Oscar Piastri pinpoints McLaren breakthrough despite Miami 'mess'

Oscar Piastri believes McLaren has made a "clear" step forward in performance, despite a "messy" Miami qualifying after finishing on the podium.

Piastri started seventh for the team after a scrappy qualifying session on Saturday, but recovered through the field to take third from Charles Leclerc on the penultimate lap before the Ferrari spun out on the final lap.

McLaren delivered its first huge upgrade to Miami and produced a dominant performance in the Sprint, with Piastri finishing second to team-mate Lando Norris.

Norris then finished second in the grand prix for McLaren's first double podium of the season, as Piastri was encouraged by what he felt.

"It's not been the most straightforward of weekends, qualfiying was a bit messy, but the pace seemed more encouraging today," Piastri reflected.

"I had to make a few overtakes, and obviously, the end of the race was a pretty late charge, but it is very tricky around here, especially in these conditions.

"Clearly, we are a step closer in performance, so that is nice to see, and we showed that if we get track position, we can hang on to things.

"We were close in Japan, but we're definitely taking a step forward, and hopefully in Canada, we can take a step forward again. I'm excited for the future."