Kimi Antonelli Wins Miami Grand Prix, Holding Off Lando Norris for Third Straight Victory

Kimi Antonelli won the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, extending his championship lead after holding off Lando Norris to claim his third successive win.

Multiple outlets described how Antonelli started first after taking his third consecutive pole position, then lost the lead at the start before regaining it and “hold[ing] off the charging McLaren of Lando Norris toward the end.”

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Sky Sports said Antonelli “holds off Lando Norris to claim third successive win and extend championship lead,” while NBC News reported that the result “secur[ed] his third victory in a row and increas[ed] his lead in the world championship.”

The race order in the sources placed Antonelli first, Norris second, and Oscar Piastri third, with George Russell fourth and Max Verstappen fifth.

Adnkronos listed the top finishers as “1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 2. Lando Norris (McLaren) 3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 4. George Russell (Mercedes) 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull).”

The Sky Sports report also stated that Antonelli’s win extended his world championship lead to 20 points, and it framed the weekend as a continuation of a Mercedes run that produced “four victories from as many races this season.”

In the immediate post-race reaction, Antonelli told NBC News, “This is just the beginning. The road is still long,” and he added that he felt “much more comfortable in the car, much more in control as well.”

The Miami Grand Prix’s build-up in the sources centered on weather-driven timing changes and a grid shaped by qualifying outcomes and penalties.

Il Post said the race was “prevista per le 22, ma poi è stata anticipata alle 19 perché era previsto un temporale,” and it added that the Miami event was “il primo Gran Premio dopo oltre un mese di pausa” after the prior race on “il 29 marzo in Giappone.”

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Nextgen-Auto similarly described that “la direction de course a décidé hier… d’avancer le départ de la course, initialement prévu à 22h… et qui va se tenir à 19h,” and it tied the move to “des risques d’orages.”

NBC News put the start time in U.S. terms, saying the race time was moved up by three hours to start at “1 p.m. local time due to a threat of thunderstorms later in the afternoon.”

On the grid, Nextgen-Auto stated that Antonelli “a signé sa troisième pole position en carrière, la troisième consécutive,” and it placed him alongside Max Verstappen in the front row, with Charles Leclerc third on the grid.

The same source listed Lando Norris as fourth on the grid ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, and it described Oscar Piastri as paired with Franco Colapinto in the fourth row.

Nextgen-Auto also reported that Isack Hadjar was disqualified from qualifying for a “infraction technique,” and it said he would “s’élancera depuis la voie des stands,” while Red Bull modified his car with “20 places de pénalité” absorbed by the stand start.

In the race-day conditions, Nextgen-Auto’s live updates said “la piste est sèche et la pluie n’est pas présente à Miami,” even as it warned that “les orages devraient arriver plus tard.”

The Miami race’s outcome was shaped not only by wheel-to-wheel racing but also by post-race penalties that changed final classification.

“Antonelli rimane leader del Mondiale Piloti Andrea Kimi Antonelli vince il Gran Premio di Miami e resta leader del Mondiale di Formula 1”

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Sky Sports reported that Charles Leclerc “was demoted to eighth by a 20-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage,” and it described how Leclerc “spun and hit the barrier” as he tried to fight back against Oscar Piastri, then later “was demoted to eighth by a 20-second penalty.”

The Race and PlanetF1 both detailed the stewards’ reasoning that Leclerc repeatedly left the track after his last-lap spin, with PlanetF1 quoting the stewards’ verdict that “Given this problem, he was forced to cut chicanes on the way to the chequered flag” and that “the fact that he had to cut the chicanes (i.e. to leave the track) meant that he gained a lasting advantage.”

The New York Times also described the penalty as a drive-through converted to 20 seconds, stating that Leclerc received “a drive-through penalty for leaving the track multiple times ‘without a justifiable reason.’”

Verstappen’s penalty was separate: Sky Sports said Verstappen received “a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit,” and The Race and Formula 1 sources explained that the stewards investigated after the race because there was “limited video evidence to make a clear decision.”

PlanetF1 and Formula 1 both described the stewards’ conclusion that “the outside of the front left-hand tyre did cross the outside of the solid white pit exit line,” and Formula 1 specified that the infraction was in violation of “Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 6 c) of the International Sporting Code.”

The penalty effects were concrete in the finishing order: The Race listed “8 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +64.245s**” and marked it with “**20-second penalty,” while The Race also showed Verstappen as “5 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +48.949s*” with “* five-second penalty.”

After the race, the sources captured contrasting reactions from drivers and teams, with Antonelli emphasizing strategy and control while Norris expressed disappointment and Leclerc acknowledged error.

Sky Sports quoted Antonelli saying, “The pace was strong. I was able to stay close. The team did a great strategy. We did a massive undercut and we managed to bring it home, even though it was not easy.”

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In the same report, Antonelli added, “This is just the beginning. The road is still long. We are working super hard and the team is doing an incredible job,” and he thanked his team and family.

NBC News also carried Antonelli’s post-race comments, including “George, for sure, is going to be super strong in Canada [which hosts the next race],” and his assessment that he felt “much more comfortable in the car, much more in control as well.”

Norris’s reaction came through NBC News as well, where he said, “I’m gutted to miss out on a win here in Miami,” and he added, “I think it was possible today, but yeah, not the pace to get back past him in the end. So we take it on the chin.”

The New York Times reported Leclerc’s own view of the mistake, quoting him as saying, “I think that without the mistake, I could have done a podium,” and it also quoted him on what he wanted to do in the last lap: “I wanted to get the overtake from Oscar in that last lap.”

The sources also included a pre-race statement from Verstappen about rain, with Nextgen-Auto quoting him: “Attendons de voir la quantité de pluie qu’il va tomber,” and adding, “Et s’il pleut, on s’adaptera.”

The Miami result carried immediate implications for the championship and for the sport’s schedule, with multiple sources pointing to the next race in Canada and to cancellations in the Middle East.

Sky Sports stated that Antonelli’s win “extend[ed] his world championship lead to 20 points,” and it also said the gap between the Mercedes pair at the top of the standings grew from seven to 20 points after Russell finished fourth.

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NBC News listed the points totals after the race as “100 championship points” for Antonelli, “80” for Russell, “63” for Leclerc, and “51” for Norris, and it noted that “A Grand Prix victory awards 25 points.”

The New York Times also framed the next step as “Next up: Montreal, Canada,” and it connected the Miami weekend to the broader 2026 calendar that included “Canada — May 22-24.”

Il Post and NBC News both described how the Miami race came after cancellations tied to war in the Middle East: Il Post said “Entrambe però sono state cancellate a causa della guerra in Medio Oriente,” while NBC News said the season had an “unplanned five-week gap due to two races in the Middle East getting canceled because of the war in Iran.”

The sources also included a regulatory and technical forward-looking thread, with Nextgen-Auto reporting that “la FIA… a révélé… que la F1 se verrait imposer le retour du V8 en 2031,” and it quoted Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s role as FIA president.

In the same live update, Nextgen-Auto said motorists “ne seraient pas consultés,” and it added that Ferrari could face restrictions on innovations for the SF-26.

Finally, NBC News described the U.S. market push and the new rules context, saying Formula 1 tweaked regulations in response to criticisms that it “devalued flat-out racing in favor of battery management,” and it quoted Stefano Domenicali saying, “We want to keep embracing the American fans, in the right way, creating the right vibes, talking about sport, doing business.”