Kimi Antonelli makes history again, but championship race is far from over

Following Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli’s historic victory at the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May, many are left asking the question: Just how far will he go?

Already the youngest pole-sitter and the youngest driver to lead the championship in Formula One (F1) history, Antonelli added another milestone on Sunday.

The 19-year-old became only the third driver in history to take his first three consecutive grand prix pole positions, joining legends Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher.

He also joined Damon Hill and Mika Häkkinen as the only drivers to win their first three races consecutively – Antonelli’s maiden F1 victory was the Chinese Grand Prix in March.

It is a significant feat in just his second F1 season. By comparison, four-time World Champion Max Verstappen won just one race in his second F1 season, albeit during his first with Red Bull.

“This is just the beginning,” Antonelli said after the race. “The road is still long. We are working super hard and the team is doing an incredible job. Without them I wouldn’t be here.

“I’m going to enjoy this one and then get straight back to work because Canada is in two weeks time.”

Antonelli’s lagging teammate

With Antonelli sitting on 100 points and an intact championship lead after Miami, attention has shifted toward his teammate George Russell, who has a 20-point deficit, and how he responds.

After outperforming Antonelli for much of last season and with Mercedes producing one of the strongest cars on the grid this year, many expected Russell to lead the team’s title charge.

With his win in Australia, that appeared to be the case, and one could argue a bit of misfortune intervened in his efforts in China and Japan.

Technical problems disrupted his weekend in China, while the timing of the safety car in Japan compromised what had looked like an opportunity to fight for victory.

But there is no time for hypotheticals and none of it diminishes Antonelli’s performances.

“Clearly he’s in a very good place at the moment and momentum is with him,” said Russell of his teammate. “But, having got enough experience myself in championships I’ve won and how momentum swings throughout the year, and looking at the championship last year, to be honest, I’m not even considering it.

“I could be standing here now with three very different results in previous races, with this one being a bit of a one-off. Obviously, things worked out differently in Japan and China, but that’s Formula One sometimes.”

It’s not over yet

As Russell said, there is no reason for him to panic, because “momentum swings throughout the year”.

There are still 18 races remaining and last season proved just how quickly a championship battle can change. Remember in 2025 when many had written off Verstappen. By mid-season the Red Bull driver trailed championship leader Oscar Piastri by 104 points.

But after a handful of races where McLaren faced a bit of bad luck and Red Bull introduced significant upgrades, Verstappen suddenly found himself in contention.

Heading into the grand finale, Verstappen leapfrogged Piastri for second place and reduced the deficit to Lando Norris to just 12 points. In the end, Norris secured the championship, but by only two points.

All this to say: anything can happen.

Miami may have belonged to Antonelli, but McLaren and Red Bull looked much stronger after bringing upgrades, with the results demonstrating that the season will be defined by a fierce development war.

Norris and Piastri took a one-two in the sprint for McLaren, while Norris could arguably have challenged Antonelli for victory on Sunday, but for a pit stop decision and its execution.

Red Bull also appeared transformed through Verstappen. After looking uncompetitive for the first three races, the team brought aero upgrades and steering adjustments that finally gave Verstappen the car he had been looking for.

He qualified second and, barring an opening-lap spin due to his eagerness to be back in the front and fighting, he would probably have been firmly in contention for a podium spot.

McLaren are expected to bring another package of developments to Canada, including a revised front wing, while Mercedes will introduce the first major upgrade to their car in Montreal as well.

Drivers underwhelmed with regulation tweaks

Miami was also the first weekend after an enforced six-week hiatus where the regulation tweaks to parameters of recovery and electrical energy deployment were implemented.

As expected, there was a mixed response.

The refinements were welcomed but they were clearly not sufficient to silence the drivers’ vocal unhappiness.

Norris said drivers were still penalised for pushing the cars and suggested the only answer was to “get rid of the battery”. The sentiments were shared by Verstappen, even though he enjoyed a much more competitive car in Miami.

“It’s still punishing you. The faster you go through corners, the slower you go on the next straight,” said Verstappen.

Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said after Miami that anyone still complaining about the racing created by the new cars “should hide”.

However, there is talk on the grid of a return to the V8 engine – currently it is a V6 engine with electrical hybrid power.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced at the Miami Grand Prix that a return to V8 engines was coming, citing a desire to restore the sport’s iconic sound while reducing technical complexity and car weight.

The proposal involves moving away from the current 50-50 hybrid split toward a very minor level of electrification, powered primarily by internal combustion and sustainable fuels.

It would be a nostalgia trip for motorsport purists, but if such a change does happen, it is unlikely to come before 2030 or 2031, when the next cycle of engine regulations will be introduced. DM