Kimi Antonelli continued his stunning 2026 title charge with a third consecutive victory at the Miami Grand Prix, prevailing in a tense, strategic duel with reigning world champion Lando Norris.
In a race brought forward by three hours to avoid looming thunderstorms, Antonelli kept his composure in a chaotic contest to convert pole position into another crucial win, extending his championship advantage in the process.
Despite starting from pole, Antonelli’s race nearly unravelled within seconds. A poor launch allowed Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to challenge into Turn 1, where Antonelli locked up and ran wide.
Miami Grand Prix - Race results
Leclerc seized the lead, while Verstappen spun on corner exit and dropped into the midfield. That opened the door for the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri to move into contention.
Antonelli wasted little time recovering, passing Leclerc on lap four - only for the Ferrari driver to strike back a lap later, with Norris also slipping through into second.
But the race was soon neutralised by a dramatic pair of incidents.
Safety car and strategy shape the fight
A frightening crash for Pierre Gasly brought out the safety car after he was tipped into a low-speed barrel roll following contact with Liam Lawson. Both drivers retired, though Gasly escaped unhurt.
Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar – already on the back foot after starting from the pitlane – crashed out after clipping the wall at the chicane.
When racing resumed on lap 12, Norris made his move count, snatching the lead from Leclerc, with Antonelli close behind as the front-runners settled into a strategic rhythm.
Verstappen had gambled early, switching to hard tyres under the safety car. That briefly vaulted him into the lead as others pitted later, but the advantage proved short-lived.
On fresher rubber, Antonelli and Norris quickly reclaimed the top two spots, leaving Verstappen struggling to maintain pace as the race evolved into a one-stop contest.
Behind them, Piastri overtook George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton dropped back after a slow stop and damage sustained in early contact.
With the threat of rain never materialising, the race became a straight fight between Antonelli and Norris.
Antonelli holds firm under pressure
For much of the second stint, Norris appeared the quicker of the two, probing for an opportunity as tyre wear became critical. But Antonelli controlled the pace masterfully, defending track position and managing his tyres despite reported downshift issues.
Unable to break free from the turbulent air, Norris was forced to settle for second as Antonelli crossed the line to seal a hat-trick of victories and strengthen his grip on the championship.
Further back, a thrilling scrap unfolded in the closing laps. Verstappen, on ageing tyres, came under intense pressure from Leclerc, Piastri and Russell.
While the Dutchman initially resisted, he was eventually overhauled by all three. Leclerc looked set to secure the final podium place – until disaster struck on the final lap.
A sudden spin dropped the Ferrari driver down the order, allowing Piastri to inherit third, a full 27 seconds behind the winner. Russell capitalised to take fourth, with Verstappen recovering to fifth ahead of the unlucky Leclerc.
Hamilton finished a distant seventh, while Franco Colapinto impressed in eighth after briefly running as high as fourth.
The Williams duo of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon rounded out the points in ninth and tenth.
With momentum firmly on his side, Antonelli now heads to the next round in Montreal as the driver everyone else must beat.
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