Miami Gardens, Florida – Kimi Antonelli made history as the first driver to win his first three Formula 1 races from pole position when the 19-year-old Mercedes driver won the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.
This is the third consecutive victory for Antonelli, the current points leader who proved at the beginning of this season that he is a legitimate contender for the championship.
“It’s just the beginning, there’s still a long way to go, but we’re working very hard,” Antonelli said. “The team is doing a great job and without them I wouldn’t be here. I’ll enjoy this and then get back to work.”
The Italian and teammate George Russell have won the first four races this season for Mercedes and all four poles so far. They were denied a podium finish in Saturday’s sprint race, which finished 1-2 for McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the only thing Mercedes drivers have not won this season.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told his young driver: “Kimi, that was very impressive. You know I like to complain, but there was nothing to complain about today.” “very good.”
Antonelli is 20 points ahead of Russell in the championship standings.
Antonelli started from the pole but had a smooth start on the wet surface at Miami International Circuit. Threats of heavy rain led to Formula 1 moving the race start time forward by three hours, and there was an early morning thunderstorm with lightning strikes directly over Hard Rock Stadium, but it had cleared by the time the event started.
However, the first 25 laps were attacked by drivers as if the rain might return at any moment, leading to early chaos, even for Antonelli.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy takes pole position in the Miami Formula 1 Auto Race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Paul)
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had a stunning start from third and moved into the lead when Antonelli went wide trying to defend. A split second later, Max Verstappen spun to try to fend off Leclerc when the two cars touched.
The contact caused Verstappen, who had a second-best start to the season, to drop to ninth after the spin.
Antonelli recovered and regained the lead on lap five, and the leaders briefly swapped positions as Leclerc moved back to the front before world champion Norris took over on lap 14.
Verstappen worked his way through the field and briefly took the lead while the others pitted, but Antonelli overtook Norris out of the pit lane and regained the lead for good once it was all said and done.
Norris finished second, 3.2 seconds behind Antonelli.
“It’s a really mixed bag. We’ve just been undercut (in the potholes). There’s no excuses other than that,” Norris said. “We should have boxed first. Kimi did a good job. Hats off to Merc and Kimi. They had a good race.”
Leclerc was about to take third place until McLaren’s Oscar Piastri passed him on the last lap. Leclerc spun and settled for sixth place.
Russell finished fourth and Verstappen finished fifth, a season best for Red Bull. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton finished seventh.
Cadillac, in its first race in the United States, had a mediocre weekend at the track even as it made its way through Miami with appearances and events. Sergio Perez finished 16th and Valtteri Bottas 18th, the last car to finish in the 22-driver race.
A messy start
Isaac Hajjar was disqualified after qualifying and started the race in last place, but his race lasted five laps before he crashed his Red Bull into the wall. Al-Hajjar was openly angry at the result as he hit his helmet before getting out of his car and angrily driving away.
Seconds later, Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson made contact that caused Gasly’s car to completely flip over. The Frenchman’s car ended up stuck with its rear tires over a barrier and he climbed out of the semi-hung BMW alone.
the next
Next up for the Formula 1 race will be the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on May 24. This date was traditionally held at the Monaco Grand Prix but a schedule adjustment has shifted it to Canada, and Formula 1 will not be the opener on what has traditionally been the most prolific day in motorsport.
The Formula 1 race typically opens in the morning before the Indianapolis 500 and then NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. Since the race is being held in Canada and not Monaco, it starts in the late afternoon and will follow the Indy 500 and finish during a NASCAR race.
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