There’s a particular kind of madness that descends on the Miami International Autodrome every year. The heat, the glitz, the celebrity guests, the neon signs, the paddock looking like a fashion show — it’s all very Miami. But in 2026, the real show wasn’t in the paddock. It was on the track. And at the centre of it all, doing things no 19-year-old has any business doing in a Formula 1 car, was Kimi Antonelli.
Third consecutive Grand Prix win. Three from three this season. Three pole positions converted into three race victories — a feat no driver in F1 history had ever achieved before. And he did it in Miami, the city that never sleeps, in a race that had more drama per lap than most seasons manage all year.
Let’s go through everything that happened — because buckle up, there’s a lot.
Before the Race Even Started — Weather Chaos and a Changed Start Time
Miami nearly didn’t get a clean race at all. The threat of thunderstorms hanging over South Florida meant F1 officials scrambled to move the start time forward by three hours to avoid lightning stoppages. It was a logistical scramble — teams, broadcasters, fans all adjusting — and it paid off just barely. The storms teased the area all afternoon but never hit the circuit. No lightning. No red flag for weather. Just F1 being F1, with a side of Florida drama.
Kimi Antonelli had taken pole position for Sunday’s race — his third straight pole of 2026. Lando Norris, fresh off winning Saturday’s Sprint in dominant McLaren fashion, lined up alongside him on the front row. The grid was stacked, the atmosphere was electric, and the race hadn’t even started yet.
Lap 1 — Absolute Carnage
The first lap of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix will be shown on highlight reels for a long time.
Off the start, Antonelli — who has had a recurring problem of losing places at the beginning of races — faced a three-way battle at the front alongside Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Into the first corner, both Antonelli’s Mercedes and Verstappen’s Red Bull locked up. Verstappen then made contact with Leclerc, sending the Dutchman into a full 360-degree spin. An actual spin. In the first corner. Of the Miami Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, further back, Lewis Hamilton was hit by Franco Colapinto’s Alpine on the opening lap — more chaos. The Safety Car came out almost immediately as two separate crashes in the midfield — Isack Hadjar clipping the wall alone, and Liam Lawson flipping Pierre Gasly’s car — took out four drivers in one go. Hadjar, Lawson, Gasly, and later Nico Hulkenberg (who retired separately with Audi’s ongoing reliability nightmares) all went out before the race had properly got going.
Verstappen, opportunistic as ever, used the Safety Car to pit from his unusually worn medium tyres and switch early onto a set of hards — betting he could run the remaining 50-odd laps to the finish without stopping again. It’s a strategy he’s pulled off before at Miami. Whether it would work this time was the subplot that kept bubbling away throughout the race.
The Race Settles — And Then It Gets Brilliant
Once the Safety Car period ended, Leclerc led the race. Then Antonelli overtook him. Then Norris was in the mix. The lead changed hands multiple times across those opening laps — Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris, Piastri all taking their turns at the front. This was not a processional race. This was genuine, door-to-door, push-and-shove Formula 1.
The McLarens were flying. The upgrades they had brought to Miami — their first significant package of the season — had genuinely transformed the MCL40. Norris, who had won the Sprint so convincingly on Saturday, was right there at the front in the full race. Piastri, composed and consistent as always, was just behind him. McLaren’s first win of the season had come on Saturday. Could they do it again on Sunday?
The answer, in the end, was no. But only just.
Antonelli vs Norris — The Finale We Deserved
With around 25 laps to go, it became a two-horse race at the front. Antonelli and Norris had pulled more than 11 seconds clear of Verstappen in third — who was managing his hard tyres and hoping the field would come back to him, just like it had before. They didn’t, quite.
Norris was all over Antonelli. Every lap, right in his mirrors, never more than a second behind, waiting for a slip, a mistake, anything. Antonelli gave him nothing. The Mercedes long-run pace — elite all season — held firm. The 19-year-old drove like a 10-year veteran, managing the gap, managing his tyres, managing the pressure of having the world champion breathing down his neck.
The rain that the forecasters had promised never arrived. The drama that this race promised absolutely did.
The Final Lap — Leclerc’s Nightmare
While Antonelli and Norris were doing battle at the front, a separate and equally compelling story was unfolding behind them. Charles Leclerc — who had recovered brilliantly from the first lap chaos to challenge for a podium — was in a fierce battle with Oscar Piastri for third place on the final lap.
And then it happened. Leclerc spun. Crashed into the barrier. A nightmare final lap for the Ferrari driver, who had driven so well for so much of the race. He managed to get his car pointing the right direction and limped it to the finish line — but in the time it took him to do that, George Russell and Max Verstappen swept past him. Leclerc ended up sixth.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had a nightmare final lap — he was fighting for a podium, then crashed, and ended up sixth. It was one of those brutal racing moments that happen in a blink.
Final Results — Miami GP 2026
- Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes 🏆
- Lando Norris — McLaren
- Oscar Piastri — McLaren
- George Russell — Mercedes
- Max Verstappen — Red Bull (under investigation post-race for crossing white line on pit exit)
- Charles Leclerc — Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari
- Franco Colapinto — Alpine
- Carlos Sainz — Williams
- Alexander Albon — Williams
Not classified: Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
What This Means for the Championship
Going into Miami, Kimi Antonelli led the drivers’ championship. He leaves Miami with his lead intact and growing. Three wins from four race weekends — this is a title campaign that is starting to look very, very serious from a 19-year-old who made his F1 debut less than a year ago.
George Russell, Antonelli’s Mercedes team-mate, struggled badly — finishing more than 40 seconds behind in fourth. The gap between the two Mercedes drivers this season has been stark at times, and Miami was another example of that.
The Sprint race on Saturday had tightened things up momentarily — Norris winning, Antonelli’s penalty dropping him to sixth, trimming the championship gap to just seven points. Then Sunday came along and Antonelli reasserted himself completely.
Norris and the McLarens are genuinely in the hunt though. The Miami upgrades have brought them right back into play. The next few races are going to be fascinating.
The Bigger Story — Kimi Antonelli at 19
Let’s just sit with this for a second. Kimi Antonelli is 19 years old. He is the Formula 1 drivers’ championship leader. He has won three consecutive Grands Prix. He just became the first driver in F1 history to convert his first three pole positions into race wins in consecutive races.
He replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes — one of the most scrutinised driver swaps in modern F1 history — and has responded by making it look straightforward. He’s had tricky starts in races this season — losing places at lights out has been a consistent issue — and has had to fight back every single time. He’s done it every single time.
There’s a composure about him that’s almost unsettling for his age. He doesn’t look like someone riding adrenaline and instinct. He looks like someone who has figured things out — who knows his car, knows his tyres, knows when to push and when to manage. That’s not supposed to be a 19-year-old quality. He has it anyway.
The 2026 F1 season is Kimi Antonelli’s season to lose right now. And so far, nothing suggests he has any intention of losing it.
Quick Recap
Race: 2026 Miami Grand Prix Circuit: Miami International Autodrome, Florida Winner: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) — 3rd win of 2026 Podium: Antonelli, Norris, Piastri Fastest lap: TBC Retirements: Hulkenberg, Lawson, Gasly, Hadjar Championship leader: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
Miami delivered chaos, drama, a spectacular first lap, a thriller finale, and yet another reminder that Formula 1 in 2026 has something genuinely special at the front of the grid.
Next stop — on to the next one. 🏁