After Max Verstappen secured pole position ahead of Lando Norris at the Miami Grand Prix despite claims from Red Bull that they had a lesser car, Norris insisted it is “impossible” to know the actual difference between the two vehicles. The real distinction, he suggested, lies with the drivers rather than the machinery. Verstappen claimed his third Grand Prix pole of the 2025 F1 season in Miami, yet McLaren’s performance raised questions about the true balance of power.
While Verstappen holds 50 percent of the season’s poles, he has converted only one into a race victory, winning the Japanese Grand Prix where Norris finished second and teammate Oscar Piastri third. Red Bull celebrated Verstappen’s Miami pole enthusiastically, with team principal Christian Horner praising it as “another stunning performance” and “really impressive.” This reaction, however, sparked a strong rebuttal from McLaren’s team boss Andrea Stella.
Stella criticized what he called Red Bull’s “making miracles” narrative, accusing rivals of exploiting every chance to claim dominance and creating stories that suggest their competitors should easily concede every session. Speaking in Miami, he said,
“Red Bull, they are very good at making fast cars, they are very exceptionally good I would say at driving fast cars and they are extremely good also in creating the narrative to their advantage.”
Stella emphasized that McLaren prefers to focus on facts and performance data rather than dismissing such stories.
On the question of whether Verstappen extracts more from his car than McLaren’s drivers, Norris was straightforward.
“Impossible to know what car he’s got compared to us,”
he said.
“The advantage we have is two quick drivers and they don’t, or we have a car that’s capable of allowing drivers to drive it quicker. But yeah, impossible to know, impossible to actually know the difference between the two cars.”
His remarks underscore the difficulty in definitively stating which team holds the upper hand, placing emphasis on driver skill alongside car capabilities.
Speculation around McLaren’s advantage has circulated widely, with theories ranging from flexible wings and tyre water tricks to innovative rear brake designs on the MCL39. The latter drew official attention, as the FIA recently conducted a comprehensive inspection of McLaren’s braking system, ducts, and drums following their dominant 1-2 finish in Miami. According to reports from The Race, these components were declared legal, credited instead to clever engineering rather than illicit technology.
Oscar Piastri, who won the Miami race by a significant 37-second margin over the nearest non-Red Bull competitor, attributed his success to a combination of preparation and fortune.
“I did a lot of things right today, but there was some good fortune there as well, and a very quick car,”
he remarked during the post-race press conference.
“I don’t want to rely on that every single Sunday. Clearly, this is the exception to the pace we’ve had this year. Yes, we’ve always had a strong car, but the pace we had today from lap one felt unexpected, even for us.”
Piastri’s comments reflect the unusual pace McLaren displayed in Miami—one that they hope to replicate consistently while recognizing ongoing areas for improvement.
“I’ll definitely take the performance and we’ll try and work out how to do that every weekend, but there’s still definitely things to work on from a personal side and from a team point of view,”
he added.
With Piastri leading the Drivers’ Championship by 16 points ahead of teammate Lando Norris, Verstappen trails a further 16 points behind. The team standings emphasize McLaren’s current dominance, with a commanding 105-point lead over Mercedes, while Red Bull lags 36 points behind the Woking-based outfit. This gap underscores the growing tension in the F1 2025 season as McLaren challenges Red Bull’s traditionally stronghold position.
The ongoing debate over Lando Norris’s and McLaren’s performance versus Red Bull reveals a deeper narrative of intense competition and complex dynamics between driver talent and technological innovation. Norris’s candid assessment that it remains “impossible to actually know” the precise difference between the cars reflects the sport’s nuanced reality, where victories and poles are decided by a razor-thin margin of uncertainty and skill.
As the championship progresses, the pressure mounts on both teams to refine their cars and strategies. McLaren’s ability to maintain their lead while contending with the relentless pursuit from Verstappen and Red Bull will shape the unfolding story of the season. Meanwhile, the FIA’s vigilance regarding technical legality, prompted by McLaren’s Miami dominance, signals that the battle is as much about regulatory scrutiny as it is about raw speed on the track.
The Miami Grand Prix has thus become a critical chapter in the 2025 narrative, revealing not only the competitive edge held by McLaren but also the psychological and strategic layers influencing the outcome. As Lando Norris continues to demonstrate skill and resilience, the larger question remains: will McLaren sustain their ascendancy, or can Red Bull’s champions engineer a comeback? The intensity and uncertainty of this rivalry captivate fans and experts alike, promising a thrilling continuation of the season.
