Kimi Antonelli was dominant during the last Miami GP. On Saturday, the Italian already secured pole position; even Max Verstappen – who miraculously placed his Red Bull on the front row – had to yield to Antonelli. Although the young driver faced enough resistance in the race, he ultimately crossed the finish line first. It was his third consecutive victory and also his third win from pole. With that, he made F1 history once again.
Read more Pierre Waché explains Red Bull’s catch-up, looks ahead to next upgrades
Antonelli became the first driver ever to convert his first three consecutive pole positions all into victories. He himself was not aware that he had set a record with this. “That’s a really cool statistic,” he laughed afterwards when he was pointed out this achievement. “I didn’t know that at all. But honestly, I’m not really focused on that. I just try to enjoy the moment. But yeah, it’s cool of course.”
Good company
Antonelli took his first pole position earlier this year during the Chinese GP, after which he also scored his first victory a day later. In Japan, he narrowly continued his winning streak, again after starting from pole. All these victories naturally also earn him valuable championship points. After four Grands Prix, Antonelli has already built a small lead over teammate George Russell, who missed the podium in Miami. The difference between the two stands at twenty championship points heading into Canada.
Read more Ben Sulayem questions multi-team constructions: ‘Do not fully support them’
The history books mention only a few drivers who managed to achieve their first three pole positions in a row at all. Ayrton Senna did so in 1985 with Lotus and Michael Schumacher in 1994 with Benetton. However, neither succeeded in winning their first three races in a row. Damon Hill and Mika Häkkinen – in 1993 and 1997/1998 respectively – did manage that. What do all these F1 stars have in common? They have all become world champion at least once. That bodes well for Antonelli.
NOW ONLINE: 40 pages Race special GP Miami: our online magazine with news, reactions, analysis, and interview!
Read more Former F1 driver Hermano da Silva Ramos dies at the age of 100
