Kimi Antonelli bids for hat-trick as Formula One returns in Miami

MIAMI – Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, the youngest championship leader in Formula One history, will seek to complete a hat-trick of early-season victories this weekend as the sport returns after a month’s enforced absence due to the Middle East war.

The 19-year-old Mercedes driver was triumphant in China and Japan. He leads teammate George Russell, who won the season-opening Australian race, by nine points ahead of what is effectively the start of another season – complete with revised rules and widespread car upgrades – at the Miami Grand Prix.

“After a month without any racing, we are ready to get back on track,” said Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff. “We’ve used this break to analyse the opening races, address our weaknesses and raise our level.

“We’ve started the season well, but that counts for very little if you stand still. We know our competitors will have used this time to improve and build a deeper understanding of their cars, so we expect the field to be closer in Miami.

“That’s the reality of F1 – it’s a challenge we must rise to.”

Antonelli’s early triumphs made him the first Italian driver since Alberto Ascari in 1953 to win two consecutive races. Ascari won the title that season.

Wolff also addressed tweaks to the regulations to be introduced in Miami, aimed at making the cars and the spectacle more natural with reduced battery recharging in qualifying and increased super-clipping power to reduce dangerous speed differentials.

He said the revised rules would “respect the DNA of our sport” and deliver an improved spectacle, without any significant reduction to Mercedes’ early-season performance advantage.

For Mercedes, the race on May 3 is an opportunity for a first win in Florida since the event was launched five years ago. It has been won twice by four-time champion Max Verstappen for Red Bull and twice by McLaren, with a win apiece for world champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri.

They will also harbour hopes of claiming points with success in the May 2 sprint race, won in 2025 by Norris.

But Ferrari are widely expected to be strong contenders as well, as they arrive in Miami, like McLaren – who are bringing an almost “completely new car” – with a heavily revised package.

“It was one of our best tracks for pure pace, compared to others, last year,” said Norris. “It’s a different track and it may still suit us a little more than others.”

After winning in 2022 and 2023, Verstappen will be aiming to stop Mercedes’ winning run and revive Red Bull’s 2026 challenge after a poor start. He is ninth, on 12 points, 60 adrift of Antonelli, with teammate Isack Hadjar 12th on four.

Ferrari’s duo of Charles Leclerc and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton are third and fourth respectively on 49 and 41 points, with many paddock observers suggesting they are poised to fight for a first win since Carlos Sainz’s success in Mexico in October 2024.

Leclerc’s eighth and last win came at Austin, Texas, shortly before Sainz’s triumph while Hamilton is chasing his 106th win and first since the 2024 Belgian race, before he joined Ferrari. After a poor first year with the Prancing Horse, the Briton said he is relishing the challenge of a new formula that has seen him rediscover his mojo.

The other drivers are also raring to go. “We’re all recharged after the break,” said Russell, expressing the feelings of most, if not all, of his rivals.

“I’ve just used (put) this time to good use, spent a lot of time with the team... the (car’s) performance looks very strong. So, hoping to continue where we left off.

“I think the field will slowly bunch up, but I don’t think you’re going to suddenly see any drastic changes.”

The race at the Hard Rock Stadium will be a home debut for newcomers Cadillac, represented on track by experienced Mexican Sergio Perez and Finland’s Valtteri Bottas, with the General Motors-backed team sporting a special US-themed livery. AFP, REUTERS