Kimi Antonelli wins the Miami Grand Prix for his third straight F1 victory

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Kimi Antonelli made history as the first driver to win his first three Formula 1 races from the pole when the 19-year-old Mercedes driver won the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday.

It was the third consecutive victory for Antonelli, the current points leader who is proving early this season to be a legitimate championship contender.

“It is just the beginning, the road is still long, but we're working super hard,” Antonelli said. “The team is doing an incredible job and without them I wouldn't be here. I'm going to enjoy this one and then get back to work.”

The Italian and teammate George Russell have won the first four races of this season for Mercedes and all four poles to date. They were blocked from the podium in Saturday's sprint race, which was a 1-2 finish for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren in the only thing the Mercedes drivers have not won this season.

“Kimi, that was very, very impressive. You know I like to complain, but there was nothing to complain about today,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told his young driver. “Very good."

Antonelli holds a 20-point lead over Russell in the championship standings.

Antonelli started from the pole but had a slick start on a damp surface at the Miami International Autodrome. Threats of heavy rain led F1 to move up the start of the race by three hours, and there was an early morning thunderstorm with lightning strikes directly over the Hard Rock Stadium, but it cleared by the time the event began.

Still, the first 25 laps were attacked by the drivers as if the rain could return at any moment, and that led to early chaos, even for Antonelli.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari had a spectacular start from third and surged to the lead when Antonelli went wide off course trying to defend. A split-second later, Max Verstappen spun trying to hold off Leclerc when the two cars made contact.

The contact caused Verstappen, who started a season-best second, to plummet to ninth after the spin.

Antonelli recovered and reclaimed the lead on the fifth lap, and the leaders briefly swapped positions as Leclerc moved back to the front before reigning world champion Norris took over on Lap 14.

Verstappen worked his way through the field and briefly took the lead as others pitted, but Antonelli beat Norris off pit lane and reclaimed the lead for good once everything cycled out.

Norris finished second, 3.2 seconds behind Antonelli.

“A mixed bag, really. We just got undercut (in the pits). There's no excuses other than that,” Norris said. “We should have boxxed first. Kimi did a good job. Hats off to Merc and Kimi. They drove a good race.”

Leclerc was poised to finish third until Oscar Piastri of McLaren passed him on the final lap. Leclerc spun and settled for sixth.

Russell was fourth and Verstappen finished a season-best fifth for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was seventh.

Cadillac, in its first race in the United States, had an unimpressive weekend on the track even as it splashed its way through Miami with appearances and events. Sergio Perez finished 16th and Valtteri Bottas was 18th — the last car to finish in the 22-driver field.

Isack Hadjar had been disqualified after qualifying and started last, but his race lasted five laps before he drove his Red Bull into the wall. Hadjar was openly angry at the result as he pounded his helmet before climbing from his car and angrily stomping away.

Seconds later, Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson made contact that caused Gasly's car to do a full rollover. The Frenchman's car ended stuck with its rear tires atop a barrier and he climbed from the half-suspended BMW on his own.

The Canadian Grand Prix is next for F1 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on May 24. That date was traditionally held by the Monaco Grand Prix but a tweak to the schedule shifted it to Canada, and F1 will no longer be the opener for what had traditionally been the most prolific day in motorsports.

The F1 race typically opened the morning ahead of the Indianapolis 500 and then NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. Because the race is in Canada and not Monaco, it has a late afternoon start time and will follow the Indy 500 and end during the NASCAR race.

AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates after winning the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy holds his trophy after winning the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy finishes first in the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy celebrates after winning the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Mohammed Ben Sulayem President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) pours water on the head of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy after Antonelli won the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, right, of Italy and McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steer their cars during the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

HYDERABAD, India (AP) — Indian Premier League leader Punjab Kings lost its second straight game in a four-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans on Sunday.

Punjab recovered from losing two wickets in the opening three balls of the match to post 163-9 after being made to bat first by Gujarat, which reached 167-6 with one ball remaining.

Suryansh Shedge (57 runs off 29 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (40 off 31) shared a 79-run partnership for Punjab’s sixth wicket. West Indies pacer Jason Holder took 4-24 in four overs.

Mohammed Siraj (2-28) did the early damage for Gujarat, claiming Priyansh Arya on the second ball of the game, and Cooper Connolly on the third. Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer (19) denied India quick Siraj his hat trick.

Washington Sundar guided Gujarat's successful chase, finishing on 40 not out off 23 balls, after opener Sai Sudharsan hit a 41-ball 57.

Punjab, which lost its previous game to Rajasthan Royals, has a one-point lead over Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Earlier Sunday, spinner Varun Chakravarthy took 3-36 as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Hyderabad by seven wickets with 10 balls remaining.

Sunil Narine claimed 2-31, and pacer Kartik Tyagi returned 2-30, as host Hyderabad was bowled out for 165 runs in 19 overs.

Opener Travis Head smashed 61 off only 28 balls, but Hyderabad collapsed from 135-4 and lost its last six wickets for just 30 runs.

In reply, Kolkata finished with 169-3 in 18.2 overs. Impact player Angkrish Raghuvanshi top-scored for his team with 59 off 47 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes, while skipper Ajinkya Rahane hit a 36-ball 43.

It was Kolkata’s third successive win as it stayed eighth in the points’ table after nine games, rebounding after five losses and a no-result. Hyderabad’s slip meant it stayed third with a fourth loss in 10 games, missing the chance to go top.

Hyderabad won the toss and chose to bat first. Head hit nine fours and three sixes overall, and scored his second consecutive half-century off 22 balls. He put on 44 off 22 deliveries with Abhishek Sharma, who scored 15 and was caught off Tyagi.

The hosts reached 71-1 in the powerplay with Head and Ishan Kishan (42 off 29) adding another 61 runs off 32 balls. Chakravarthy got the breakthrough when Head was out caught in the ninth over.

Hyderabad slumped to 122-4 – Heinrich Klaasen went for 11 with Rovman Powell taking a splendid one-handed catch in the deep and Chakravarthy dismissed Ravichandran Smaran (4).

A key turning point came in the 16th over when Narine claimed two wickets, including Kishan's, and Hyderabad didn’t have any momentum in the death overs.

Overall, it lost nine wickets for 60 runs after being 105-1 in 8.5 overs.

In reply, Kolkata made a quick start – Finn Allen hit 29 off 13 balls, before he was caught off Pat Cummins.

Kolkata also made 71-1 in the powerplay. Rahane and Raghuvanshi put on 84 off 66 balls for the second wicket, effectively shutting out Hyderabad from the game.

Raghuvanshi reached his 50 off 39 balls – his third of the season.

Rinku Singh’s 22 not out off 11 balls took Kolkata home.

It was Kolkata’s 21st win in 32 games against Hyderabad – its best record against an opponent in the IPL.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Gujarat Titans' Jason Holder celebrates the wicket of Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans' Kagiso Rabada, left, celebrates the wicket of Punjab Kings' Suryansh Shedge with teammates during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans' Washington Sundar plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Varun Chakaravarthy bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad , India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad , India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Kolkata Knight Riders'captain Ajinkya Rahane, right, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, encourage each other as they bat during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad, India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)