Kimi Antonelli earns praise from former F1 driver after Miami GP battle with Lando Norris

Kimi Antonelli has received praise from former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok after successfully dealing with the pressure of reigning drivers’ champion Lando Norris at the Miami Grand Prix. 

While Antonelli started the race from pole position at the Hard Rock Stadium, he had a fight on his hands when he lost the lead at the start to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and later found himself in a battle with Norris. 

With a helping hand from a successful undercut, Antonelli held off the McLaren driver until the chequered flag, securing his third grand prix win of the 2026 season.

“He got on the plane and he looked at me and he had that smell of champagne and sweat,” Chandhok recalled on the Sky Sports F1 Show. “That smell of success, Simon. Straight off the podium and looked at me and almost apologetically said, ‘Sorry, I didn't have time for a shower.’ 

“And I said, ‘Mate, just soak it up. You've got that smell of success. It doesn't matter.’ But he was there, no entourage, carrying his little rucksack and wandering through the airport like a college student, wasn't he? And he's ever so friendly, chatting with other people in the cabin and there were so many people congratulating him and he couldn't be friendlier to everybody there. 

“He was brilliant. It was a race where actually it could have gone either way. I think if McLaren had pulled the pin first and pitted first, Lando looked strong enough to hold track position. They didn't, and Kimi won. 

Karun Chandhok, Sky TV

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“But Kimi had to soak up the pressure for about 28, 29 laps of the reigning world champion sitting there a second, a second and a half behind him.

"And all it would have taken is a lock-up, a little moment going wide, just a slight mismanagement of the energy and Lando was ready to pounce. And he got within overtake mode on several occasions, but I thought Kimi did a fantastic job there, soaking up that pressure and taking the win.”

Antonelli’s win in Miami extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 20 points over his experienced team-mate George Russell.