Kimi Antonelli used the Miami Grand Prix to open up his advantage at the top of the 2026 Formula 1 championship. A third straight win, following China and Japan, has given the Mercedes driver a 20-point lead over team-mate George Russell.
For anyone following the title race, the significance is obvious: gaps are beginning to form very early, and at Mercedes the intra-team battle already matters almost as much as the points haul itself. The F1 championship watch is starting to take on real shape, with rivals forced to react sooner than they would like.
Antonelli turns a run of wins into a clear early margin
Three victories on the bounce is no longer just a flash in the pan. Antonelli has put together the sort of run that changes the complexion of a season, and after four rounds he is doing more than banking points — he is setting the pace.
Russell is still very much in the fight, but 20 points is already a healthy cushion this early on. In Formula 1 terms, it is not yet a chasm. It is, however, enough to create pressure, especially when the leader shows no sign of easing off. Mercedes, for its part, could hardly have asked for a stronger opening stretch.
Russell stays close, but Mercedes has an early benchmark
The real story here is not simply Antonelli’s lead. It is the way Mercedes already has a clear sporting reference point emerging inside the garage. Russell remains a dependable yardstick, but for now the momentum is with the younger of the two. In plain English, the German outfit already has one driver with the upper hand.
That can make life simpler for a team — and more complicated at the same time. Once one half of a pairing starts pulling clear, strategy calls, development direction and internal priorities stop being theoretical. The next few races will show whether Russell can claw things back or whether Antonelli turns this early advantage into a lasting one.
Leclerc slips back, Norris moves into the frame
Behind the Mercedes pair, Charles Leclerc has begun to lose a little ground. The Monegasque is now 17 points adrift of the leaders, which keeps him in touching distance without quite allowing him to pressure the front runners. Ferrari is still there, but not close enough to control the tempo.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, made the most of the weekend to get back into the picture. By moving ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the standings, he has closed in on Leclerc and is now just 12 points behind. That creates a tightly packed fight where every race can shuffle the order. In a season where margins are already looking thin, that matters almost as much as a win.
Verstappen claws some ground back for Red Bull
Max Verstappen also benefitted from a more favourable weekend in Miami. Red Bull looked a little easier to work with, and the Dutchman made immediate use of that in the standings. He moves from ninth to seventh place, which does not tell the full story but does at least point to a meaningful improvement.
For Red Bull, the key question is whether that progress can be turned into something more durable. A car that is easier to extract pace from can change the feel of a weekend very quickly, but championships are not won on one step forward. Verstappen has recovered ground; the real test is whether the trend lasts long enough to bring him back towards the front-runners.
Mercedes leads the constructors’ standings, Ferrari keeps McLaren at bay
In the constructors’ championship, Mercedes has continued to pull clear with 180 points. The margin is a sizeable one: 68 points ahead of Ferrari in second. At this stage, the silver cars have built enough breathing room to manage things rather than chase them.
Ferrari remains the nearest challenger, but McLaren is now closing in quickly. The gap between the Scuderia and the British team has narrowed to 18 points. That makes the battle for second place look much more competitive than the one at the top. And in a championship where early advantage can become very expensive very quickly, that could matter later on.
An early season, but already a clear hierarchy
After only four rounds, the 2026 Formula 1 season is already beginning to settle into recognisable patterns. Antonelli has built a gap, Mercedes sits on top, Ferrari is under pressure and McLaren is hovering in the background. Nothing is fixed, but the shape of the championship is already easy enough to read.
- Antonelli now leads George Russell by 20 points.
- Leclerc sits 17 points behind the Mercedes pair.
- Norris is 12 points behind Leclerc after moving ahead of Hamilton.
- Verstappen has climbed from ninth to seventh.
- Mercedes leads the constructors’ standings by 68 points from Ferrari.
- McLaren is now only 18 points behind the Scuderia.
It is still early enough for the picture to change, but Antonelli’s form, Mercedes’ consistency and Ferrari’s need to respond already give this championship a clear structure. If you want the short version: Mercedes is the benchmark for now, Antonelli is the driver setting it, and the rest have work to do. Whether Russell, Leclerc or Verstappen can close the gap will decide whether this is the beginning of a runaway or just the first phase of a much longer scrap.
