After a five-week break, there was the hope that Mercedes had improved on what has so far appeared to be their sole weakness in 2026, following their wins at all four Grands Prix this season. During Saturday's Sprint Race, however, Antonelli lost six places at the start, although team boss Toto Wolff explained that was via a "glitch" rather than driver error.

Nonetheless, Antonelli has branded his race starts so far as "not acceptable", pointing to the closer gap between Mercedes and their rivals upon F1's return as a reason to get on top of the issue as soon as possible.

In the post-race press conference, Antonelli told media, including GPblog: "Yeah, I mean, today to be fair was not as bad. I think I lost two places, Sprint I lost six, so a little bit better. But still, no, it’s not acceptable. I think especially in a weekend like this, that the gaps are a lot closer, it can really change the race.

Antonelli continued voicing his concern over the launches off the line, revealing he still suffers from a lack of confidence and a "bit of uncertainty" after the opening four rounds of the season.

He added: "I still don’t have that confidence, being consistent with that. I still have a bit of uncertainty, so it’s a big point that needs to be improved. But I think today I managed it better than yesterday. Yesterday I was very frustrated and today I just kept it a bit cool, a bit better, and just managed to move on and focus about the race."

He might be still struggling with race starts, but Antonelli's win in Miami means the young Italian has now scored 100 points in the Drivers' standings, and sits 20 points clear of teammate George Russell.

Russell, however, is not giving in, reiterating that he is not underestimating his teammate's talents, and that there is still a long way to go in the 2026 title fight. He said: "He's a fantastic driver, and he's been exceptionally quick since day one. You don’t win all of the championships as a youngster if you don't have the speed, but I still have the confidence myself, and I've also been there.