Kimi Antonelli wins Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, extending his lead in the standings

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Kimi Antonelli won the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, securing his third victory in a row and increasing his lead in the world championship.

The 19-year-old Italian prodigy started first after taking his third consecutive pole position for the race. And while he lost his lead at the start, he regained it and held off the charging McLaren of Lando Norris toward the end.

“This is just the beginning. The road is still long, but we’re working super hard, and the team is doing an incredible job, and without them, I wouldn’t be here,” Antonelli said after the race.

Norris finished second, with fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri completing the podium in third place.

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.

It was the fourth race of the 2026 season, coming after an unplanned five-week gap due to two races in the Middle East getting canceled because of the war in Iran. It’s also the first race in the U.S. since new rules led to massive changes in the sport. Formula 1 tweaked the regulations in response to criticisms that it devalued flat-out racing in favor of battery management.

“I’m gutted to miss out on a win here in Miami,” Norris said. “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. But it’s still a positive weekend altogether.”

Antonelli, became Formula 1’s youngest ever championship leader in March, has now defeated his more experienced teammate George Russell for the third straight race. Russell, 28, entered the season as the betting-odds favorite to win the title. He finished fourth in Miami.

Antonelli's unexpected strength in his sophomore season of Formula 1 is already spicing up the championship battle.

The race delivered on the exciting wheel-to-wheel racing that F1 hoped for with the polarizing new regulations, featuring numerous of battles as Antonelli, Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc each looked, at different moments, capable of winning.

Leclerc fell out of contention for victory later in the race, and finished sixth after spinning on the last lap, nearly crashing his car and losing multiple positions in the final few corners.

There was some “yo-yo” racing, with cars using electrical energy to overtake and then getting re-passed as their battery ran out. The drivers sought to map out where to use their “boost” buttons to maximum impact. That aspect of the new rules has sparked controversy as some drivers say it’s antithetical to racing.

It was also the inaugural home race for the GM-backed Cadillac F1 team, which joined the grid this year. The owner of the team hopes it’ll help Formula 1 break further into American culture.

“We just have to break into that mainstream sports conversation. The NFL draft is like this cultural event. I mean, the amount of people that watched and attended that event was crazy. And then you got the NBA playoffs, and you’ve got the MLB season underway. And so motorsports is on the rise, for sure, but it still has to take that big next step,” Dan Towriss, the CEO of the Cadillac F1 team, told reporters Friday in the paddock. “It has to break into that sports conversation where every day people are talking about what happened in ... Formula 1.”

Formula 1 says the U.S. is a top-priority market.

“We want to keep embracing the American fans, in the right way, creating the right vibes, talking about sport, talking about business,” Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said Friday at the Autosport Business Exchange Miami.

While Apple hasn’t released exact viewership figures, the company's senior vice president Eddy Cue said Friday the ratings were “way up” in the opening three races compared to last year.

Antonelli lost his lead after a chaotic start, with Leclerc charging into first place on the first lap after Max Verstappen of Red Bull spun around in the opening corners and lost positions. Verstappen ultimately recovered to finish the race in fifth place.

There was chaos on Lap 6 with two unrelated crashes that brought out a “safety car” and neutralized the race. Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar hit the barriers after misjudging a chicane. Elsewhere on track, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson locked up and hit Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, leaving Gasly’s car stricken on track.

McLaren, who dominated the team championship last year, showed significant improvements this weekend after struggling in the first three races of 2026. Norris and Piastri finished first and second, respectively, in the Miami “sprint” race Saturday.

“Thanks to the team, a step closer in performance once again,” Piastri said Sunday after his podium finish.