Antonelli Makes History: Three Wins in a Row and a Championship Lead Nobody Saw Coming This Fast

Kimi Antonelli won the 2026 Miami Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in a race that had everything: Gasly’s car flipping upside down, Verstappen spinning on lap one, Leclerc losing the podium in the final two laps, and a 19 year old Italian driving like he was born to do this for the next decade. He now holds 100 points in the championship.

No driver in the entire 76-year history of the Formula 1 World Championship had ever converted each of their first three pole positions into a race victory. That statistic now belongs to Kimi Antonelli. Nineteen years old, Mercedes driver, current championship leader. Three poles, three wins, three fastest laps of strategic brilliance. The kind of record that would have sounded implausible in fiction is now simply a fact, written in the results sheets of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.

But numbers alone do not capture what unfolded across those 57 laps on Sunday in Florida. The race included Pierre Gasly’s Alpine being launched airborne and landing on its roof following contact from Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen spinning 360 degrees on the very first lap after contact with Charles Leclerc, Isack Hadjar crashing out and punching his steering wheel in anger, a late race strategic duel that was not settled until the final minutes, and Leclerc watching a potential podium evaporate over two heartbreaking final laps. It was, by any measure, a proper race.

A Start That Changed Everything

The race had been brought forward three hours to beat the approaching Florida thunderstorms. When the five red lights blinked out, Antonelli locked up heading into Turn 1 as Leclerc launched his Ferrari aggressively to take the lead. Verstappen, fighting for position on both sides of the track, spun 360 degrees and dropped to the back of the running order. Behind them, Lewis Hamilton made contact with Franco Colapinto at Turn 11, sending pieces of bodywork scattering across the asphalt.

Leclerc led the opening laps with Antonelli, Norris and Piastri pushing hard behind him. Then just as the race found its rhythm, chaos returned. Hadjar found the wall at Turn 14 and climbed out in visible frustration. Seconds later, in Sector 3, Gasly’s Alpine was lifted off the ground after contact from Lawson’s Racing Bulls. The car landed on its roof. The Safety Car was deployed.

“The start was not as bad as yesterday, it was a little bit better. I didn’t expect Charles to brake that early, so to avoid him I locked up. I was a bit lucky with what happened in Turn 2.”Kimi Antonelli, after taking the chequered flag in Miami

The Strategy That Won the Grand Prix

With the Safety Car on track, Mercedes made the call that would ultimately prove decisive. Antonelli was brought in for a brilliantly timed undercut that allowed him to recover position and eventually move ahead of Leclerc once racing resumed. From lap 30 onwards, the Italian held the lead and never let it go. Norris kept the pressure on for more than 25 laps, closing to within striking distance on multiple occasions, but Antonelli’s pace management was precisely calibrated to keep the McLaren at bay without ever needing to push to the absolute limit.

The real drama of the race belonged to the podium battle. Piastri, quiet and methodical all afternoon, closed on Leclerc in the final laps and began applying serious pressure for third place. The Monegasque held on until two laps from the end, then spun and made contact with the wall. He continued but had already lost the position to the Australian. And with Russell and Verstappen also close behind, Leclerc ultimately crossed the line in sixth place, having been on course for the podium just moments earlier. Two laps cost Ferrari a podium and eleven points.

Gasly’s Flip: The Image That Will Define This Grand Prix

If one image will define the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, it is Pierre Gasly’s Alpine travelling through the air with its wheels pointing skywards. Lawson’s Racing Bulls made contact with the rear of the French driver’s car, and physics did the rest. The Alpine came to rest inverted on the run-off area. Gasly emerged unharmed, a circumstance that speaks volumes about the safety standards built into the 2026 machinery. Lawson was summoned before the stewards after the race for his role in the incident.

The post race stewards’ list was a long one. Russell, Verstappen and Leclerc were all called to face separate investigations for incidents during the race. Verstappen additionally faced scrutiny for crossing the pit lane exit line during his pit stop. As of publication, the full race results remain provisional.

The Rest of the Field: Colapinto Points, Hamilton Damaged and a Double Score for Williams

Lewis Hamilton, who had taken damage from the first-lap contact with Colapinto, completed a subdued afternoon in seventh for Ferrari. His team mate Leclerc, as described, finished sixth after the late drama. Colapinto brought home a commendable eighth place for Alpine. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon gave Williams a valuable double points finish in ninth and tenth, a result that will read very well back at Grove. Fernando Alonso ended in fifteenth for Aston Martin, in a weekend that continued the Silverstone team’s difficult search for the kind of pace everyone expected from them.

The Championship Picture: Antonelli at 100 Points and Pulling Away

With 100 points accumulated across four rounds, Antonelli’s championship lead continues to grow. Norris, who added second place in Miami to his Sprint win on Saturday, is the closest challenger, though the gap remains substantial. Four races into a 14 round season, and there is already a feeling in the paddock that this 19 year old, in his second year in Formula 1, is operating on a slightly different plane to everyone else. Not simply faster. Different.

OFFICIAL RESULTS: 2026 F1 MIAMI GRAND PRIX

Antonelli just accomplished something no driver in 76 years of Formula 1 had ever done. Three poles, three wins, 100 points, 19 years of age. The only question worth asking right now is whether anyone on this grid is capable of stopping him before the championship is mathematically decided before the summer break. What do you think — is this title already over, or will someone find a way to fight back?

Sources: formula1.com, racingnews365.com, the-race.com, crash.net, bleacherreport.com, skysports.com, total-motorsport.com