George on the Podium, Kimi Battles Hard – Mercedes Double Points in Miami
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team delivered another strong performance at the Miami Grand Prix, with George Russell finishing third and rookie Kimi Antonelli securing sixth place. Russell’s result marks both his and the team’s first-ever podium in Miami and their fourth of the 2025 season.
Antonelli started from third on the grid and made an impressive getaway, moving into second place on the opening lap. However, he was eventually overtaken by the quicker McLarens during the first stint and slipped to fourth. Russell, who began the race on the Hard compound tyre as part of an alternate strategy, followed closely behind in fifth.
Antonelli made his pit stop on lap 26 to switch to Hard tyres but lost time due to traffic in the pit lane, which prevented him from executing a potential undercut on Max Verstappen. Russell, meanwhile, extended his stint and capitalized on a Virtual Safety Car period to pit for Mediums, rejoining the track in third place.
In the closing laps, Russell held off intense pressure from Verstappen to secure the final podium position, continuing his consistent start to the campaign. Antonelli battled hard in the second stint but eventually finished sixth after being overtaken by Alex Albon’s Williams.
With this result, Mercedes holds second place in the Constructors’ Championship as the season reaches its first quarter. The team will now prepare for the upcoming European triple-header, beginning with Antonelli’s highly anticipated home race at Imola.
Driver Reactions
George Russell:
“I’m really pleased with P3 today. It’s been a slightly tougher weekend for me in terms of confidence in the car, but when it counted, we put everything together. The Medium tyre in the second stint gave me good grip and I was able to manage the pace well to keep Verstappen behind.
The McLarens were clearly a step ahead this weekend, so credit to them. It won’t be easy to close that gap, but we’re focused on bringing performance updates and pushing hard, especially with the European rounds starting soon.”
Kimi Antonelli:
“We didn’t quite have the pace today to fight higher up the field. I had a strong start and managed to get into second, but the McLarens were just too fast, and we couldn’t keep them behind. I felt comfortable in the first stint on the Mediums, but I struggled more with the Hard tyres after the stop. That made it tough to hold on to a top-five finish.
That said, it was still a positive weekend overall. Our qualifying pace was strong, and I was happy to take my first Sprint pole. I’m continuing to learn with each race, especially when it comes to race management. Now I’m really looking forward to racing in front of the home fans at Imola.”
Toto Wolff:
“George delivered another composed and mature drive today to bring home third place. He made the most of the strategy and defended well in the final laps. While it’s encouraging to be on the podium, the gap to McLaren remains a concern, and we’re pushing hard to bring developments that can help us close that.
Kimi showed flashes of his potential again this weekend. It was a solid learning experience for him, and at 18 years old, that’s exactly what we expect. He continues to impress with his pace and maturity, and now we’re all looking forward to his first home Grand Prix at Imola.”
