How Piastri Beat Max in Miami 2025 (Ancient Chinese Wisdom)
- Tarasekhar Padhy
- May 6
- 3 min read
Oscar Piastri pushed Max Verstappen until the Dutchman’s RB21 gave way.
The 2025 Formula 1 championship leader, who made the sim‑racer‑turned‑F1‑superstar brake as late as possible at the end of the straights.
Considering the RB21 suffers from braking issues, particularly on high-degradation tracks, it was only a matter of time before he went wide or deep.
The four-time F1 world champion locked up into the first corner on lap 14 of the 2025 F1 Miami Grand Prix, enabling the Australian to get past.
This reminded me of some timeless advice from Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
Knowing the enemy: Max and RB21
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” — Sun Tzu, Art of War (Chapter III, Attack by Stratagem)
Piastri studied how Verstappen defends with a slower car and the limitations of the RB21.
As you probably know, Max’s goal is to capture the apex first and carry higher momentum into the corner with a clear intention of pushing his rival wide. This is not because he is inherently a horrible person, but because of a loophole in the FIA’s racing guidelines.
Oscar knew this long ago, and he himself has exploited this loophole to beat Max in the 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Hence, he quickly realized that attempting the move around the outside, especially early in the race when the Dutchman’s tires have life in them, was futile.
“If you know the terrain, and know the enemy, your victory will be complete.” — Sun Tzu, Art of War (Chapter X, Terrain)
So, the Australian considered a different plan.
He recalled that in the 2025 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, the RB21 suffered from braking and grip issues. Verstappen frequently talked about how he lacked confidence in the braking zones as he frequently locked up his front wheels due to uneven tyre temperatures.
Max also explained how the rear of his Red Bull stepped out a bit in medium-speed corners, which led to excessive tyre wear.
Deceiving Verstappen
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” — Sun Tzu, Art of War (Chapter I, Laying Plans)
Oscar Piastri took advantage of that by putting relentless pressure on the four-time F1 world champion. He made it look as if he was going to send it around the outside to ensure Max braked as late as possible into a corner.
It was quite evident that the MCL39 has a significant pace advantage over the machine produced by the nerds at Milton Keynes.
This meant that it was a matter of time before Max lost the position.
If you consider that Miami 2025 featured high-degradation conditions due to the rain, it’s almost inevitable that the Dutchman couldn’t hold on to the lead for long.
Capitalizing on the opportunity
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” — Sun Tzu, Art of War (Chapter VII, Maneuvering)
To put it simply, Oscar just had to keep the pressure on and bide his time. Max would eventually use up his tires trying to stay ahead of a blitzing McLaren. Then, an opportunity would present itself.
And it occurred on lap 14 when the Dutchman’s front-left locked up into the first corner.
Piastri, being the ice-cold silent killer that he is, needed no second invitation to get ahead and secure the lead of the Grand Prix.
Conclusion: Chinese heritage came in handy
If you compare how Lando approached Max, you can clearly see the strengths of the 1/12th Chinese F1 driver. Norris took the same number of laps as Piastri to overtake Verstappen, who had already lost significant grip while battling the Aussie.
However, unlike the Brit, Oscar learned from his Chinese ancestors (potentially) and made the right calls on the track.
Unless Red Bull gets itself together and delivers some performance to Max Verstappen’s car (unlikely, based on what we’ve seen so far), the Australian will become the 2025 F1 world champion way before the final triple header.
Until next time,
Tara
