Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Miami Grand Prix in a race marked by incidents right at the start, multiple direct battles, and strategic changes throughout the 57 laps. The Mercedes driver managed to stay among the leaders throughout the race and took control at decisive moments to confirm the victory.
The start already brought important changes. Charles Leclerc got off better and took the lead, while Antonelli stayed close. Just behind, chaos took over the pack, with several cars involved in battles and Max Verstappen spinning alone and falling to the middle of the grid. Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, who started from the back, began gaining positions amid the initial confusion.
Still in the first laps, Antonelli went after Leclerc and took the lead on lap 4, but the battle between the two remained intense. Shortly after, new incidents completely changed the race scenario. Isack Hadjar crashed hard after losing control of the car, while Pierre Gasly was also involved in an accident while attempting an overtaking maneuver. The sequence of crashes led to the Safety Car deployment.
During the neutralization period, several drivers took the opportunity to pit, including Verstappen, trying to recover ground with an alternative strategy. The race resumed on lap 11, already with a significantly altered scenario.
At the restart, the battle intensified again. Lando Norris appeared strong and took the lead by overtaking Leclerc on lap 13, while Antonelli and other drivers remained very close. The front group stayed compact, with constant position changes among the main names of the race.
The pit stop phase was decisive. Different strategies shuffled the grid again, with undercuts working in some cases. Verstappen even took the lead momentarily after rivals’ stops but was quickly pressured by Antonelli and Norris, who were running at a stronger pace.
On lap 29, Antonelli made an important outside overtaking move on Verstappen, while Norris also joined the direct battle, consolidating the real race lead recovery by the drivers who had stopped earlier.
From there, Antonelli began to control the pace, gradually opening a gap. Even with some complaints about rear tire wear, the Italian managed to maintain consistency and increase the difference from his direct rivals.
Further back, the race remained extremely lively. Oscar Piastri, George Russell, and Verstappen staged a sequence of intense position battles, with overtakes happening mainly at the end of the straight. Russell, in fact, found a good rhythm in the final laps and started to pressure Verstappen.
In the fight for the podium, Leclerc began to lose performance in the final part of the race. After battling for much of the race, the Ferrari driver faced problems in the final laps, spinning alone on the last lap and showing damage, which completely compromised his position.
The situation opened the way for Piastri, who was pressuring, to take the position and secure second place, with Norris completing the podium after a consistent race, although without the pace to fight directly for the win.
Russell finished fourth after a strong recovery, while Verstappen closed the race in fifth after a race marked by ups and downs. Leclerc, with car problems, dropped to sixth position.
In the midfield pack, Bortoleto had a difficult but consistent race within the Audi scenario. The Brazilian managed to advance some positions, was sometimes faster than cars ahead at certain moments, and fought directly with Esteban Ocon. He finished the race in 12th position, outside the points zone.
Check out the F1 Miami GP results:
1) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes)
3) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes)
4) George Russell (Mercedes)
5) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
6) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes)
9) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes)
10) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes)
11) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari)
12) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
13) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari)
14) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
15) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda)
16) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari)
17) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Honda)
18) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari)
OUT) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
OUT) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford)
OUT) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes)
OUT) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford)
