Oscar Piastri executed a dramatic late overtake to secure a podium finish at the Miami Grand Prix on a day when teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli made more Formula 1 history by achieving a hat-trick of victories from pole position.
Piastri's Podium Push
Piastri, who started seventh on the grid, made a perfectly timed move at the end of the penultimate lap to pass Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and claim third place behind his McLaren teammate and reigning world champion Lando Norris, who finished second.
However, Norris expressed frustration that his team did not secure victory at the Miami International Autodrome. The race was filled with drama and incidents, with the threat of rain looming but never materialising.
Antonelli's Historic Run
Ultimately, the day belonged to 19-year-old championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Despite a disappointing start, he regained control of the race and became the first driver ever to convert his first three poles into victories, all within just seven weeks.
The young Mercedes driver extended his lead in the title race to 20 points after four rounds. 'It is just the beginning, the road is still long, but we're working super hard,' Antonelli said.
Antonelli displayed remarkable composure and talent. After losing the lead to Leclerc on the first lap, he quickly regained it. Later, after Norris took control, Antonelli seized the lead for good with a brilliant outlap, aided by Mercedes pitting ahead of McLaren.
Following wins in China and Japan, Antonelli became the third driver to win his first three races consecutively, joining Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen.
McLaren's Missed Opportunity
Norris, who won Saturday's sprint race, felt McLaren had been outmanoeuvred. He asked over the radio: 'How did we not win this? We should have won, guys.' Later he added: 'I'm gutted to miss out on the win. It was a mixed bag, really. We just got undercut (by Mercedes), we should have boxed first.'
Piastri, meanwhile, was satisfied after his qualifying struggles. He made a good start, moving up to third from seventh, but dropped back to seventh after his mid-race pitstop before finding pace in the latter stages.
'The pace seemed more encouraging again today,' he said. 'I had to make a few overtakes, obviously, and it was a pretty late charge late in the race, but it's just very, very tricky around here, especially in these conditions. But clearly we're a step closer in performance once again. So that's nice to see.'
Late-Race Drama
Piastri's decisive move came on lap 56 of 57, as he surged past Leclerc, who was struggling so much that he spun on the final lap and brushed the wall, allowing George Russell (fourth) and Max Verstappen (fifth) to pass him.
Drama marked the start as well, when Verstappen's Red Bull spun 360 degrees on the grid as he tried too hard to move from second place. Verstappen dropped to 10th but recovered to fifth.
The race was moved up three hours to avoid thunderstorms, creating what Piastri called a 'very tricky' day as teams prepared for weather that never came.
The safety car was deployed on lap six after two accidents: Red Bull's Isack Hadjar slid into the wall, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly flipped after contact with Liam Lawson's Racing Bull.
