Chaos after Miami GP as Verstappen, Leclerc, multiple drivers set for steward visit

The race, which kicked off with early chaos as Max Verstappen spun on the opening lap, soon spiralled into a flurry of incidents, with several drivers hitting each other and making contact at various points throughout the event. The most significant of the cases, which appeared to usher in the wave of incidents, was that of Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly, which occurred shortly after a crash by Isack Hadjar.

The Racing Bulls driver, who in an attempt to overtake Gasly, took out the Alpine driver, with Gasly flipping into the safety barriers. While both drivers were forced to retire from the Miami race, the stewards noted the incident and are set to deliver a verdict after the event.

Verstappen also found himself in the crosshairs of the stewards amid an investigation for crossing the white lines at the exit of the pit lane. The Red Bull Racing driver is also under scrutiny for a collision incident involving George Russell. The pair made contact during the later stages of the race, as the Mercedes driver attempted a move on the four-time world champion.

Charles Leclerc, in the Scuderia Ferrari, rounds out the flurry of investigations, with the Monegasque noted for driving in an unsafe condition. Leclerc witnessed what appeared to be a promising race spiral into a forgettable one quite quickly after he rammed into the barriers amid his late battle with Oscar Piastri. The Ferrari driver suffered damage to his car suspension and still continued driving. The stewards, however, are now set to look into the incident and hand out a possible sanction for driving in an unsafe condition. The stewards are also further investigating Leclerc for leaving the track multiple times on the last lap and gaining an advantage following his late crash as well as a late collision with Russell.

Amid the flurry of chaos unfolding at different ends of the field, Antonelli largely kept his head to claim his third consecutive victory of the 2026 campaign. The young Italian now leads the drivers’ standings by 20 points to Russell, who endured another torrid outing at the Florida street race.

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