Kimi Antonelli wins Miami Grand Prix, makes F1 history with third straight victory

Kimi Antonelli turned the Miami Grand Prix into another milestone in a startling rookie season, holding off Lando Norris by 3.264 seconds to win at the Miami International Autodrome and become the first driver in Formula 1 history to convert his first three pole positions into victories.

The 19-year-old Mercedes driver added a third straight win to a season already packed with records, strengthening a championship bid that now runs through him as much as through the established stars around him. Oscar Piastri finished third after a chaotic final two laps, George Russell took fourth and Max Verstappen finished fifth, but the afternoon belonged to Antonelli, who controlled the race with the composure of a driver far older than 19.

Miami also showed why Antonelli’s rise matters beyond one result. The race was round four of the 2026 championship and the first of three U.S. events on the calendar, giving Mercedes a headline win in a market central to Formula 1’s growth in the United States. A young, English-speaking star in a Mercedes livery is exactly the kind of figure the series has long sought to push the sport deeper into American sports culture, sponsor conversations and broadcast relevance.

Mercedes left South Florida with a mixed weekend, though still in command of the early championship picture. Norris had won the Miami Sprint on May 2 ahead of Piastri and Charles Leclerc, exposing that Mercedes was not untouchable across the whole weekend. But when the main race arrived, Antonelli delivered again, while Mercedes and George Russell completed a dominant opening stretch by winning all four opening rounds of the season and taking every pole so far.

Antonelli’s Miami victory also fit a larger historical climb that has unfolded in just weeks. He became Formula 1’s youngest polesitter in China on March 14, then the youngest Drivers’ Championship leader in the sport’s history after winning in Japan on March 29. After Miami, he led Russell by 20 points in the standings, a margin that underlined how quickly the title picture has been reshaped around a rookie who was supposed to be learning, not leading.

For Mercedes, the implications are substantial. The team has the early points lead, the qualifying edge and a 19-year-old driver who has already turned firsts into wins with rare efficiency. For Formula 1, Antonelli’s arrival has turned the 2026 season into a live test of whether a new generational name can accelerate both the championship fight and the sport’s next push for American relevance.