All The Key Moments From The 2026 Miami Grand Prix

It was another triumphant weekend for Kimi Antonelli at the Miami International Autodrome, as the Mercedes driver claimed his third successive Grand Prix pole position and victory, extending his championship lead over teammate George Russell.

With a weekend full of strategic battles, dramatic crashes, and late-race penalties, here are the key takeaways from the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.

Antonelli Extends Championship Lead Over Russell

Antonelli made his Formula 1 breakthrough at last year’s Miami Grand Prix when he charged to pole position for the Sprint. The Italian teenager was on formidable form once again at the hot and humid Florida venue.

After a compromised practice session and a rollercoaster Sprint Qualifying and Sprint race—which included a poor start and a time penalty for exceeding track limits—Antonelli bounced back emphatically in the main Qualifying session. His pole lap was nothing short of sensational. He was one of only two drivers, alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, to break into the 1m27s bracket, lapping some four-tenths quicker than Russell, who openly admits he is not a fan of the Miami circuit.

On race day, Antonelli survived another tricky getaway. He then overcame Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris in thrilling wheel-to-wheel exchanges to take the chequered flag first, securing his third consecutive triumph.

With Russell finishing fourth—promoted from fifth following last-lap trouble for Leclerc—Antonelli is now almost a full race win clear in the championship. The pressure is firmly on his more experienced teammate to respond at the next round in Canada.

“This is just the beginning; the road is still long,” Antonelli remarked after the race. “But we’re working super hard, the team is doing an incredible job, and without them I wouldn’t be here – so it’s mainly thanks to them, my family. I’m going to enjoy this one and then get back to work.”

McLaren’s Sprint Success and Double Podium

After three rounds of near-dominance by Mercedes in one-lap pace, Norris secured the elusive honour of the first pole position for a different team, shining in Sprint Qualifying. Oscar Piastri followed closely in P3, giving McLaren an early boost and proving that their wide-reaching upgrade package could yield the front-running results they enjoyed last season.

Their improved fortunes carried over into the Sprint, where Norris confidently led from lights to flag. Piastri also gained a position, bringing home a coveted 1-2 finish for the Woking-based outfit.

With Leclerc claiming third for Ferrari and the Silver Arrows settling for fourth and sixth, questions arose about a potential shift in the competitive pecking order. However, Antonelli quickly reinstated the status quo by sealing pole for the Grand Prix, while Piastri admitted his disheartening P7 in Qualifying was a stark “kick back down to reality.”

Starting slightly further ahead in P4 for the main race, Norris avoided the opening lap chaos and stayed calm amidst uncertain track conditions. Both McLaren drivers took turns leading the race as strategies unfolded. Ultimately, Norris fell victim to an undercut by Antonelli. Despite applying relentless pressure on the Italian in the closing stages, Norris could not find a way past and settled for a bittersweet P2. The added bonus of Piastri beating Leclerc to finish P3 left McLaren in high spirits.

First-Lap Chaos and a Late Spin for Leclerc

If anyone expected the looming threat of rain to produce a cautious start, they were rapidly proven wrong. The drama ignited the moment the five red lights went out.

Antonelli, who has garnered a reputation for slow starts, was keen to shed that label from pole position. However, his efforts were quashed by Leclerc’s lightning-fast reaction. The Ferrari driver shot around the outside before Antonelli and Verstappen both locked up, inadvertently waving Leclerc into the lead.

Trouble immediately followed for Verstappen. At Turn 2, the Dutchman lost the rear of his Red Bull and completed a full spin, forcing the pack into evasive manoeuvres and plummeting him down to P10.

Just as the early chaos began to subside, Isack Hadjar hit the wall at Turn 14 after bumping over the apex, breaking his suspension. Almost simultaneously, a terrifying incident unfolded between Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson. Lawson suffered a sudden gearbox failure and could not stop his car. Unaware of the issue, Gasly darted up the outside, resulting in Lawson ploughing into the left-rear of the Alpine. The impact flipped Gasly’s car upside down before it found the wall.

Following the subsequent Safety Car period, the racing remained clean until the very last lap. Piastri had already dispatched Leclerc for the final podium spot when the Ferrari driver spun and bumped the wall. Hobbling to the finish line, a defenceless Leclerc was overtaken by both Russell and Verstappen.

To compound his misery, Leclerc was later handed a 20-second penalty by the stewards for leaving the track “on several occasions without a justifiable reason,” dropping him from sixth to eighth in the final classification.

Verstappen and Red Bull Show Progress

Red Bull arrived in Miami with a plethora of upgrades, including their own version of Ferrari’s innovative ‘flip-flop’ rear wing, which Verstappen utilized to good effect.

The four-time World Champion battled the Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari drivers to finish fifth in the Sprint, before springing a surprise in Grand Prix Qualifying by securing a front-row start.

After his dramatic Turn 2 spin dropped him down the order, Red Bull opted for an early pit stop under the Safety Car to fit a set of hard tyres.

“We opted to go early onto the hard compound, and I think now in hindsight after the race it was probably a bit too long, that stint,” Verstappen commented. “It was just too difficult to keep the tyres alive.”

Although Verstappen briefly cycled into the lead, he fell back in the closing stages. Nevertheless, he claimed his best Grand Prix result of the season in fifth, a position he retained despite receiving a post-race penalty for a pit exit breach.

Teammate Hadjar, meanwhile, was left to rue his early retirement, stating: “This one really hurts because I had such good pace.”

Formula 2 Makes Its North American Debut

With events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia not taking place, the Formula 2 season risked a nearly three-month gap between the opening round in Australia and Monaco. Instead, the junior series made its North American debut in Miami, delivering a pair of thrilling races.

During Sunday's Feature Race, MP Motorsport’s Gabriele Minì secured a maiden victory in an epic three-way tussle on a wet but drying circuit, besting Dino Beganovic and Rafael Câmara.

On Saturday, Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov clinched a thrilling Sprint victory, beating Laurens van Hoepen and Alexander Dunne after a frenetic battle. Tsolov now leads the standings by a single point over Minì as the F2 paddock prepares for another new North American venue: the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada.

Star Power on the Miami Grid

Miami always attracts a wealth of celebrities, and Sunday’s thrilling race did not disappoint the A-list attendees.

Tennis great Rafael Nadal was on hand to wave the chequered flag, enjoying the F1 paddock while likely keeping an eye on Jannik Sinner’s victory on the clay courts. Serena Williams also attended, following in the footsteps of her sister Venus, a regular F1 guest.

The superstar presence extended beyond tennis. Football icon Lionel Messi visited the Alpine garage, catching up with Pierre Gasly—perhaps discussing PSG’s recent Champions League win—and compatriot Franco Colapinto.

Actor and car enthusiast Patrick Dempsey was a fixture in the paddock all weekend, chatting with drivers who recognized a fellow racer. Terry Crews, heavily involved with Cadillac this season, made an expected appearance, while Colin Farrell demonstrated his long-standing love for the sport, having followed F1 since the days of Eddie Irvine.

In front of a star-studded crowd, it was Kimi Antonelli who ultimately delivered the goods, cementing his status as the man to beat in 2026.