Antonelli wins again as Verstappen delivers impressive Miami GP recovery

The championship leader suffered another poor getaway off the line, immediately losing the advantage of pole position and forcing himself into a recovery drive. Verstappen then went side-by-side with the Monegasque in the fight for the lead at Turn 1, but spun after losing control, although he avoided contact with the cars behind and was able to continue. The Dutchman dropped back to eighth place, while Hamilton picked up damage to both the sidepod and floor of his SF-26 but stayed out in sixth.

Chaos unfolded on Lap 6 as Isack Hadjar crashed out of the Miami Grand Prix after losing control of his RB22 through the chicane leading onto the long back straight and slamming into the barriers.

Pierre Gasly was also forced to retire after being sent into the wall at the penultimate corner following contact with Liam Lawson. The two separate incidents prompted the deployment of the safety car while marshals cleared debris and recovered the stricken cars. At the restart on Lap 12, George Russell was immediately passed by Oscar Piastri, who moved up into fourth place, while Leclerc held onto the lead ahead of Norris and Antonelli.

On Lap 13, the reigning world champion made his move on the Ferrari driver before the stadium section, with Antonelli looming large behind them and soon making his own move into second place shortly afterwards.

Meanwhile, Verstappen took advantage of the safety car to make his pit stop, rejoining in 12th before rapidly climbing back up to eighth by around one-third distance. The Dutchman was however placed under investigation for crossing the white line on pit exit following his pit stop, with the incident set to be reviewed after the race.

The first round of pit stops began on Lap 21 with Russell, while Leclerc came in a lap later to switch onto the hard tyres. After Antonelli and Norris made their pit stops on Lap 27, it was the championship leader who emerged ahead, while Verstappen inherited the lead thanks to having stopped in the opening laps. His time at the front was short-lived, however, as both Antonelli and Norris quickly cleared him and resumed their fight for victory.

On Lap 35, Oscar Piastri managed to get past Russell, although the Briton initially fought back to reclaim fifth place shortly afterwards. Piastri eventually made the move stick, however, with Russell appearing to struggle badly for pace compared to his team-mate. On Lap 46, Leclerc attacked Verstappen to retake the podium place, with the Dutchman beginning to suffer from tyre degradation after his early pit stop. Piastri also closed in and managed to get past a few laps later.

Piastri passed Leclerc late on to finish third after the Monegasque spun, while Antonelli held on until the chequered flag to secure his third consecutive victory.