Antonelli snatches Miami GP win after McLaren’s costly gamble on rain

All week long, teams braced for rain in Miami — but when the skies stayed stubbornly dry, McLaren ended up chasing a storm that never came. The team delayed Lando Norris’ pit stop, gifting Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli a clean undercut that the championship leader didn’t waste. Antonelli closed out his third straight victory in a wild, rain‑free Sunday that also saw Oscar Piastri finish on the podium and Charles Leclerc spin out on the final lap. Carlos Sainz salvaged solid points with a ninth‑place finish.

A chaotic start sets the tone

Lights out, and the opening seconds were pure chaos. Antonelli and Max Verstappen bogged down off the line, leaving the door wide open for Leclerc on the outside and Norris on the inside. Verstappen slammed the door on Norris, but Leclerc carried more momentum and swept into Turn 1 with confidence.

Then came the moment everyone will replay: Verstappen tried to counterattack, lost control, and spun in Turn 2 — but somehow pulled off a perfect 360, losing minimal time and dropping only to 10th. From there, he launched into one of his trademark recovery drives.

Early safety car shakes up the field

A safety car on Lap 6 — triggered by separate incidents involving Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly — reshuffled the deck. Verstappen was the only frontrunner to pit under yellow, a move that quietly vaulted him back into podium contention.

Leclerc held the lead on the restart, but Ferrari’s early spark faded fast. He lost positions to Norris and Antonelli on track, then suffered from a slow pit stop that allowed George Russell to jump him with an undercut.

Ferrari fades, Mercedes surges

Verstappen’s early pit stop put him back into the fight, but his worn hard tires left him unable to defend when Leclerc came charging back. Their duel lasted a lap and a half before the Ferrari slipped past — only for Leclerc to spin violently on the final lap, dropping him to sixth.

Russell finished fourth but was nowhere near Antonelli’s pace, trailing his teammate by more than 30 seconds. Even with two late‑race gifts, he never looked like a threat.

Norris left wondering what could have been

This race was Norris’ to lose — and McLaren lost it for him. Expecting rain that never arrived, the team hesitated on the pit wall. Mercedes didn’t. They pulled Antonelli in early, executed a flawless stop, and the undercut worked instantly.

Once Norris rejoined behind Antonelli, he had no answer. No pressure, no late charge, no real shot at retaking the lead. Antonelli cruised to the checkered flag, strengthening his grip on the championship in a season where he wasn’t supposed to be the early favorite.

Sainz banks points, Alonso battles to the end

Franco Colapinto capped his best F1 weekend with an eighth‑place finish for Alpine, while Williams maximized the chaos with both cars in the points.

Sainz recovered from an aggressive early overtake by Verstappen that dropped him behind Alex Albon. The pace difference was massive, and Sainz eventually cleared the Williams and pulled away by more than five seconds.

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, spent most of the race fighting in the back. He stretched his first stint to 41 laps, switched to softs, and lapped two seconds quicker than Sergio Pérez — but it was only enough for 15th. A tough result, but a gritty drive.

Next stop: Canada, where the championship battle suddenly looks a lot less predictable.

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