“WINNER NOT WORTHY” Danica Patrick SPOKE OUT that Max Verstappen should have won the GP Miami 2025 title instead of Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri
The 2025 Miami Grand Prix delivered a McLaren masterclass, with Oscar Piastri clinching his third consecutive victory and teammate Lando Norris securing second, but not everyone believes the right driver stood atop the podium. Former NASCAR and IndyCar star turned Sky Sports F1 pundit Danica Patrick ignited a firestorm of debate with her assertion that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished fourth, was the true deserving winner of the Miami GP. Patrick’s comments, branding the McLaren duo’s triumph as “unworthy,” have divided fans and intensified scrutiny on the race’s controversial moments, raising questions about fairness, racecraft, and the evolving dynamics of Formula 1’s 2025 title fight.
Patrick’s remarks came during Sky Sports’ post-race analysis, where she argued that Verstappen’s pole position and early race pace demonstrated his superiority, only for strategic missteps and on-track battles to cost him the win. “Max had the car to beat in qualifying, and he was holding his own until McLaren’s pace and some questionable moments flipped the race,” Patrick stated, per Sky Sports. She pointed to the first-lap incident where Verstappen’s defensive move forced Norris off-track at Turn 2, dropping him to sixth, as a pivotal moment that unfairly favored McLaren. While stewards deemed it a racing incident, Patrick suggested Verstappen’s aggressive style was unfairly penalized by the outcome, allowing Piastri to capitalize and surge into the lead by lap 14.
Piastri’s victory was a display of clinical excellence, as he overtook Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and then Verstappen, building a nine-second gap over Norris by the time his teammate cleared the Red Bull. Norris, despite a valiant recovery, couldn’t close the 4.6-second deficit to Piastri, who extended his championship lead to 16 points. Yet Patrick argued that Verstappen’s tire wear issues and a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) that benefited Mercedes’ George Russell, who nabbed third, skewed the race against the four-time champion. “The Red Bull was struggling with balance, but Max was still in the fight. Without those external factors, he could’ve controlled the race from the front,” she said.
The backlash was swift. Social media erupted with fans calling Patrick’s take “embarrassing,” pointing to McLaren’s dominant pace—finishing 37 seconds ahead of Russell—as evidence of their rightful win. One X user wrote, “Danica saying Verstappen deserved it when McLaren was a second per lap faster is wild. Oscar controlled that race!” Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle countered Patrick, praising Piastri’s racecraft as “fractionally more effective” than Norris’, noting his ability to force Verstappen into a lap-14 mistake at Turn 1. Piastri himself downplayed the controversy, telling Nine’s Today, “I knew we were quicker than Max from the start. It was about selecting my moment carefully.”
Patrick’s comments also reignited debates about Verstappen’s driving style, which has been a lightning rod in 2025. After a five-second penalty in Saudi Arabia for a similar first-corner skirmish with Piastri, Verstappen’s hard-edged tactics have drawn both admiration and criticism. Norris, visibly frustrated post-race, accused Verstappen of forcing him off-track, a sentiment Patrick appeared to dismiss as “negative talk.” This has fueled speculation of a simmering McLaren-Red Bull rivalry, with Piastri emerging as the championship leader and Verstappen trailing by 32 points.
As the F1 circus moves to Imola, Patrick’s remarks have added fuel to an already intense title battle. Was Verstappen truly robbed, or did McLaren’s superior strategy and speed earn them the Miami crown? With Piastri’s momentum and Norris’ hunger for redemption, the spotlight remains on whether Verstappen can reclaim his dominance—or if Patrick’s bold claim will be proven wrong by McLaren’s continued reign.
