After taking victory in the Dutch Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was sitting pretty at the top of the Formula 1 championship. Lando Norris' retirement from second put the Briton 34 points behind his team-mate, with Max Verstappen now 104 points behind. A series of stellar victories in the early phases of the season had demonstrated Piastri's efficacy in a position of dominance, as he sought retribution from his ignominious slide off the circuit amid a downpour mid-way through the Melbourne season opener.
After a controlled display in China and third place in Japan, Piastri later bagged three victories in a row to bring himself into the lead of the championship over Norris; Bahrain offered a pole-fastest lap-win combo, and the Australian then forced Verstappen into passing him off-track in Jeddah and benefitted from the Dutchman's subsequent penalty. He then put a move on the pole-sitting Red Bull in the opening half of the Miami race to extend that points lead further.
