Miami Grand Prix: Kimi Antonelli gets his third straight F1 victory with a win in Miami

Kimi Antonelli (Pic: AFP)

Kimi Antonelli, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver, continued to show that he is an elite contender for the title by winning the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday. This was his third F1 race win in a row with the Mercedes.

An early morning strong thunderstorm with lightning strikes directly over Hard Rock Stadium caused F1 to postpone the start of the race by three hours due to the threat of heavy rain, but by the time the event started, it had passed.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc got off to an incredible start from third and took the lead as Antonelli drifted off course while attempting to defend. A split-second later, Max Verstappen spun, trying to hold off Leclerc when the two cars made contact.

As others pitted, Verstappen fought his way through the field and temporarily seized the lead, but Antonelli beat Norris off the pit lane and, as everything cycled out, took the lead once and for all.

Norris finished second, 3.2 seconds behind Antonelli, as the Italian and teammate George Russell have won the first four races of this season for Mercedes. Oscar Piastri of McLaren passed Leclerc on the last lap, preventing him from finishing third. After spinning, Leclerc settled for sixth.

Verstappen finished a season-high fifth for Red Bull, while Russell came in fourth. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton came in eighth.

Kimi will aim for a fourth consecutive win at the Canadian Grand Prix

The Canadian Grand Prix is next for F1 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on May 24. That date was traditionally held by the Monaco Grand Prix, but a tweak to the schedule shifted it to Canada, and F1 will no longer be the opener for what had traditionally been the most prolific day in motorsports.

The F1 race typically opened the morning ahead of the Indianapolis 500 and then NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. Because the race is in Canada and not Monaco, it has a late afternoon start time and will follow the Indy 500 and end during the NASCAR race.

Kimi Antonelli will aim to win his fourth consecutive race when he takes the field for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

(With AP Input)