Oscar Piastri executed a stunning late overtaking maneuver to claim a podium finish at the Miami Grand Prix, as teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli continued his historic Formula 1 run with a third consecutive victory from pole position.
Piastri's Late Charge Secures Third Place
Starting from seventh on the grid, Piastri made a perfectly timed move at the end of the penultimate lap, passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to seal third place behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who finished second. However, world champion Norris expressed frustration that the team could not secure victory at the Miami International Autodrome after a race filled with drama and incident, though the threat of rain never materialized.
Ultimately, it was 19-year-old championship leader Antonelli who stole the spotlight once again. Despite a disappointing start, he regained control of the race and became the first driver in history to convert his first three pole positions into victories, all within seven remarkable weeks. The young driver extended his title lead to 20 points after four rounds.
"It is just the beginning, the road is still long, but we're working super hard," Antonelli beamed after the race.
Antonelli's Composure Under Pressure
Antonelli demonstrated remarkable composure, losing the lead to Leclerc on the first lap but quickly reclaiming it. After Norris took control, Antonelli seized the advantage with a brilliant outlap following Mercedes' strategic pit stop ahead of McLaren. With wins in China and Japan, Antonelli joins Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen as the third driver to win his first three F1 races consecutively.
Norris, who won Saturday's sprint, felt McLaren was outmaneuvered, asking over the radio: "How did we not win this? We should have won, guys." He later added, "I'm gutted to miss out on the win. It was a mixed bag, really. We just got undercut by Mercedes; we should have boxed first."
Piastri's Strong Recovery
Piastri had no complaints after his qualifying struggles the previous evening. He made a strong start, moving up to third from seventh, but dropped back to seventh after his mid-race pit stop before finding pace in the latter stages. "The pace seemed more encouraging again today," he reported. "I had to make a few overtakes, obviously, and it was a pretty late charge late in the race, but it just very, very tricky around here, especially in these conditions. But clearly we're a step closer in performance once again. So that's nice to see."
Piastri's decisive move came on lap 56 of 57, overtaking a struggling Leclerc, who subsequently spun on the final lap and brushed the wall, allowing George Russell and Max Verstappen to pass him for fourth and fifth respectively.
Drama from Start to Finish
The race began with Verstappen's Red Bull spinning 360 degrees on the grid as he strained too hard from second place. Verstappen, who managed to stay in control, dropped to 10th initially but recovered to fifth. The race was moved up three hours to avoid thunderstorms, creating a "very tricky" day as teams prepared for weather that never arrived. The safety car was deployed on lap six after two accidents: Red Bull's Isack Hadjar skidded into the wall, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly cartwheeled off after contact with Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls.
