Kimi Antonelli beamed with joy as he received congratulations from his great idol, Lionel Messi. Expressing his admiration with the words, “It means so much to me to meet you in person,” he warmly embraced the football legend. But it wasn’t just the Argentine superstar—who had even climbed into Antonelli’s race car before the Miami Grand Prix—who was captivated by the young Formula 1 sensation. With his third consecutive win and another historic moment, the Mercedes driver sparked a wave of euphoria across the racing world.
“Antonelli absolutely nailed it. He was already incredibly strong in Miami last year, feels at home on this track, and once again, for a 19-year-old, he drove such a composed, clever race on Sunday. He was under pressure for a very long time from the reigning world champion, from Norris, but he held his ground. So, hats off to Kimi Antonelli,” said Interwetten expert Christian Klien, who also drew a positive conclusion about the race overall.
In general, he noted, “Miami was a fantastic race. After these regulation changes, Formula 1 is presenting itself in a more positive light again. The races have been exciting, with overtaking moves.” Now, there’s a short break – “two or three weeks” until Montreal. “We’ve heard that some teams, including Mercedes, will already bring updates to Montreal. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold there and whether the balance of power shifts again.”
Championship leader Antonelli heads into the fifth race of the season with a 20-point lead over teammate George Russell, who once again couldn’t match the pace of his young rival in Miami. For Russell, it had been a “tough weekend,” according to Klien: “He’s clearly struggling. It’s important for him to keep a cool head now. Montreal, the next race, is a track that suits him relatively well – he won there last year.”
Klien sees more excitement ahead not just for the upcoming event: “Overall, I’d say Mercedes is no longer unbeatable – the other teams have closed the gap. Even Red Bull showed clear progress.” Max Verstappen had battled hard for his first podium of the year and, despite a five-second penalty, still finished fifth. For Miami, the FIA had made adjustments to the energy-saving rules. Additionally, due to the long break, the first free practice session was extended by 30 minutes to 90 minutes.
