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Miami Power Rankings: Antonelli leads, Norris, Colapinto star
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Miami Power Rankings: Antonelli leads, Norris, Colapinto star

5 May 202616h agoBy Sports News Global

Kimi Antonelli set the benchmark in Miami, converting pole into another Grand Prix win as the Power Rankings judges assessed a Sprint weekend packed with storylines. Lando Norris shone in the Sprint, Franco Colapinto impressed across every session, and Red Bull, Cadillac and Williams all showed encouraging signs.

Key Takeaways

  • 1.Cadillac introduced the first major upgrades of its debut F1 campaign and the early evidence was encouraging, particularly in Sergio Perez’s hands.
  • 2.Lando Norris lit up Saturday, taking pole and victory in the Sprint as McLaren rolled out a significant upgrade package.
  • 3.It was a solid haul on a weekend where the two McLarens were ultimately separated by almost 25 seconds when Sunday’s race ended.

Kimi Antonelli extended his hot streak at the Miami International Autodrome, converting a third straight pole into a third consecutive Grand Prix victory to headline the latest Power Rankings from the Sprint weekend. The Italian recovered from a compromised Sprint to dominate when it counted in main qualifying and the race, further consolidating his championship lead.

How the Power Rankings work: a five-judge panel evaluates each driver’s weekend performance independent of machinery, scoring out of 10. Those scores are averaged to produce a race score and then aggregated across the season to build the overall leaderboard.

Antonelli’s Sunday supremacy followed a more complicated Sprint, where a tough launch and a track-limits penalty left him sixth. But in the main sessions he was untouchable, sealing pole and the win to underline the form that has defined his opening phase of 2026.

Lando Norris lit up Saturday, taking pole and victory in the Sprint as McLaren rolled out a significant upgrade package. Qualifying for the Grand Prix proved trickier and left him fourth on the grid, but he climbed to second at the flag to keep the winner honest.

One of the standout performers was Franco Colapinto. Fresh off a home-soil demonstration run in Argentina, the Alpine driver delivered top-10 results in Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint, Grand Prix qualifying and the race itself — and he started ahead of the more experienced Pierre Gasly in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.

Red Bull appeared rejuvenated with updates to the RB22, with Max Verstappen looking more comfortable and competitive throughout the event. He ran at the sharp end across the weekend and, but for a lap-one spin on Sunday, might well have been in the frame for the win.

Cadillac introduced the first major upgrades of its debut F1 campaign and the early evidence was encouraging, particularly in Sergio Perez’s hands. He finished ahead of Alex Albon’s Williams and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin in the Sprint, then split the Aston Martins in the Grand Prix — a sign the newcomers are no longer isolated at the rear.

Williams arrived in Miami seeking to halt a difficult run after scoring just two points across Australia, China and Japan despite finishing fifth in last year’s teams’ standings. Carlos Sainz doubled that tally with a canny drive to ninth, making good on recent updates and avoiding trouble.

Ferrari’s charge was spearheaded by Charles Leclerc, who reached the final lap fighting for the podium before a spin and penalties for repeatedly leaving the track and gaining an advantage dropped him back. Leclerc took responsibility afterwards: “The mistake is all on me,” he said. “It cost us P3 or P4. More likely it would have been a P4, but P3 was still right there.”

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso eked out all he could for Aston Martin-Honda amid a challenging start to the season, battling to 15th in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix and offering a glimmer of encouragement for the new partnership.

Haas, strong out of the blocks with points in Australia, China and Japan, faced a tougher time in Miami as the midfield fight intensified.

Next up is Round 5 in Canada on May 22-24, where attention will turn to whether Antonelli’s momentum continues — and whether the clear steps from McLaren, Red Bull, Cadillac and Williams carry over to Montreal.

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