Kimi Antonelli produces gutsy drive to hold off Norris and win F1 Miami GP

Kimi Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix with a superb, gutsy drive under pressure for Mercedes. The Italian triumphed for the third time in a row this season by beating the McLaren of Lando Norris into second at the Miami International Autodrome. His teammate, Oscar Piastri, was third with George Russell in fourth for Mercedes.

Max Verstappen delivered a strong comeback to take fifth place after a spin on the opening lap. Charles Leclerc was sixth for Ferrari, with a late spin costing him places on what proved a dramatic final lap as he was passed by Russell and Verstappen. His Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton, was seventh.

After what has been a remarkable opening to the season for the 19-year-old, this was his best performance yet. Having lost the lead at the start he came back and once in front held his nerve against a concerted effort by Norris for the best part of the second half of the race as the McLaren, which matched the Mercedes for pace, hounded him to the line.

Indeed the upgrades employed here by McLaren and Red Bull both delivered with the Mercedes no longer enjoying the dominance of the opening three meetings.

The Italian showed real class and composure as he held off Norris’s challenge and in so doing has now extended his lead in the world championship over Russell to 20 points.

This was further confirmation, were it needed, that Mercedes remain at the head of the field, albeit with their rivals having narrowed the gap with the upgrades they brought to Miami. Mercedes will be buoyed by the fact that they still sealed a win and have their major development to the car still to come at the next round in Canada.

They were soundly beaten by McLaren in the sprint race in Florida but when it really mattered Antonelli still had the edge and ensured Mercedes remain undefeated in grands prix this season.

The Italian has now delivered three wins in a row, in China, Japan and Miami, an extraordinary opening to only his second season in F1. Moreover he has done so despite issues with slow starts, from which he has come back with great aplomb. Here with the resurgent world champion chasing him down, the 19-year-old kept his cool to close out an immense win.

Given the opportunity to compete at the sharp end with a strong car, Antonelli has stepped up with extraordinary control. He endured an up and down season as he learned the ropes last year, pushing too hard and being caught out on occasion but while he still clearly enjoys finding the edge, he has shown great control too.

In what was a frenetic start Leclerc burst into the lead from third on the grid as Antonelli dropped to second but Verstappen was squeezed on to the kerb and spun, dropping him to ninth. Piastri had done well to move up to fourth, a place Russell took on lap three as Verstappen looked to move back through the field, swiftly making it up to eighth.