: 'See, watch this. I overtake him, sweet. Nothing I could do. Man, trying to defend in these cars … You look and they're half a second behind but catching you so fast.' He later told reporters: 'Another driver was one second behind me and managed to overtake me by the end of that straight.' Piastri described the racing as 'pretty crazy' and said the new regulations have made defending nearly impossible.

Regulation tweaks fail to fix race-day issues

The FIA amended the controversial new regulations ahead of the Miami weekend, reducing the amount of energy harvesting allowed in qualifying. Piastri acknowledged the change helped slightly — 'Reducing the harvest in qualifying has helped a bit. It's not fixed all the problems but it's helping' — but insisted the races themselves remained unchanged. 'The races are exactly the same. Today was my first proper experience of overtaking people and having to defend… it's pretty crazy, to be honest.' His comments echoed a broader discontent among drivers about the 2026 technical rules, which were intended to improve overtaking but have instead produced what many call 'processional' racing.

McLaren's upgrade shows promise despite qualifying woes

McLaren brought its first major upgrade package of the season to Miami, and the results were encouraging. In the Sprint race, Piastri finished second behind Norris, and in the grand prix, Norris took second place, giving McLaren its first double podium of 2026. Piastri said the team had made a 'clear step forward in performance.' 'It's not been the most straightforward of weekends, qualifying was a bit messy, but the pace seemed more encouraging today,' he reflected. 'Clearly, we are a step closer in performance, so that is nice to see, and we showed that if we get track position, we can hang on to things.'

Title gap grows as Piastri looks ahead

Piastri now sits 51 points behind championship leader Antonelli, having failed to score in the opening two rounds in Australia and China before recovering to second in Japan. The 25-year-old is in his fourth F1 season and last year challenged for the title, winning seven races before a late-season resurgence from Norris and Max Verstappen pushed him to third in the standings. Despite the current deficit, Piastri remains optimistic. 'We were close in Japan, but we're definitely taking a step forward, and hopefully in Canada, we can take a step forward again. I'm excited for the future,' he said.

Beyond racing: Piastri already ponders life after F1

In a recent video for F1's official YouTube channel, drivers were asked what they are still trying to figure out in life. Piastri's answer surprised many: 'I think probably what I'm going to do after Formula 1. It's quite a big philosophical point, I know, but yeah, my career will come to an end one day and I need to work out what I'm going to do after that.' When a voice off-camera noted he had 'plenty of time,' Piastri replied, 'I hope so.' At 25, with a long career ahead, his forward-thinking attitude underscores a maturity beyond his years — and a recognition that even the brightest F1 careers eventually fade.

The bottom line

• Oscar Piastri finished third in Miami, his second straight podium, but remains 51 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
• Piastri strongly criticised F1's new regulations, calling the racing 'crazy' and saying defending is nearly impossible.
• FIA amendments to qualifying harvesting rules have not improved race-day overtaking.
• McLaren's major upgrade package delivered a double podium in Miami, signalling a step forward in performance.
• Charles Leclerc received a 20-second penalty for leaving the track on the final lap, dropping him from sixth to eighth.
• Piastri has already begun contemplating life after F1, despite being only 25 and in his fourth season.