Kimi Antonelli stretched his Formula 1 championship advantage with a hard-fought victory at the Miami Grand Prix, defeating Lando Norris after a decisive pit stop turned the race in Mercedes’ favor. Oscar Piastri took third as late drama saw Charles Leclerc spin out of fourth on the final lap at the Miami International Autodrome.
Organizers brought lights-out forward by three hours amid forecasts for rain, but the anticipated showers skirted north of the venue and the field lined up on slicks. Even so, the opening laps delivered turbulence: Antonelli launched well but was crowded by Leclerc and Max Verstappen as the trio went three-wide into Turn 1. Antonelli locked up and ran wide, Leclerc emerged ahead, and Verstappen looped around and fell down the order.
Further contact followed at Turn 11 when Franco Colapinto attacked Lewis Hamilton, both cars continuing. Ferrari later indicated the Briton had lost 10–15 points of downforce from the skirmish. Recovering from his early spin, the four-time champion Verstappen then executed a robust lunge on former teammate Carlos Sainz at Turn 17 to grab ninth on the road.
Up front, the early running featured Leclerc from Antonelli, Norris, Piastri and George Russell. By lap three, Russell had cleared Piastri for fourth with a move down the inside at Turn 1. The lead then swung repeatedly: Antonelli challenged Leclerc side-by-side into Turn 11 on lap four and completed the pass on the run to Turn 17, only for Leclerc to reclaim the position a lap later as Norris closed rapidly on the pair.
Norris used his straight-line punch to dispatch Antonelli into Turn 1 just before the safety car was deployed. Two separate incidents triggered the neutralization: Isack Hadjar slid into the wall at Turns 14–15, and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine rolled into the barriers at Turn 17 after a tangle with Liam Lawson. Both drivers were able to climb out, and racing resumed after the clear-up.
Strategy proved decisive in the final reckoning. Antonelli vaulted ahead of Norris with a well-timed stop and managed the race from there, absorbing pressure to the flag. Behind them, Piastri secured the final podium place when Leclerc spun out of fourth on the last lap, capping a gripping contest in Miami.
The result consolidates Antonelli’s position at the top of the standings as the season gathers momentum. Attention now turns to the next round, where the battle at the front looks set to intensify after a momentum-shifting weekend in South Florida.
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*Originally published on [News Formula 1](https://newsformula.one/article/antonelli-wins-miami-gp-outfoxes-norris-in-pit-stop-duel). Visit for full coverage.*