Three races, three poles, three wins. Kimi Antonelli emerged victorious after a hectic Miami Grand Prix. After a poor start, Antonelli found himself jostling for position with both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
The teenager navigated the chaotic opening exchanges but lost out to both Leclerc and Lando Norris. Antonelli dispatched the former (after a bout of passing and repassing) on lap 14 and successfully undercut Norris after pitting on lap 26. As the race neared its climax, Antonelli came under significant pressure from Norris. The Mercedes driver reported issues with his gear shift paddle and downshifts in the dying laps but held on to take victory by 3.264s. With this win, Antonelli has become the first driver in history to convert his first three career poles into three successive wins. Having extended his championship led to 20 points, Antonelli’s title bid looks set to be a serious one.
After staying in touch with Antonelli and Charles Leclerc during their early battle. Lando Norris took the lead on lap 14. However, Antonelli’s formidable out lap allowed him to displace Norris on lap 28. The Brit got close but suffered a drop off in pace in the closing stages. Despite securing his best result of the season so far, Norris was visibly disappointed. He expressed regret at not having pitted earlier and stated that the win was a very real possibility.
His teammate Oscar Piastri went some way to make up for his disappointments in qualifying. After jumping up to fourth after lap two, Piastri was passed by Russell on lap three. Piastri reclaimed the place on lap 11. The tussle continued with Piastri eventually making the move stick on lap 36. He drew away from the Mercedes and passed Max Verstappen for third on lap 49 and took second from Leclerc just half a lap from the end. Third place marks Piastri’s second podium in as many races, a vital pair of results given the Australian’s torrid start to the season.
In contrast to Piastri’s relatively clinical run to third, the battle for fourth was a down-to-the-wire brawl. Running in tandem with Antonelli and Leclerc through turn one, Verstappen lost out to the Ferrari. The four-time world champion suffered a massive spin at run two and dropped to ninth.
His teammate Isack Hadjar crashed out at the chicane on lap 7, while Pierre Gasly was tagged by Liam Lawson at the hairpin, which sent him into a roll. Verstappen pitted under the ensuing safety car and switched to the hard tyres for the remainder of the race. Once the race resumed, Verstappen scythed through the field and prevailed in wheel-to-wheel exchanges with Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon and Lewis Hamilton to briefly lead the race. However, on ageing rubber, there was little Verstappen could do to defend from the likes of Antonelli, Norris and Piastri.
Verstappen was later passed by Leclerc on lap 47. George Russell began closing in and seemed to make the definitive pass on lap 55, only for Verstappen to dive down the inside at turn one and reclaim the place. Russell hit his rival’s left rear tyre on exit and damaged his front wing endplate. A skirmish ensued with Russell repassing Verstappen on the penultimate lap. Further up the road, Leclerc spun at turn two after losing third place to Piastri. The Ferrari driver tapped the wall, damaged his suspension and was ultimately passed by both Russell and Verstappen in the final corners.
With Leclerc currently under investigation for driving a car in an unsafe condition, Russell under investigation for moving under braking and Verstappen under investigation for touching the white line when leaving the pits, it's safe to say the current classification is anything but settled.
Further back, Lewis Hamilton suffered damage after a first-lap collision with Franco Colapinto and had a lonely run to seventh. Colapinto put in a long first stint and secured eighth, his best result of the season.
Carlos Sainz in ninth and Alex Albon in tenth marked Williams’ first double points haul of 2026. Ollie Bearman finished 11th ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, who came out on top after a battle with Cadillac’s Sergio Perez. Lance Stroll finished 17th ahead of Valtteri Bottas.
Nico Hülkenberg retired on lap 7 with electrical issues, while Liam Lawson withdrew after his collision with Gasly.
Any doubts that may have lingered over Antonelli have now been displaced. With three straight wins on the board, the teenager’s championship potential is now clear for all to see.
