Kimi Antonelli claimed a hard-fought victory at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, fending off a relentless charge from Lando Norris while early chaos saw Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar crash out spectacularly.
Antonelli crossed the line 3.264 seconds ahead of Norris to extend his lead in the F1 drivers’ championship and become the first driver ever to win his first three races from pole position.
The 57-lap battle on the 5.412 km Miami International Autodrome delivered edge-of-the-seat action from lights out to chequered flag, blending masterful overtakes, timely pit stops, and safety car interventions that reshaped the race narrative.
The weekend had already set the stage for high stakes, with Kimi Antonelli dominating qualifying to secure pole position ahead of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and teammate George Russell.
McLaren, fresh off a sprint race one-two for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Saturday, arrived with upgraded aerodynamics tailored for the twisty Miami layout, aiming to capitalize on their straight-line speed.
Weather forecasts hinted at a possible short shower around lap 25, adding a layer of strategic intrigue, though the race ultimately stayed dry, allowing tires and pit timing to dominate proceedings.
Verstappen spins, Gasly and Hadjar crash out early
As the lights went out, Antonelli’s notorious start-line woes resurfaced immediately as the young Italian bogged down off the line, plummeting to third place behind the explosive getaways from Norris and Leclerc.
Leclerc held the lead after pouncing on Antonelli’s hesitation, while Norris sliced past Verstappen, who had briefly threatened for the lead but spun off into the first corner, dropping to tenth.
Piastri made a shrewd gain to sixth after overtaking Hamilton’s Ferrari which struggled with understeer on the exit of Turn 8, with the seven-time champion radioing frustration over his setup compromises.
Further back, Isack Hadjar who was demoted to a pitlane start for Red Bull after a technical infringement in qualifying, charged aggressively through the midfield runners like Williams’ Alex Albon and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll to take 16th by Lap 3.
Meanwhile, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly defended P9 stoutly against Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson on Lap 4, the duo dicing wheel-to-wheel into the Turn 17 hairpin in a melee that would later turn out to be the biggest feature in F1 Miami GP race highlights.
Lawson who pushing hard on fresh tires, locked up under braking while attempting an inside pass and clipped Gasly’s rear wheel, which sent the Alpine flipping sideways into the barriers in a heart-stopping low-speed somersault that left the car perched precariously halfway up the wall.
Gasly climbed out unharmed but the damage ended his race prematurely, triggering the safety car deployment to clear scattered debris across the hairpin apex.
Just moments later on the same lap, Hadjar’s redemption bid ended abruptly after he tagged the inside kerb at Turn 14 too aggressively, snapping his front-left suspension and careening unguided into the outside barriers with a crunch that echoed through the stadium.
Hadjar thumped his helmet in visible fury, his aggressive style costing him dearly as the second incident sealed the double red flag, neutralizing the field and bunching the leaders together.
Antonelli overcomes Norris in the pits, Leclerc spins out of podium contention
The safety car period lasted three laps, reshuffling the order dramatically: Norris led from Leclerc with Antonelli third, Verstappen fourth, Russell fifth and Piastri sixth.
Most drivers opted to stay out, anticipating the forecasted rain and preserving track position, though Mercedes and McLaren strategists huddled over data showing medium tire degradation accelerating on the abrasive Miami surface.
Antonelli used the lull masterfully, radioing for setup tweaks via a quick front wing adjustment under the safety car which gave him crucial straight-line advantage.
As the safety car peeled off on Lap 9, Norris rocketed clear and proceeded to build a 2.5-second lead by Lap 12.
Leclerc held second but struggled with rear tire wear which saw Antonelli close to within 0.8 seconds by Lap 15, with the Italian ultimately pulling off a daring late-braking move into Turn 16 to take P2.
Verstappen, meanwhile, pitted early on Lap 20 for hards, undercutting Russell but rejoining in traffic behind Hamilton, who had dropped to P7 after a lock-up at Turn 11.
Piastri dispatched Hamilton and Russell in quick succession around Lap 22, leaping to fourth with a bold outside pass on Russell at the Turn 8-9 complex.
Antonelli nursed his mediums to Lap 28 before pitting, his crew executing a 2.1-second stationary stop that vaulted him ahead of Norris, who followed suit a lap later but emerged 1.5 seconds adrift after a slightly slower 2.4-second stop.
The second half of the race saw Norris hound Antonelli nose-to-tail as the duo traded fastest laps, while Leclerc pulled away in third, his fresher hards helping him gap Piastri by over 10 seconds.
The running order remained largely unchanged until Leclerc spun on the final lap and tapped the wall, allowing Piastri to move into third, Russell to fourth and Verstappen to fifth, as Antonelli ultimately crossed the line 3.264 seconds ahead of Norris to seal his third consecutive race win of 2026.
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