Why Oscar Piastri ‘broke his steely demeanour’ in extremely rare emotional moment on the Miami Grand Prix podium

Oscar Piastri secured his third win in a row and fourth victory from the opening six races in 2025 at the Miami Grand Prix.

Denied victory in the Sprint by an ill-timed safety car, the Aussie established his pace and skill throughout the weekend, even if there were some hairy moments.

Pundits noticed a ‘rally car’ trait in Piastri during qualifying as he had all four wheels off the track after hitting the kerb at turn 14. The 24-year-old impressively kept his McLaren out of the barriers, but was only good enough for fourth.

Anthony Davidson said Piastri wasn’t Max ‘Verstappen-esque’ in turn eight – the Dutchman was fastest through the first sector as he told pole. Nevertheless, the McLaren star enjoyed a great start to climb to second and took the lead after a strong battle with the four-time champion.

From there, Piastri displayed his newfound form and the pace of the MCL39 as he shot away into the distance. He was completely unchallenged from that point as he won the race from teammate Lando Norris by over four and a half seconds.

The win sees the 24-year-old extend his lead in the championship to 16 points heading into the European season. On the podium at the Miami Grand Prix, Piastri had an extremely rare emotional moment.

Oscar Piastri had a ‘tear or two’ in his eyes as he spotted his father below the Miami Grand Prix podium

The Aussie is renowned for his ‘steely demeanour’ on and off the track. Very rarely does Piastri show emotion in any situation in the paddock, but that changed on the podium in Miami.

F1 photographer Kym Illman spoke to Piastri’s father after the race – it was the first Grand Prix he had attended this season. He was open about being in tears as he watched his son stand on the top step of the podium in person.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Illman said that his father noticed Piastri also had tears in his eyes as the pair made eye contact.

“Having completed a hat-trick of wins and that’s a credit to him winning three in a row, Oscar Piastri broke his steely demeanour on the podium yesterday,” said Illman.

“You see, this was the first race that his father Chris had been present. He watched all the other races on TV but being there is something special.

“[I] caught up with Chris on the deck of the hospitality suite after the race and he was overjoyed as you could imagine.

“He told me he was standing below and this is in fact him here, watching the drivers being presented on the podium and he was very open about the fact that he was in tears.

“And at some point he told me that Oscar made eye contact with him and he could very clearly see in Oscar’s eyes a tear or two.”

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While McLaren look set to be the dominant force in 2025 as they lead the constructors’ championship by 105 points, not many would have expected Piastri to be the lead driver this season.

Norris was tipped by many as the favourite after his late title charge against Verstappen in 2024. After winning the season-opener in Melbourne from pole, the Brit has fallen behind his teammate.

Several mistakes in qualifying and in his racecraft from last season has seen Norris slip behind Piastri in the drivers’ championship. The result in Miami now sees the latter surpass the former for career wins.

Fans noticed Norris was ‘nowhere near’ Piastri’s level as he struggled getting past Verstappen for second, while his teammate showed great skill to outsmart the Dutchman and take the lead.

The 24-year-old’s talent is undeniable and he is still firmly in the title picture with 18 races to go. However, it is clear his McLaren teammate has found an extra gear, with Damon Hill demanding a ‘clinical’ change from Norris in his battles with Piastri and Verstappen.