Kimi Antonelli beat Lando Norris to victory in a thrilling Miami Grand Prix to claim his third successive race win and extend his world championship lead to 20 points.
As had been the case in his previous two victories, Antonelli was unable to hold the lead from pole position as he dropped to third in the early stages, but the Mercedes driver regained the lead by overtaking Norris after their only pit stops and then held off the McLaren in a tense finale.
The 19-year-old Italian becomes just the third driver to have claimed his first three Grand Prix victories consecutively, following in the footsteps of former world champions Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen.
Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell was able to limit the damage on a weekend where he was never able to match the Italian’s pace, passing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a chaotic finale to claim fourth, meaning the gap between the Mercedes pair at the top of the standings grew from seven to 20 points.
Oscar Piastri also passed Leclerc on the penultimate lap to seal a double podium for McLaren, completing a solid weekend for the reigning constructors’ champions after Norris led a one-two for them in Saturday’s Sprint as their major upgrade package resulted in a significant upturn.
Verstappen had to settle for fifth after an uncharacteristic spin at the start saw him drop back from second on the grid and opt to pit under an early Safety Car, leaving him fighting to hang onto his aged hard tyres in the closing stages.
Leclerc, who took the lead at the start but had his race ruined by a slow pit stop, spun and hit the barrier as he tried to fight back against Piastri, causing damage to his car which allowed Russell and Verstappen to pass in the final corners.
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Alpine’s Pierre Gasly flipped over at the Miami GP after a coming together with Liam Lawson.
Both Verstappen and Leclerc must await the outcome of post-race investigations before their positions are confirmed. Verstappen could face action for crossing the white line at the pit-lane exit after his stop, and Leclerc for driving in an unsafe condition after his late spin.
Lewis Hamilton finished behind his Ferrari team-mate in seventh, as the Italian team’s own major upgrade package failed to produce its desired effect.
Ultimately, the fact that Mercedes were able to make it four victories from as many races this season despite holding off bringing their own major upgrade package until the next round in Canada will be seen as a major triumph for the Silver Arrows, and give them huge confidence that can remain at the head of the field in Montreal.
Franco Colapinto claimed seventh for Alpine after his team-mate Pierre Gasly was flipped over following an early collision, while Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon both scored points in an improved display from Williams.
Formula 1 next heads to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and another Sprint weekend. Watch live on Sky Sports F1 on May 22-24. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
