Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced another mature performance to win the Miami Grand Prix, resisting the challenge of Lando Norris to extend his lead in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.

The Italian momentarily lost the lead early on to Charles Leclerc in a thrilling opening few laps, in which two big shunts saw an early Safety Car.

Norris was unable to quite maintain a challenge, his threat falling away after being undercut by Antonelli.

Teammate Oscar Piastri was third, taking it late from Charles Leclerc, who ultimately finished sixth after spinning in his tussle with Piastri, sustaining damage and then colliding with George Russell.

Verstappen makes tremendous recovery from spin

At the start, Verstappen got away well and inched ahead of Antonelli, who left the door open for the predictably fast-starting Ferrari of Leclerc to take the lead.

The Monagasque braked early and saw Antonelli go wide and Verstappen outbrake himself around him, and the Dutchman then spun on the exit, sending him down to 10th, with Antonelli holding second over Norris. Replays showed that Verstappen did remarkably well to save the car from disaster.

Verstappen began his fightback and was eighth by Lap 3, with Russell getting ahead of Piastri for fourth. Iscak Hadjar, starting from the pit lane, made a mega start and was already up to 16th.

By Lap 4, Leclerc’s initial one-second lead was eradicated by Antonelli, who tried to overtake at Turn 11, but Leclerc held firm and resisted.

The inevitable was coming though, and Antonelli breezed past at Turn 17. Norris was ordered to stick close to the leading pair and ‘let them yo-yo,’ and with that command barely out of his mouth, F1’s rule refinements looked barely visible as Leclerc was back through again.

Norris then got in on the act, getting second place before proceedings were truncated by the deployment of the Safety Car.

Hadjar had planted his Red bull into the wall at Turn 15 after taking too much kerb, the Frenchman furiously banging his fists on the wheel of his RB22.

It got even more chaotic, with Gasly also out, his Alpine parked somewhat up the tyre wall at 17. It transpired that Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls had stuck a wheel up the inside, pitching Gasly into a barrel roll.

Verstappen was one of only two drivers to pit – for Hards – during the Safety Car, which peeled in at the end of Lap 11, with Leclerc maintaining first place.

Piastri got the jump on Russell to snatch fourth, with Hamilton six and Franco Colapinto seventh. Verstappen, after his tyre change, was now 15th and quickly swarming over Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.

Lap 13, and Norris was now in hot pursuit of Leclerc, and duly swept past into the lead at Turn 11. Antonelli got second off the Ferrari going into the last corner, but Leclerc was back through at Turn 1.

The Italian would make it stick however, knocking Leclerc down to third. For Williams, it was about as rosy as things have looked in 2026, with Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon eighth and ninth respectively.

By Lap 16, Norris was 2.3s ahead, and maintained that advantage for another three laps, with Leclerc now a second behind the Mercedes, with Piastri less than a second off third place.

Pierre Gasly was pitched into a barrell roll and into the wall, just after Isack Hadjar planted his Red Bull into the barrier

Leclerc angry at Ferrari strategy as Antonelli shows muscle

Russell boxed for Hards on Lap 21, followed by Piastri, who dropped to 12th, behind the Mercedes, who dispatched Esteban Ocon for 10th.

Leclerc was irked by the Ferrari decision to box him, furiously telling them to consult him next time, adding: “I’m here as well!”

Rain was now due shortly, but Verstappen was making hay whilst the sun shone, taking Colapinto for fifth.

Russell and Leclerc were now both ahead of Albon, occupying eighth and ninth respectively.

With his first set of tyres giving up the ghost rapidly, Norris slid his way into the pits on Lap 28 for Hards, rejoining third.

With Piastri now in the lead and Verstappen keeping a watching brief on him, Antonelli made a huge move on Norris to take third.

The McLaren man was not giving up, trying to regain it at Turn 1, but Antonelli held him off, with just one second separating the top three, now headed by Verstappen, as Piastri pitted at the end of the lap.

Antonelli nabbed the lead off of Verstappen at Turn 11, with Norris looking keen to making a move. Into the back straight, Norris allowed Verstappen to go wide and take second on the switch back.

Antonelli was now 1.5s ahead of Norris, with Verstappen eventually slipping back to over seven seconds adrift.

Behind him, Piastri and Russell were engaged in battle for fifth, Mercedes initially getting ahead but Piastri quickly going back through into Turn 1.

As the pair continued to yo-yo, Norris was reeling in Antonelli, bringing the gap down to a second on Lap 36.

Antonelli complained of rear degradation, and going into Lap 38, Norris was now just eight tenths behind, the two now seemingly the only challengers for the victory.

However, Antonelli was, within a few laps, able to increase the gap again, as Russell was still stuck behind Piastri in sixth.

There was much encouragement for Aston Martin, with both cars still running. Fernando Alonsoo was 16th just two seconds behind Arvid Lindblad, pitting on Lap 43 for his first set of Hards – a hugely impressive stint.

Antonelli sees off Norris to confirm championship credentials

Antonelli was now nearly two seconds ahead on Lap 44, with Verstappen holding a similar advantage to Leclerc in third. Piastri was now nearly two seconds ahead of Russell in fifth Lewis Hamilton was having an ultimately mundane afternoon in seventh.

Norris observed Antonelli had exceeded the track limits more than once, and the Italian’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, was quick to warn him that there would be “no more” unless he would get a penalty for it.

Further back, Leclerc was now firmly on Verstappen’s diffuser and got through at Turn 11. The Dutchman was now under significant risk of losing fourth to Piastri.

Antonelli was now in further trouble, this time complaining of downshifting problems, but still held a 1.6s lead, which he stretched to two on Lap 52.

Piastri was beginning to reel in Leclerc with Russell edging closer to Verstappen. Russell tried to take Verstappen into Turn 1, the latter complaining the Mercedes “hit my tyre”.

The Australian got ahead on the final lap, and whilst attempting to retake the position, Leclerc spun. It confirmed Piastri’s podium finish, and Leclerc brushed the wall as he recovered to point the car in the right direction.

However, the Ferrari was now ailing rapidly, and after going wide midway through the final lap, fell into the clutches of both Russell and Verstappen.

Antonelli had no such problems, and duly coasted to the line to take a third straight win, and open up his F1 title lead even more.

Norris took second, but the drama was further back.

Russell and Leclerc touched at Turn 17 as the Ferrari’s damage was more severe than it looked. In a desperate attempt to hold off the Mercedes, the pair touched, but Russell was through, sustaining damage in the touch, with sparks flying as he crossed the line to take fourth.

Verstappen also stole in on the line and take fifth by just two tenths.

Hamilton was seventh, with Colapinto eighth, and the Williams duo holding onto a double-points finish.