Hello, my name’s Holly, and I’m going to be with you this evening, covering all the action on track at the Miami Grand Prix.
It’s Kimi Antonelli on pole again today! His third pole position in a row, not counting the sprint race that was earlier this weekend.
17:34 PM
26 MINUTES TO GO
Many celebrities have gathered on the grid today at such a luxurious GP, one to name is world-renowned football star Lionel Messi, who was papped only a little while ago with first and second in the championship, Antonelli and George Russell.
17:38 PM
22 MINUTES TO GO
There are no umbrellas out on the grid at the moment, which is good news for the FIA, as it means their decision to move the start time three hours earlier was probably the right one.
17:40 PM
20 MINUTES TO GO
We have more celebrities being spotted. Patrick Dempsey and Jimmy Fallon are walking the grid, surrounded by the cars and drivers who, as it stands, have all made it out of the garages and to their starting positions, which this year hasn’t always been the case.
17:44 PM
16 MINUTES TO GO
It’s national anthem time. A beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner has rang out across the track.
Embed from Getty Images17:48 PM
12 MINUTES TO GO
Tensions are brewing. Will it be a strong start for Antonelli, or will Max Verstappen get his elbows out like he always does and make his way into the lead from P2?
Here’s a reminder of the starting grid in case you’ve forgotten.
17:51 PM
9 MINUTES TO GO
Now’s the time to go and get your last-minute cup of tea, some snacks or a quick toilet break because they’re just about set on track.
17:57 PM
2 MINUTES TO GO
This is going to be a mental game today, especially for the team members on the pit wall who will have to be studying the weather radar meticulously throughout the race.
FORMATION LAP
Antonelli leads the pack away
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Antonelli doesn’t get a horrendous start, but we’ve had a tangle straight away. carnage on the track, and it’s involved Verstappen. Leclerc came out on top and is now leading the race! Another touch between Franco Colapinto and Lewis Hamilton, with the Ferrari driver coming out ahead.
LAP 2/57
Verstappen has been let through by Liam Lawson. I’m not sure if that was a slow-moving Racing Bull, a lock-up or a message from the pit wall saying to let him by. Despite his troubles, Verstappen is now in P8.
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There is only an exact one-second distance between Leclerc in P1 and Antonelli in P2, so the Ferrari has not raced ahead at all.
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It’s a change for the lead, and you may have thought that the Mercedes would be able to run off into the distance from there, but think again because Leclerc has got him back.
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Multiple accidents! Isack Hadjar is out, and also Pierre Gasly. It is two separate incidents, and it seems like there was a possibility Lawson was involved as well, but is still going.
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We’re now under safety car conditions as they get those two cars off the track. Verstappen has pitted and is now on the hard tyres.
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McLaren won’t be too upset with how the start of this race has gone. Lando Norris is in P2, and Oscar Piastri is up to P5. We’ve just heard warnings from the pit wall to Piastri, though, about the possibility of rain showers coming in to play soon.
LAP 11/57
Lawson and Nico Hulkenberg have retired from the race as well, meaning that Lawson may have to take a penalty in the next race for the incident with Gasly that was ultimately down to the Racing Bull driver.
LAP 12/57
We are back racing again. Piastri went for the overtake on Russell, but it also nearly allowed Hamilton to get past the Mercedes as well.
LAP 13/57
Both McLaren’s have gained places. Norris is up into first, and straight away, Antonelli is on the back of Leclerc as well and gets past.
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The new power unit changes seem to really be working on this track. The boost mode is making it very close.
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Further down the grid, Alex Albon and Verstappen are fighting for P9. The Red Bull driver is on a mission this evening.
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Multiple drivers, including Verstappen, Albon and Fernando Alonso, are being investigated for infringements under the safety car and also crossing the white line on the pit exit.
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It’s been a race filled with action so far, and it’s not stopped, yet Piastri is now threatening Leclerc, and Verstappen is going to be investigated after the race for crossing the white line at the pit exit.
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Another investigation is coming Verstappen’s way as the stewards are now looking at a tight moment between him and Albon that happened earlier.
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It is a 3.77-second pit stop for Leclerc as the Ferrari team decides to react to Russell’s pitting just a few laps before. The Mercedes team have pulled a great move there as Russell has managed to get past the Ferrari through the stops.
