Lando Norris salutes ‘incredible’ Kimi Antonelli for beating George Russell at the age of 19

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Lando Norris says Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is ‘proving a lot of people wrong’ after his latest victory at the Miami Grand Prix.

Antonelli once again lost the lead from pole position, this time falling to third. But he passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on track and won the strategy battle with Norris to extend his winning streak to three.

Antonelli now leads Mercedes teammate Russell by 20 points, having become the first F1 driver in history to convert his first three pole positions.

Kimi Antonelli makes it three wins in a row at Miami! Has he proven he is the championship favourite? 🏆

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Lando Norris’ sincere praise for Kimi Antonelli after Miami Grand Prix battle

Norris was frustrated that McLaren allowed themselves to be undercut by Antonelli and Mercedes, but he still applauded the Italian driver after the race.

During Antonelli’s rookie season, there were some who questioned whether Mercedes had promoted him too early. Russell scored more than twice the number of points (319 vs 150) and won the overall head-to-head 46-9.

In one nine-race stretch between Emilia Romagna and the Netherlands, Antonelli failed to score points seven times.

• READ MORE: Juan Pablo Montoya thinks George Russell has ‘given up’ after hearing his Kimi Antonelli admission

That made Russell the overwhelming favourite if the 2026 title race came down to the two Mercedes drivers, but Antonelli may now be the more likely champion.

“He’s doing a very good job, hats off to him,” Norris told Sky Sports. “At that age, second year in Formula 1, he’s doing an incredible job. It’s impressive to perform under pressure, to be beating his teammate who’s been in it for a lot, lot longer.

“He’s doing all the right things. You can’t really fault him. He’s proving a lot of people wrong. I’m very happy for him. He’s a really nice guy.”

George Russell’s nightmare Miami Grand Prix weekend in numbers

There was an element of misfortune for Russell in China and Japan, where Antonelli took his first two F1 wins.

An on-track stoppage limited him to one run in Shanghai Q3, paving the way for Antonelli to take pole. A safety car at Suzuka also worked against him and played into his teammate’s hands.

But this was a comprehensive defeat with no convenient explanation. Antonelli was four-tenths faster than Russell in both qualifying sessions during the weekend.

The gap between the two drivers at the chequered flag on Sunday was also 43 seconds, a sobering statistic for Russell.

Russell has repeatedly described the Miami Autodrome as a bogey track this weekend, but there’s no denying that the picture of the championship race is changing.