Antonelli taking plenty of positives from Miami weekend despite struggles on way to P6 in the Grand Prix

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli had a topsy-turvy weekend in Miami as two outstanding qualifying performances were tempered with troubles in both the Sprint and then the Grand Prix. The youngster finished sixth in the latter on Sunday, despite running second in the early stages after starting third.

The Italian made a good start and kept out of trouble – something he was unable to manage in the Sprint – to find himself just behind race leader Max Verstappen. But Antonelli was unable to keep eventual winner Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris at bay, the McLaren having too much race pace in Miami.

MIAMI LOWDOWN: All the key moments as McLaren and Antonelli shine, Ferrari face tensions and LEGO takes over

It looked like a straight fight between Verstappen and Antonelli for the final podium position, but then came a slow pit stop when Mercedes attempted to undercut the Dutchman, with the team forced to hold the teenager momentarily as Carlos Sainz came down the pit lane himself. That dropped Antonelli back, and into the clutches of Alex Albon.

“The start was good. Afterwards I started to struggle with pace, obviously really difficult to keep up with the McLarens,” Antonelli said after the race.

“On the medium at the end of the stint, we were able to get closer to Max. And then on the hard I really struggled. I couldn’t make the tyre work, I was just sliding a lot and yeah was a shame. Definitely after looking at the start, I was hoping for a better result.”

Antonelli was not the only driver to find the hard tyre tricky to manage with very few drivers able to get the best from the C3 compound until it came into its own midway through a stint.

READ MORE: 'It was frustrating' – Hamilton opens up on tense Miami radio messages during Ferrari strategy debate

But by that point the damage was done – Antonelli had lost out to both his team mate, George Russell benefitting from a cheap pit stop under a Virtual Safety Car, and also Albon’s Williams.

“I need to check what went wrong in the race and check why the pace was not really good,” Antonelli added. "So, now we analyse and we move on to Imola."

“The single lap pace has been strong this weekend so that’s definitely a big positive and that was a point I was trying to work on and definitely this weekend that was a big improvement.”

While the result in the Sprint and the Grand Prix was not what Antonelli hoped for, he still scored in both and gained more valuable experience. He also out-qualified Russell twice this weekend, something he had not managed so far this season.

READ MORE: Norris concedes he 'paid the price' as he reflects on Lap 1 battle with Verstappen in Miami

And he can take solace from the way he bounced straight back from the disappointment of the Sprint to grab third on the grid for the race, which bodes well as F1 heads to Europe, and for tracks that Antonelli knows well.