JAKARTA - Mercedes team racer Kimi Antonelli climbed to the top of the Formula One (F1) driver standings for the 2026 competition season after winning the main race of the Miami Grand Prix.
Antonelli, who is only 19 years old, climbed to the highest podium after passing a dramatic race at the Miami International Autodrome, Miami, United States, on Sunday local time or Monday, May 4, 2026, dawn WIB.
"It was an amazing race! It was a difficult race. I was a little lucky when the tires locked at the start behind Charles Leclerc and made a mistake in energy management," said Antonelli, quoted from France24.
The Italian racer finished ahead of Lando Norris in a tight race until the last lap. He had trouble at the start of the race, but the Mercedes undercut pit stop strategy was the key to his victory.
Antonelli finally crossed the finish line with a lead of 3.264 seconds over Norris (McLaren) who finished in second place, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri in third place with a gap of 23.828 seconds.
Antonelli's teammate, George Russell, finished fourth, followed by Max Verstappen in fifth place and Charles Leclerc in sixth after an error on the last lap. Lewis Hamilton took seventh place, followed by Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz, and Alex Albon.
Antonelli, who started from pole position, was actually overtaken by Leclerc due to an incident at the start when Verstappen spun and hit the track barrier.
Another incident occurred on lap six when Isack Hadjar had an accident, followed by Pierre Gasly hitting the wall after colliding with Liam Lawson. Both incidents forced the safety car to enter.
After the restart began on lap 12, the duel between Antonelli and Norris became the main focus. The pit stop in the final phase was decisive when the two entered at the same time along with Lewis Hamilton.
However, Antonelli managed to get out faster and take control of the race. Norris continued to press with a gap of less than a second until lap 40, but Antonelli was able to maintain his position until the finish.
This is the third consecutive victory secured by Antonelli. He previously also managed to climb to the highest podium at the Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix in March 2026.
Antonelli is now sitting on top of the standings with a collection of 100 points from the four races that have been held. He is 20 points ahead of his partner Russell who is in second place.
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