Kimi Antonelli beat Lando Norris to victory in a thrilling Miami Grand Prix, taking his third consecutive victory and extending his lead in the World Championship to 20 points.
As in his previous two victories, Antonelli fell to third place early on and was unable to maintain his lead from pole position, but the Mercedes driver made an undercut in his only pit stop to regain the lead, overtaking Norris who went wheel-to-wheel at the pit exit, and holding off the McLaren in a tense finale.
The 19-year-old Italian driver becomes the third driver to win three consecutive Grands Prix, following former world champions Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen.
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Watch the last lap drama as Kimi Antonelli wins the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc spins and George Russell limps home with a damaged wing.
Antonelli’s teammate George Russell managed to limit the damage from a weekend where he could never match the pace of the Italians, passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for fourth place in a chaotic finale. In other words, the gap with the Mercedes pair at the top of the rankings has widened from 7 points to 20 points.
Antonelli said: “The pace was strong. We were able to get close. The team executed a great strategy. We made a big undercut and managed to take it home, although it wasn’t easy.”
“This is just the beginning. There’s still a long way to go. We’re working hard and the team is doing a great job. Without them I wouldn’t be here. Thank you to them and my family. I’m going to enjoy this job and then get back to work.”
Oscar Piastri also passed Leclerc on the penultimate lap to seal McLaren’s double podium, with Norris leading one-two in Saturday’s sprint, capping off a productive weekend for the reigning constructors’ champion after a major upgrade package brought about a significant turnaround.
Verstappen also enjoyed extra speed from Red Bull’s extensive upgrade package, but had to settle for fifth as he struggled to keep up with his aging hard tires in the final stages after suffering an unusual spin at the start and dropping from second on the grid, opting to pit under an early safety car.
Leclerc took the lead at the start, but his race was ruined by a late pit stop, and as he tried to counter Piastri he spun into the barriers, damaging his car and allowing Russell and Verstappen to pass him at the final corner.
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Isaac Hajjar slammed the steering wheel after colliding with a wall at the Miami Grand Prix.
More suffering awaited the Monaco rider as he struggled to control his car in a crash in the closing stages, gained an advantage and went off the track, and was demoted to eighth place with a 20-second penalty. Verstappen received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit after his pit stop, but his position remained the same.
Lewis Hamilton was promoted to sixth place due to his teammate’s misfortune after the Italian team’s own major upgrade package did not have the expected effect.
After all, the fact that Mercedes were able to take four wins in as many races this season, despite not introducing a major upgrade package until the next race in Canada, will be seen as a huge victory for the Silver Arrows and will give them great confidence that they can continue to lead in Montreal.
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Alpine’s Pierre Gasly falls after colliding with Liam Lawson at the Miami Grand Prix.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto took seventh after teammate Pierre Gasly rolled over in an early collision with Liam Lawson, and Red Bull’s Izak Hajjar crashed at about the same time, bringing out the safety car.
Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both secured points positions, rounding out a significant performance improvement for the Williams team, which has successfully reduced the weight of its car.
The race was held under the constant threat of rain, and the start time was moved three hours earlier than originally scheduled to avoid predicted thunderstorms.
Antonelli continues his amazing progress
Antonelli had to wait five weeks before racing again after winning in Japan and taking the championship lead for the first time in his career, as the F1 season was suspended due to conflicts in the Middle East, with races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia cancelled.
The considerable amount of time the media spent reviewing the first three rounds meant there was plenty of time to debate whether the teenager was ready to retain the title, with even team boss Toto Wolff attempting to downplay his protégé’s prospects.
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Watch the opening lap of the Miami Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc takes the lead, Max Verstappen spins and Lewis Hamilton gets damaged.
A mistake-filled performance in the sprint saw Antonelli receive a five-second penalty for multiple track limit violations, giving the slower Russell a two-point gain, suggesting he may not be ready for even more attention.
He responded admirably with an impressive pole lap, but fell back from the line on his sixth start of the season (including two sprints), locking up in the first corner and going off the track.
He benefited from Verstappen’s spin disaster to return to second place, winning a three-way duel with Norris and Leclerc on either side of the safety car, and was second behind the McLaren as the only pit stop approached.
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Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris had hilarious reactions while watching the Miami Grand Prix highlight reel.
The key moment came at the end of lap 26, when Mercedes introduced Antonelli, who was chasing Norris by just under two seconds.
McLaren responded by bringing in Norris a lap later, but Antonelli’s excellent outlap and slightly faster stop meant that the two were almost level by the time the reigning champion came out of the pits, meaning the Mercedes driver could easily use that boost to take the lead.
Norris tried to put pressure on Antonelli, and both drivers walked a tightrope after being cautioned for violating track limits, but in the end Antonelli picked up too much pace and came home three seconds behind.
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Check out the best moments from Martin Brundle’s star-studded Miami Gridwalk.
Norris said: “I just got undercut. There’s no other excuse. I got undercut and should have boxed first. You did a good job. Hats off to Merc and Kimi. They ran a good race.”
“It’s disappointing to miss out on the win here in Miami. I think it was possible today. But I wasn’t on the pace to pass him in the end so I’ll hold on. But overall it’s a positive weekend.”
F1 then heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another sprint weekend. Watch Sky Sports F1 live from 22nd to 24th May. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
