Kimi Antonelli is writing one of the most dominant season starts in recent Formula 1 history. Three wins from four races. Four victories for Mercedes in as many starts. A pole position for the third race running. And above all, race management of disconcerting maturity for a driver contesting his first full Formula 1 season.

Antonelli also became the first polesitter ever to win in Miami in the entire history of the race. One more record added to his tally, in a weekend that will be remembered for far more reasons than simply the victory of the young driver from Bologna.

A Start Full of Danger

The race had already begun in unusual fashion: brought forward three hours from the original schedule due to storm risks over Florida, with the entire grid on mediums except Hadjar on hards, Hadjar himself having been disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement on his car.

The lights going out immediately plunges the race into chaos. Antonelli, starting from pole, finds himself sandwiched between Verstappen and a rocket-launched Leclerc from the second row. In the first-corner scramble, the Dutchman and the Italian make contact, Verstappen spins spectacularly, loses several positions and sees his victory hopes evaporate immediately. The race is five laps old when Hadjar and Gasly retire in successive incidents: Hadjar exits at Turn 14, Gasly is sent airborne by Lawson in a controversial move, the Frenchman's roll prompting the safety car.

The Mid-Race Battle: The Lead Changes Hands Repeatedly

Under the safety car, strategists are busy. The 40% rain threat hovers over Miami and changes every team's calculations. When racing resumes, Antonelli leads but Norris, Piastri, Leclerc and Verstappen are all there, threatening. The race lead changes hands several times through pit stops and different strategic phases. Verstappen even takes the front at one point thanks to a well-executed undercut, before his tyres degrade catastrophically in the final ten laps.

Antonelli retakes the lead by overtaking Leclerc mid-race and never lets it go again. Behind him, the drama continues: in the final lap, just when he appeared to have secured his podium, Leclerc makes a costly error that hands his position to Piastri.

Race control had plenty of work after Miami. Three drivers were summoned to the stewards for different incidents throughout the race.

• Charles Leclerc: drive-through penalty for repeatedly leaving the track and gaining an advantage, and for driving in an unsafe condition. The penalty, applied after the race, drops him to a final 7th place.
• George Russell: penalised for two separate collisions with Leclerc and Verstappen in the closing laps of the race. Retains 4th place despite the penalty.
• Max Verstappen: five-second time penalty for crossing the white line at the pit lane exit. The gap behind him is sufficient to retain 5th place.

Mercedes have won the first four races of the 2026 season. Whether with Antonelli alone or with Russell, there has been only one car at the top since the season began. Mercedes dominance is not only quantitative. It is qualitative: Antonelli wins even when the race is chaotic, even when the gearbox causes problems, even when he has to manage penalties around him. That is the sign of a driver and a team who understand the new rules better than everyone else.

McLaren: The Real Threat Going Forward

Norris and Piastri finish 2nd and 3rd. McLaren score their first double podium of the 2026 season and show that the massive upgrades brought to Miami have worked. The near entirely revised MCL40 is clearly faster than the season-opening package. Even if the gap to Mercedes remains, Norris clearly has the tools to fight for victory in the coming races.

Red Bull and Ferrari: Two Missed Opportunities

Verstappen finishes 5th following his opening-lap spin and a tyre-exhausting race end. Leclerc ends up 7th after a catastrophic day of errors and penalties. Both teams had the means to aim higher than this in Miami. They leave with regrets, but also with valuable data on their respective packages.

The Surprise Package: Williams Score a Double

Sainz and Albon both bring home points inside the top 10 for Williams. An unexpected double result that benefits from the retirements and penalties of others, but that also rewards the consistency of both drivers in such an eventful race. Franco Colapinto scores points for the second time this year in 8th place.