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Leclerc is not impressed with his team and the decision they made to pit him. It very clearly wasn’t a smart move from his team, as Leclerc is now stuck in traffic due to his slightly slower stop.
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There are reports of a few spots of rain reaching the track from the southwest.
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Norris is still currently in the lead but has not pitted yet.
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Antonelli has pitted and come out ahead of Colapinto in P5. Ollie Bearman is another who has dived into the pits, but currently there’s still no budging our current race leader Norris.
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Norris is in, and Antonelli has got ahead with his fresher and warmer tyres on the exit. Mercedes has once again got it right with their strategy.
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So after the majority of the pit stops, we’ve now got Antonelli in P1, Norris in P2, and Verstappen in P3.
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All the yellow flag infringements are going to be investigated after the race, but the stewards have decided that Valterri Bottas has done enough to deserve a drive-through penalty after he was caught speeding in the pit lane.
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Five different leaders in this race today, but despite all the changes, it’s pole sitter Antonelli who has gotten back into P1 and has been managing to hold Norris off for the last few laps.
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It’s swapsies for Russell and Piastri as the McLaren driver gets past the Mercedes, but then is re-overtaken by the Brit. Piastri had to make the move again on Russell and has made this one stick. We’ve had a lot of overtakes like that today.
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Antonelli isn’t feeling completely comfortable in the lead as he has reported possible gearbox issues and tyre temp problems, but everything that is coming from his team is reassuring and positive. It also seems like Norris is struggling with the hot air from following Antonelli so closely, as he keeps on pulling to the side to get some cooler air.
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The action is slowing down a bit now, but we’ve still got 17 laps to go and the jeopardy of cars that need to be lapped by the leaders.
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Verstappen’s tyres seem to be dropping off quite a bit now, he is nearly losing a second a lap to Leclerc in P4, and the Mercedes team feel positive that Russell, who’s currently in P6, will be able to catch him before the end.
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Another 25 points for Antonelli will extend his championship lead even further over his teammate, Russell. It seems like, despite Mercedes’ concerns coming into this race about the Ferrari upgrades, the team based in Brackley still seem to be the most dominant car on the track.
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Here comes Leclerc on Verstappen. It shouldn’t be the most difficult pass the Monégasque has had to make this afternoon due to the tyre life difference, but we all know Verstappen never makes it easy.
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It was another back-and-forth pass for Leclerc and Verstappen, but the Ferrari driver has come out on top.
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No time to rest for Verstappen, Piastri is now here and wants to get himself up on that podium. Before he can think about taking on Leclerc, though, it is the Red Bull that needs to be passed ASAP.
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Piastri has passed the Red Bull, and it all now seems to be winding down slightly. Aston Martin is looking like they’re going to achieve their first double car finish of the season, and it’s also looking like a double points finish for the Williams drivers with Carlos Sainz in ninth and the Albon in tenth.
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Russell is pulling up to the back of Verstappen. We will have to see if the Mercedes team’s prediction was right, and whether Russell will just about manage to jump Verstappen.
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I may have said it was winding down, but we’ve woken back up for this penultimate lap. Russell is challenging Verstappen, and Piastri is challenging Leclerc.
FINISH!
Antonelli has crossed the line three wins in three grand prix races! Norris has crossed the line for P2, and it was absolute carnage behind!
Piastri got Leclerc and drove cleanly to P3, but Leclerc, behind him, spun after he got overtaken by the McLaren. He hit the wall but managed to avoid completely crashing out! The damage he sustained though slowed him down and Russell and Verstappen managed to catch and pass him for P4 and P5.
So… That was a lot. We’ve made it to the end, though and here is your top 10.
P1.Antonelli
P2.Norris
P3.Piastri
P4.Russell
P5.Verstappen
P6.Leclerc
P7.Hamilton
P8.Colapinto
P9.Sainz
P10.Albon
I think we all need a minute or maybe 10 to absorb everything that just happened in that race. If you would like, you can come back here later to Overtime Online, and I will have a post-race recap ready and waiting for you all, but for now, I’m going to say goodbye and thank you for joining me this evening.