Antonelli Extends Lead as Mercedes Praises Miami Win

Kimi Antonelli won the Miami Grand Prix, and mercedes team principal Toto Wolff called it his best race so far. The 19-year-old beat Lando Norris after a tight fight to the flag and now leads George Russell by 20 points.

Wolff on Antonelli

Wolff said the pace had been there for some time and credited the work Mercedes and Antonelli have done on the details. He said, "It seems like a lot of the speed has always been there, everything is chipping away at the finer details".

He was sharper still about the Miami drive. "It’s easier to slow someone, calm someone down that is wild because you won’t be able to accelerate a donkey, so for me that was his best race so far." Wolff added, "It reminds me of his karting days or Formula 4, there were no mistakes today."

Miami And The Title Race

The Miami win was Antonelli's third in a row, following victories in China and Japan. He is in only his second season in Formula 1, but the run has already pushed him to the front of the championship picture.

Wolff also pointed to the machinery behind the results. "We’ve given him a car that is very good, and an engine that is right but how he’s been able to monetise on that every single weekend is special." That has kept Mercedes unbeaten in Grands Prix this season, with George Russell supplying the first round win in Australia.

Sinner And Antonelli

Wolff compared Antonelli with Jannik Sinner, saying both are now the names drawing attention in Italian sport. "Now that they are not qualified for football, it’s all about Sinner and Antonelli, and Antonelli and Sinner. Sinner won in Madrid, so it’s the two that are superstars."

For Mercedes, the immediate scoreline is simple: three wins in a row for Antonelli, a 20-point cushion over Russell, and a season that has not yet produced a Grand Prix defeat. Norris chased hard in Miami, but Antonelli held him off to the line and kept the pressure on the championship order.