MIAMI - Teenager Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the drivers' world championship with a historic victory for Mercedes ahead of McLaren world champion Lando Norris in Sunday's dramatic Miami Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Italian became the first F1 driver to claim his first three wins in a row from his first three pole positions, after triumphs in China and Japan had hoisted him to the top of the title race.
Driving with determination and elan, Antonelli struggled for ascendancy in the first part of the race before enjoying an undercut pit stop to win his duel with Norris in the closing stages.
In the first race following a five-week hiatus due to the conflict in the Middle East, Antonelli came home 3.264 seconds clear of Norris.
Norris's McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished third, 23.828 seconds adrift.
Mercedes driver George Russell, who began the season as championship favorite and won the opening race in Melbourne, finished fourth ahead of Red Bull's fiery and rejuvenated four-time champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who spun on the penultimate lap.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of Franco Colapinto of Alpine and the two Williams drivers, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Mercedes had dominated the opening three Grands Prix and arrived in Miami as the only top team without an upgrades package. But despite losing to Norris in Saturday's sprint race, they showed they remain on top.
"What a race, man, woo!" exclaimed Antonelli on team radio after winning.
He later said: "The team did a great strategy and we had a massive undercut -- and I was able to bring it home. It was a tough race.
"I was a bit lucky when I locked up at the start behind Charles and then I did a mistake with energy management."
Norris described the result as "a mixed bag."
"We just got undercut. We should have boxed first, but Kimi did a good job and hats off to him and Mercedes," he said.
"A good race. He didn't make any mistakes and I'm gutted not to win, but I didn't have the pace."
- AFP