Antonelli shines in Madrid as Mercedes continues to dominate

19-year-old Kimi Antonelli further extended his legend with a first-place finish at the Miami Grand Prix over the weekend for his third win of the season. 

Antonelli, who started the race from pole position, has now become the first driver to convert their first three pole positions to victory. 

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished second and third, respectively. 

The start did not go cleanly for Antonelli. Just as the race started, he lost ground in the opening exchanges as the front group shuffled positions, forcing him to reset rather than lead the pace from the front. 

Through that first stint, he stayed within range while managing tyres and waiting for the race to open up. 

When it did, it came through the pit window. Mercedes called him in at the right moment, and the undercut on Norris flipped the race. From there, track position became his to lose, and he did not let it slip.

That opening phase was chaotic. Max Verstappen spun on the first lap and dropped down the order, while cars behind scrambled to avoid contact. 

The field spread quickly, and from that point on, the objective became proper timing, rather than who was the fastest.

Mercedes got that part right. The pit call came at the right moment, and Antonelli used the undercut to move ahead of Norris once the stops cycled through. 

From there, clean air gave him an advantage, and he managed the final stint without giving McLaren a clear chance to attack.

Norris stayed within reach but never quite close enough to make a move stick, while Piastri backed up the result with third. 

George Russell added more points in fourth for Mercedes, and Verstappen recovered to limit the damage after his early spin.

That run of three straight wins now puts the Italian in a strong position in the championship, while Mercedes sits comfortably at the top of the constructors’ standings.