Kimi Antonelli shows veteran maturity in Miami: “I had to stay incredibly focused to keep Lando back”. Andrea Kimi Antonelli secures his third consecutive Formula 1 win at the Miami Grand Prix.

Antonelli extends championship lead with masterclass in Miami

They say things come in threes, and Italy is finally getting used to having its very own Formula 1 superstar. Andrea Kimi Antonelli has triumphed once again at the Miami Grand Prix, stretching his championship lead to 20 points over teammate George Russell. While Russell crossed the line in fourth—benefiting more from the errors and misfortunes of others than his own outright pace—the 19-year-old Mercedes talent drove like a seasoned veteran. He remained unflappable after another imperfect getaway and refused to buckle under the immense pressure in the second half of the race, holding off a charging Lando Norris. However, Antonelli’s maturity was just as evident off the track during his post-race interview with Sky Sport F1.

A victory with a special dedication

“This was a complicated race,” the Mercedes #12 declared. “At the start, I had zero confidence because all my practice starts hadn’t been good. We changed the target settings several times compared to the original plan, so I wasn’t feeling it. In the end, the start itself wasn’t even that bad, but I made a misjudgment with Charles: he braked a little earlier than I expected, and I went deep to avoid him. I was lucky with how things played out after that; there was a real battle and I made a mistake with my energy management, which is actually how Lando managed to pass me. Our pace was strong, though—certainly much faster than what we showed in the Sprint. But it wasn’t easy; I had to stay incredibly focused because I knew any tiny mistake would allow Lando to close in. It was tough, but I’m happy to have brought it home.” – the Italian pointed out.

When asked about the “competition” between himself and tennis star Jannik Sinner to see who can rack up the most trophies, Kimi Antonelli remained grounded: “No, we have to stay focused. The championship is still very long, and we need to keep raising the bar. I’m certain George will be very fast in Canada—he was really strong there last year—so we have to keep working. I’ll enjoy the moment for now, of course, but then it’s back to work for Montreal. It will be important to come back even stronger after these next two and a half weeks. I’ll finish by dedicating this win to Alex Zanardi.”

Nothing but applause for Kimi.