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Formula OneFormula One returned after its enforced April break, and the sport put on a show worth waiting for. Andrea Kimi Antonelli made it three wins in a row in another demonstration of the Italian teenager's incredible potential. However, that victory masks the fact that Mercedes will not have things quite as easy as they might've hoped from the opening rounds. Ferrari have closed the gap, Max Verstappen looked like a challenger once more, and McLaren were arguably the fastest team in a thrilling Miami Grand Prix.
Antonelli started the day in pole position, but it would not be a lights-to-flag drive for the championship leader. He and fellow front-row starter Verstappen duked it out on the run to Turn 1, but both locked up on the low-grip surface. Heavy rain had removed much of the Pirelli rubber from the track, and the organisers had even brought the race's start time forwards to avoid another downpour. It was Charles Leclerc who led the opening tour to set the stage for a stellar Sunday.
While Antonelli recovered from his deep moment at Turn 1, Verstappen's own return to the track saw the Red Bull spinning 360 degrees in a cloud of tyre smoke. The other 21 cars somehow avoided collecting the Dutchman, but any hopes he had of returning to winning ways in 2026 were severely dented. A frantic rush of frontrunners engulfed the RB22, and the order shifted to Leclerc leading Antonelli and then the two McLarens chasing them down, with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri.
The drama hadn't finished there, though. Lewis Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel with a high-placed Franco Colapinto into the Turn 11 left-hander. The two collided as the Alpine caught a snap of oversteer, damaging Hamilton's bodywork. Seconds later, there was another close moment at the same corner, this time with Liam Lawson going deep to avoid ex-teammate Verstappen's attempt at a pass. The midfield was bunched up behind the yellow-liveried Racing Bulls car to create a six-car scrap for P8.
Verstappen's lowly position was generating a lot of overtaking action. He went deep into the heavy-braking Turn 17 hairpin when battling Carlos Sainz and opened the door for Alex Albon to get alongside. Verstappen won out, somehow, but the order shook up behind him as Lawson, Pierre Gasly, the Haas pair, and both Williams drivers vyed for the lower points positions. Closer to the front, Antonelli was closing in on Leclerc as Mercedes teammate, George Russell, made a pass on Piastri for P4.
Russell, who many touted as the title favourite, had not enjoyed his Miami weekend as much as the sister Silver Arrows driver. Antonelli had taken pole position for the race and a front-row start for the Sprint. Russell's move was important for his championship aspirations, but Antonelli was fighting for the top spot. Passes came for the lead as Antonelli and Leclerc swapped back and forth, but the scrap had to stop for a Safety Car intervention just as Norris joined the fun and passed for second place.
Two separate issues slowed proceedings, with Isack Hadjar crashing at Turn 15 and Gasly flipping over at Turn 17. Hadjar broke his suspension at the tight Turn 14 entry, while Lawson had hit the Alpine driver to send him tumbling over and onto the tyre barriers. All drivers were unharmed, but the three, plus a mechanical failure for Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, retired from the race. Red Bull took the opportunity to pit Verstappen under the slowdown for Pirelli's Hard compound, but were the only team to roll the dice.
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The race restart had Leclerc driving away from Norris and Antonelli, with Piastri coming back at Russell for P4. The leading trio kept battling, and Norris ended up being the third race leader with a move up the inside of Turn 11 on Leclerc. Antonelli repeated the move on the Ferrari driver soon after, too, with the three constructors looking finely matched. There was another car in the mix for the win as Verstappen's cheap pit stop had him slowly carving through the field, but not needing to stop again. Switching to the Hard Pirelli was working well for him, and there was no requirement for him to make another stop.
A threat of rain had delayed the pit stop phase, but once a light shower that didn't affect grip passed, the pit lane got busier. Russell was the first to stop, with Mercedes looking to undercut their second car up the order. The decision worked, too, with Leclerc stopping soon after and falling behind the Briton. It was a similar story for Antonelli as well, with the undercut again favouring Mercedes and seeing the Italian regain the net race lead. A masterful strategy by Mercedes that helped both drivers advance was reminiscent of their domination in the 2010s.
This race was not won, though, with the little matter of a four-time world champion leading on old Pirelli rubber. Sandwiched by title winners, Antonelli had to probe forward at Verstappen, while defending from reigning champion Norris behind. The young driver managed well, though, getting around the outside of Verstappen at Turn 10. Norris followed suit at Turn 17, but the battle for P1 was done. Antonelli's pit stop had decided the victor, with Norris lacking the pace to make it back past. The podium, however, was far from settled. Verstappen was falling further and further down the order with his ageing tyres.
Russell, who had once again slipped behind Leclerc and Piastri over the second stint, was the last car to close in on Verstappen as the race reached its climax. Leclerc looked good for P3, with Piastri then Russell and Verstappen behind. But this Miami GP still had another twist to come with the Ferrari driver spinning on his own on the 57th and final lap. Contact with the wall damaged his car with only a few kilometres left, and he was powerless to stop those chasing him from passing. Russell gingerly got by in the final braking zone, but made contact with Leclerc as the Ferrari couldn't corner properly.
Verstappen, too, made it up to P5 as Leclerc's damaged car limped to the line in a race finish that was as dramatic as its start. Antonelli extended his lead in the championship to 20 points over Russell as F1 takes another short break before the Canadian GP. McLaren looked strong after their performance, too, taking the other two podium spots. Leclerc, though, fell even further, with a post-race 20-second penalty demoting him to P8 after repeatedly leaving the track during that chaotic last lap.
