Antonelli wins in Miami to extend title lead
· Yahoo Sports
Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli held off McLaren's Lando Norris in a race-long battle to win the Miami Grand Prix and take a commanding championship lead.
Visit grenadier.co.za for more information.
The 19-year-old Italian's third win in a row moves him 20 points - not far from a clear win - ahead of team-mate George Russell, who finished fourth on Sunday, behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
Antonelli prevailed in a gripping race, initially staging a three-car fight also including Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, before the race distilled down to a tussle between the Mercedes and Norris.
The long-threatened rain, which had caused the race start to be brought forward by three hours, never materialised, apart from a few spots mid-race, and the grand prix ran its distance in dry conditions.
The key stories in Miami were:
- Another win for Antonelli, who has won three of the first four races to put pre-season favourite Russell in the shade and became the first driver to win from his first three poles
- A revival for McLaren after upgrades this weekend and a strong drive from Norris
- A full-on race for Max Verstappen, including a rare mistake, a fightback and some on-the-edge racing
- Many examples of the "yo-yo racing" that has characterised this new season and has split opinion
Antonelli overcomes another poor start
Antonelli took this win despite another poor start - he has now lost places off the line in all four grands prix and both sprint events this season.
His Mercedes was swamped by Leclerc's fast-starting Ferrari from fourth on one side and Verstappen on the other on the run to the first corner.
Verstappen went to the inside, but ran deep and as he fought to retain the lead, Leclerc squeezed him at Turn Two, and the four-time champion lost control on the kerb, spinning a full 360 degrees with the entire field behind him.
He quickly regained control but had dropped to 10th place and now out of the fight for victory, a blow on a weekend on which Red Bull appeared to return to competitiveness.
That left Leclerc leading from Antonelli and Norris, and the yo-yo fighting began, caused by varying rates of battery charge.
Antonelli took the lead on lap four, only for Leclerc to pass back a lap later, before a safety car was sent out after two separate accidents on lap six.
Isack Hadjar crashed his Red Bull on his own at the final chicane and Pierre Gasly's Alpine was tipped into a somersault by Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls at the final corner.
Isack Hadjar shows his frustration after crashing out of the Miami Grand Prix [Getty Images]The battle at the front continued after the restart, when Norris took second from Antonelli and then quickly passed the Ferrari to take the lead.
Antonelli passed Leclerc a lap later and the Mercedes and McLaren began to edge into a fight on their own.
Norris led confidently, both drivers waiting for rain that was predicted shortly before half-distance, but when it began to look as if it would not come, Mercedes jumped first.
Antonelli was brought in for fresh tyres on lap 24, but Norris waited a further three laps, with McLaren still wary of the weather.
It was the decisive point of the race. Antonelli gained enough time on his fresher tyres to be ahead when Norris came out of the pits.
Although the McLaren sat within a second of the Mercedes for many laps, and Antonelli battled with some gearshift issues and overheating rear tyres, the Mercedes driver held off Norris and eased a couple of seconds clear in the final laps.
"We got undercut, no excuses," Norris said. "We should have boxed first. As a team we have to be happy, I am gutted to miss out on a win. It was possible today. Didn't have the pace to get back past him at the end."
Strong weekend for McLaren
Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull as Charles Leclerc led the field through the first two corners [Reuters]Norris was left to rue the pit stop decision. "How did we not win this?" he said over the radio. "We can make it easier for ourselves."
But this was a strong showing from McLaren, who introduced a major upgrade package this weekend, which brought them right into the fight with Mercedes.
Leclerc was brought in on lap 21 for his stop, and complained over the radio that he had not been consulted.
The decision did drop him down the field and force him to fight past slower cars. He regained third, but then lost it again to Norris' team-mate Piastri on the penultimate lap as he began to struggle for grip.
Leclerc then spun on his own on the last lap, shortly after Piastri had overtaken him, and lost two further positions into and out of the final corner, as first Russell and then Verstappen came past him.
Verstappen pitted under the safety car for his fresh tyres, hoping the gamble would pay off. It dropped him to the back, but with some aggressive overtaking and the others pitting in front of him, it put him in the lead mid-race.
But he was never going to hold on with his worn tyres, and he slipped down. Still, fifth was a decent result after his early error, which was followed by some very aggressive racing that prompted complaints from some of his rivals.
Leclerc slipped back to sixth, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, whose car was damaged in a first-lap clash with Alpine's Franco Colapinto.
The Argentine took eighth, ahead of the Williams cars of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Verstappen faces an investigation from the stewards for crossing the white line on pit exit, while Russell is under investigation for separate incidents with both Leclerc and Verstappen.
Top 10
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
8. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
9. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
10. Alex Albon (Williams)
What's next?
Formula 1 stays in North America for the next race, at Canada's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, in three weeks' time, from 22-24 May.