Mercedes left the Miami Grand Prix with another major haul of points and a third consecutive victory for Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who once again had to fight hard to secure the win.

George Russell delivered a gritty drive to fourth despite late‑race contact and front‑wing damage, ensuring both cars finished strongly on a day that demanded precision, resilience and racecraft.

Antonelli’s race began with a setback when he locked up into Turn 1 and lost the lead, dropping behind Charles Leclerc. The opening laps became a three‑way duel between Antonelli, Leclerc and Lando Norris, with positions changing repeatedly as the trio fought for control of the race.

The decisive moment came when Mercedes called Antonelli in early to attempt the undercut on Norris. The strategy worked to perfection: with fresh tyres and rapid out‑laps, Antonelli emerged in position to retake the lead as Norris exited the pits. With his tyres already up to temperature, the Italian swept past and never looked back.

Reflecting on the victory, Antonelli emphasised both the difficulty of the race and the strength of the team’s execution: “That was not an easy race at all but I’m so happy we were able to bring the victory home.

"My start wasn’t as bad as in the Sprint, but we still lost a position. I then lost a place to Lando (Norris) before the Safety Car, but we were able to fight back.

"Our pace was strong, I was able to stay close, and then the team did a brilliant job with the strategy. The undercut worked out just about perfectly and, despite the McLaren coming out just ahead, we were able to get past with our tyres being up to temperature.”

Despite three wins in a row, Antonelli was quick to stress that Mercedes are keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

“Despite our great start to the season, we are not getting ahead of ourselves. This is just the beginning of the season and there is a long year ahead.

"We are working super hard and the team is doing an incredible job at the moment. Without all the men and women at Brackley and Brixworth we wouldn’t be in this position. We’re going to continue to work hard, bring performance to the track, and aim for another good weekend in Canada.”

George Russell’s race was far more chaotic. Starting further back, he relied heavily on strategy to move forward, with Mercedes pitting him early to trigger an undercut that initially vaulted him ahead of Leclerc. Although he later lost the position again, Russell chased the Ferrari down in the closing laps.

The final phase of the race was messy: Russell made contact with Max Verstappen while fighting for position, then clashed with Leclerc as both battled on worn tyres. He crossed the line with sparks flying from a damaged front‑wing endplate but held on for fourth place.

Russell admitted the afternoon had been difficult from the cockpit: “That was a tough afternoon for us out there. The early laps felt OK and I thought that we were in the fight, but my pace wasn’t strong on the Hard compound.

"We did make some changes near the end of the final stint which helped but this place has never been my favourite, and it showed. We gained a couple of positions at the end at least so the result was potentially better than it could have been.”

He also praised his teammate’s performance: “Kimi did a great job and showed that the car could challenge for victory. Congratulations to him; it’s more great points for the team.”

Looking ahead, Russell is eager to reset at a circuit he enjoys: “I am looking forward to going to Canada for the next race. It’s a circuit I like and have gone well at in the past.

"From Montreal onwards, we have seven races in a short period of time up until the summer break. Those will be really important for us so I’m looking forward to getting back in the groove.”