Kimi Antonelli offers 'stressful' Mercedes problem details after brief scare

Kimi Antonelli has offered details of a "stressful" late issue with the gearbox of his Mercedes in the closing laps of the Miami Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old once again lost the lead immediately at the start of the race from pole position before recovering to secure a third consecutive victory.

In doing so, Antonelli set a new record as the first driver to achieve three wins in consecutive events, all from pole.

However, it was not an easy win at the Miami International Autodrome, with reigning world champion Lando Norris having stayed with Antonelli for the bulk of the race.

A single error would have allowed Norris a genuine overtaking opportunity, but the Italian was flawless to extend his title lead over George Russell to 20 points.

There was a brief scare for Antonelli, who reported a gearbox issue. While the problem was short-lived and only lasted a few laps, he experienced difficulty shifting from seventh to eighth gear.

Asked if the gearbox issue impacted his car's performance, Antonelli explained: "No, it didn’t really affect. 

"I mean, just in the moment I had two, three laps where I wasn’t getting some of the downshifts, and then I had a couple of laps where it wouldn’t upshift from seventh to eighth. 

"So, it was a little bit stressful, but luckily it was just a matter of those few laps and then it was fine. 

"Obviously, it was adding stress because I was being chased and I knew I couldn’t make any mistakes, and that wasn’t helping for sure. But then it lasted very shortly, so I was happy with that."