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Kimi Antonelli claimed a third straight pole in Miami, joining Schumacher and Senna in F1 history, as the 19-year-old continues a stunning rise at the top of the sport.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli claimed his third consecutive pole in Miami (AFP)
Kimi Antonelli’s rise to the top of the F1 food chain continues.
The 19-year-old Mercedes prodigy delivered another statement performance at the Miami Grand Prix, storming to pole position with a blistering lap of 1m 27.798s — edging out Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, bouncing back in style after a frustrating Sprint.
More importantly, it marks Antonelli’s third consecutive pole (and the third of his young career).
But more importantly, it also places him in rarefied air alongside icons of the sport such as Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna as the only drivers to secure their first three poles in successive Grands Prix.
The only three drivers in F1 history to score their first three poles in consecutive grands prix! 🏁🇧🇷 Ayrton Senna: Portugal, San Marino and Monaco in 1985
🇩🇪 Michael Schumacher: Monaco, Spain and Canada in 1994
🇮🇹 Kimi Antonelli: China, Japan and Miami in 2026 pic.twitter.com/tnm3wqOpLH
— Motor Sport magazine (@Motor_Sport) May 2, 2026
Yet, true to form, Antonelli played it coy and kept things grounded.
“It was very hot, and it wasn’t easy,” he said. “The track is slippery, and it’s not easy to put the sectors together, but I’m happy with the lap and feel there’s more on the table.”
A Start Unlike Any Other
For someone barely out of his teens, Antonelli’s start to life in F1 borders on absurd.
Already the youngest championship leader in the sport’s history, he’s also the first Italian since Alberto Ascari in 1953 to win back-to-back races.
And he dominated in his first two wins across China and Japan, which came as complete packages: pole, race win, and fastest lap.
No driver, not even the icons he’s now being compared to, has opened their career quite like this.
Despite a minor stumble in the Miami Sprint, where a five-second penalty for track limits dropped him from fourth to sixth, Antonelli still leads the championship standings. He sits on 75 points, just ahead of teammate George Russell, who has 68.
Now, the stage is set, as Antonelli heads into Sunday’s race chasing a third consecutive Grand Prix win.
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