Antonelli holds off Norris to take third win on the trot but gap to Mercedes supremacy tightens; Piastri seizes P3 for greatly improved McLaren; late Leclerc spin dooms Ferrari

The long delayed Round 4 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship finally got underway in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix and it was quickly apparent that the rules changes by the sport’s governing body and the individual upgrades by the contending Constructors had paid huge dividends vis a vis the quality of racing and competitiveness. After three strange and artificial opening races under the new regulations, which the Mercedes factory team generally dominated, Kimi Antonelli was once again the pole-sitter for the third contest in a row here at the temporary Miami International Autodrome just outside and around the stadium where the NFL’s Dolphins play. But this time the competitors behind him almost made him pay for his typical poor start when the lights went out. As the young Italian’s Silver Arrow bogged down, he was quickly swallowed up the third positioned Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen’s second place Red Bull. But, while Leclerc prevailed to pull away from the pack, Verstappen had a shocking self-induced spin that dropped him down the order to P10. This benefitted Antonelli, who recovered well enough from yet another slow getaway, his one bête noir this year, and began methodically hunting down Leclerc’s Prancing Horse. By lap 4, the Mercedes man was close enough to execute a move on Leclerc and recapture first place. As has been typical of these cars this year, however, Leclerc was able to pass back to retake P1. Two laps later, McLaren’s Lando Norris also go into the action, taking advantage of the ongoing scrap to sneak by Anotonelli and suddenly relegate the Merc to P3.

Max’s spin/save is even more satisfying in slow motion 👌 #F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/czEnKjyeqZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 4, 2026

It was on that action-packed sixth lap of this 57-lap contest that Red Bull’s second driver Isack Hadjar came to grief and found the barriers after missing the apex steaming into the tricky Turn 14 complex.Recing Bull’s Liam Lawson also contacted the Alpine of Pierre Gasly at just an unfortunate enough able to send the Frenchman literally barrel rolling off the track. When racing resumed after all that chaos five laps later, Leclerc led away from the restart cleanly but quickly found Norris right on his gearbox. On Lap 13, Norris steamed by the lead Ferrari with ease and then Antonelli and Leclerc spent the next couple of circuits passing and re-passing each other until finally Antonelli made a move stick to secure second place late in Lap 14. As things settled into a post Safety Car rhythm, the race waited for the first real pit stop shoe to drop. Although Verstappen was the only genuine to contender to pit earlier under the Safety Car due to being out of position after his ill-timed opening lap spin — and promptly being noted by the stewards for illegally crossing the white line at pit exit — it was Mercedes’ George Russell who pulled the pin amongst the top five under green flag conditions on Lap 21. Leclerc quickly followed him in a lap later in an attempt to cover the Briton’s Silver Arrow. But Ferrari lost out with a slow 3.7 second stop and Leclerc came out behind Russell. Antonelli hung it out a little longer but pitted from P2 on Lap 27 for the same favored Medium to Hard Pirelli change as all the top runners chose. Norris ran a lap later for his tire swap but the undercut proved powerful enough that Antonelli was able to pass Norris on hotter tires for P3 just after the McLaren man exited the pits.

Making moves on the way to the top spot! 🤩💨

Antonelli passed both Norris and Verstappen in the latter stages 🔀#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/uJhLqzv2Ht

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2026

This turned out to be the decisive moment in Miami, as Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri made his first stop a lap later, conceding the point to Verstappen, who had committed to running a very long second stint on the Hards after rolling the dice under the Safety Car. Game as he was, the Dutchman was no match for the much fresher rubber on Antonelli’s and Norris’s cars, and he was first passed for the lead by Antonelli on Lap 29 and then relegated to P3 by Norris a lap later. Meanwhile, Leclerc seemed to be making amends for the team’s slow stop as he hunted a podium, the Mongasque getting by Russell for P4 and then badgering and finally overtaking the game Verstappen after a spirited back and forth on Lap 47. Piastri was also eager to show the improved pace of his McLaren, contending for P5 with Russell and finally securing it with a decisive overtake on Lap 36. Piastri was then able to put himself in position to grab fourth from Verstappen on lap 49, the Red Bull’s aging Hards just about giving up the ghost by this point and now also about to see Russell filling up his mirrors for the final few circuits. The McLaren’s quality shown once again, as Piastri nabbed the final podium position from Leclerc on outright pace on the final lap. Leclerc’s then shockingly spun the Ferrari on his own and glanced sideways into the wall, damaging the suspension. With Russell easily by Verstappen earlier in the final lap, he then pounced on Leclerc’s wounded Prancing Horse for a valuable P4, as did the never say die Verstappen, the Red Bull coming home fifth while the despondent Leclerc was finally demoted to P6 by his atypical error (and later P8 after incurring a post-race 20-second time penalty for driving an unsafe vehicle after that fateful spin). At the front, Antonelli serenely took the Checkers to make it three wins on then trot and solidify his championship points lead. But, with Norris finishing P2 and Piastri P3, McLaren fired a warning shot to the entire paddock that they are back fighting for wins and doing everything they can to equal Mercedes’ so far superior race pace in 2026.

Top 10 finishers of the Miami GP:

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

Unfortunately, after all the exciting action in Miami, the next race is not for another three weeks — the Canadian Grand Prix from the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. All the teams are certain to be feverishly working to continue the improvements they’ve already been able to make due to the previous five-week hiatus. Hope to see you then to find out if anyone finally has found the key to success against Kimi Antonelli’s merciless Mercedes!