Max Verstappen under investigation as Kimi Antonelli creates F1 history in Miami

Kimi Antonelli became the first F1 driver in history to win his first three grands prix from his first three poles by claiming a statement win in Miami. 

From pole, Antonelli lost the lead off the line to Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, but quickly re-passed before Lando Norris seized control of the race for McLaren.

However, Antonelli was able to undercut Norris after the sole pit-stops of the dry race, which became the net lead of the race - and the actual lead once the pair passed the off-strategy Max Verstappen on Lap 29. 

The race then settled down into a straight fight between the world championship leader and the world champion - with Norris sitting around one second behind, but he was not able to get into a position to pass the Mercedes, which was battling gearbox padel shift issues.

Ultimately, Antonelli held on to claim his third straight win, becoming only the third driver, after Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen to claim his first three wins on the trot.

In better news for the Italian, the win, coupled with George Russell finishing fourth, meant the gap between them is now 20 points. 

Verstappen, who finished fifth on the road, will face a post-race stewards' investigation for crossing the pit-exit line during the race, as Lewis Hamilton finished seventh in a severely-damaged Ferrari. 

A chaotic start to the race

Off the line, both Verstappen from second and Leclerc from third swamped Antonelli, with both locking up as Antonelli ran wide and Verstappen spun of his own accord at Turn 2 as Leclerc squeezed past to lead.

On Lap 4, Antonelli dived up the inside at Turn 17 to take the lead before a yo-yo battle with Leclerc and Norris followed until the race was neutralised on Lap 7 by a safety car for two seperate crashes.

Pit-lane starter Isack Hadjar crashed seconds before Liam Lawson tipped Pierre Gasly upside down at Turn 17, with the Racing Bulls driver set to go to the stewards.

Under this safety car, Verstappen, who had been aggressively fighting the midfield, much to Carlos Sainz's chagrin, pitted for hards, and went off-sequence.

After the restart, Norris assumed the lead from Antonelli and Leclerc, with the out-of-sorts Russell pulling the trigger for the pit-stops on Lap 21.

Leclerc pitted on Lap 22, with Antonelli responding on Lap 26 and Norris one lap later. Crucially, Antonelli then undercut Norris to take second on the road as Verstappen had cycled through to the lead, but was quickly passed as Antonelli and Norris dropped the field in their own private race.

Although he faced gearbox and track limit woes, Antonelli held on to take his third grand prix win and assert his control on the world championship, with Norris taking second for his first grand prix podium of the season. 

In the closing stages, Piastri passed Leclerc for third, with the Ferrari then spinning and hitting the wall on the final lap, sustaining damage, which then allowed Russell and Verstappen to pounce heading into the final corners. 

Russell passed for fourth as Verstappen roared past Leclerc on the line for fifth, with Leclerc sixth, but the Red Bull is facing the investigation for the pit-exit line.

Hamilton was seventh after losing 10-15 points of downforce following a first lap collision with Franco Colapinto's Alpine, who finished eighth as Williams scored double points with Carlos Sainz in ninth and Alex Albon in 10th. 

Oliver Bearman was the first driver to miss out on points in 11th, as Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon all finished the race on the lead lap, with Arvid Lindblad the first lapped car.

Fernando Alonso claimed the 'Aston Martin vs Cadillac' honours in 15th, ahead of Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, and in his 250th start, Valtteri Bottas, who was hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit-lane.

There were four non-finishers, with Nico Hulkenberg retiring his Audi due to technical issues, whilst Lawson, Gasly, and Hadjar retired due to their crashes and contact damage.