Formula 1 held the Miami Grand Prix in a race that had it all: schedule changes due to weather, incidents from the start and strategies conditioned by rain. Kimi Antonelli once again made the difference and took the victory. The podium was completed by Norris and Oscar Piastri.
A different preview: Messi in the paddock and storm threat
The run up to the race had a special touch with the presence of Lionel Messi, who visited the paddock and shared moments with both Franco Colapinto and the entire Mercedes team, even getting into an Antonelli car.
However, the focus was on the weather. An electrical storm forced the start time to be changed, moving the start forward three hours on a weekend conditioned by meteorological uncertainty.
A chaotic start that changed everything
The race began with one of the most intense starts of the year. Antonelli went off at the first corner, while a spin from Max Verstappen trying to avoid Charles Leclerc created a chain reaction that dropped the Dutchman to tenth position.
Accidents and Safety Car in the first laps
Action continued on lap 6 with a heavy incident involving several drivers. Isack Hadjar lost control and ended up against the wall, while Pierre Gasly was hit by Liam Lawson, even causing the Alpine driver's car to flip over.
Lawson also had to retire, as did Nico Hülkenberg, who had problems from the start and could not continue after his pit stop.
Strategy, rain and an unpredictable first half
Unlike Saturday's sprint, the first part of the race showed multiple overtakes and a much more dynamic pace.
The threat of rain generated constant doubts among the teams, who could not clearly define the ideal moment to change tires. In that context, Valtteri Bottas was given a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
A more linear finish but with tension at the front
As the laps went by, the race stabilized. However, the fight for victory remained open.
Antonelli, with gearbox problems, had to defend himself from Norris's constant attacks in the final laps, in one of the most tense moments of the race.
Behind him, Verstappen tried a risky strategy that did not work out: his tires lasted nearly 50 laps, which conditioned his final performance.
Antonelli doesn't fail and Mercedes asserts itself
Finally, Antonelli managed to hold on under pressure and crossed the finish line in first position, consolidating his great moment in the category.
Norris finished second, showing a clear evolution of McLaren over the weekend, while Piastri took third place after an intense fight with Leclerc, who later spun and lost positions.
The Miami Grand Prix confirms several trends: Mercedes remains the team to beat, Antonelli establishes himself as the great protagonist of the championship. McLaren shows significant improvement and Ferrari remains competitive, although without fully closing their results.
In a season marked by technical changes and unpredictable scenarios, Formula 1 continues to add chapters that reconfigure the balance of power race after race.