Kimi Antonelli is the first driver to win their first three grands prix in consecutive races, all from pole position

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli held off McLaren's Lando Norris in a race-long battle to win the Miami Grand Prix and take a commanding championship lead.

The 19-year-old Italian's third win in a row moves him 20 points – not far from a clear win – ahead of team-mate George Russell, who finished fourth on Sunday, behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

Antonelli prevailed in a gripping race, initially staging a three-car fight also including Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, before the race distilled down to a tussle between the Mercedes and Norris.

The long-threatened rain, which had caused the race start to be brought forward by three hours, never materialised, apart from a few spots mid-race, and the grand prix ran its distance in dry conditions.

"This is just the beginning. The road is still long. We are working super hard and the team is doing an incredible job," Antonelli said.

Another win for Antonelli, who has won three of the first four races to put pre-season favourite Russell in the shade and became the first driver to win from his first three poles

A revival for McLaren after upgrades this weekend and a strong drive from Norris

A full-on race for Max Verstappen, including a rare mistake, a fightback and some on-the-edge racing

Many examples of the "yo-yo racing" that has characterised this new season and has split opinion

Antonelli took this win despite another poor start – he has now lost places off the line in all four grands prix and both sprint events this season.

His Mercedes was swamped by Leclerc's fast-starting Ferrari from fourth on one side and Verstappen on the other on the run to the first corner.

Verstappen went to the inside, but ran deep and as he fought to retain the lead, Leclerc squeezed him at Turn Two, and the four-time champion lost control on the kerb, spinning a full 360 degrees with the entire field behind him.

He quickly regained control but had dropped to 10th place and now out of the fight for victory, a blow on a weekend on which Red Bull appeared to return to competitiveness.

That left Leclerc leading from Antonelli and Norris, and the yo-yo fighting began, caused by varying rates of battery charge.

Antonelli took the lead on lap four, only for Leclerc to pass back a lap later, before a safety car was sent out after two separate accidents on lap six.

Isack Hadjar crashed his Red Bull on his own at the final chicane and Pierre Gasly's Alpine was tipped into a somersault by Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls at the final corner.

Isack Hadjar shows his frustration after crashing out of the Miami Grand Prix

The battle at the front continued after the restart, when Norris took second from Antonelli and then quickly passed the Ferrari to take the lead.

Antonelli passed Leclerc a lap later and the Mercedes and McLaren began to edge into a fight on their own.

Norris led confidently, both drivers waiting for rain that was predicted shortly before half-distance, but when it began to look as if it would not come, Mercedes jumped first.

Antonelli was brought in for fresh tyres on lap 24, but Norris waited a further three laps, with McLaren still wary of the weather.

It was the decisive point of the race. Antonelli gained enough time on his fresher tyres to be ahead when Norris came out of the pits.

Although the McLaren sat within a second of the Mercedes for many laps, and Antonelli battled with some gearshift issues and overheating rear tyres, the Mercedes driver held off Norris and eased a couple of seconds clear in the final laps.

"We got undercut, no excuses," Norris said. "We should have boxed first. As a team we have to be happy, I am gutted to miss out on a win. It was possible today. Didn't have the pace to get back past him at the end."

Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull as Charles Leclerc led the field through the first two corners

Norris was left to rue the pit stop decision. "How did we not win this?" he said over the radio. "We can make it easier for ourselves."

But this was a strong showing from McLaren, who introduced a major upgrade package this weekend, which brought them right into the fight with Mercedes.

Leclerc was brought in on lap 21 for his stop, and complained over the radio that he had not been consulted.

The decision did drop him down the field and force him to fight past slower cars. He regained third, but then lost it again to Norris' team-mate Piastri on the penultimate lap as he began to struggle for grip.

Leclerc then spun on his own on the last lap, shortly after Piastri had overtaken him, and lost two further positions into and out of the final corner, as first Russell and then Verstappen came past him.

Verstappen pitted under the safety car for his fresh tyres, hoping the gamble would pay off. It dropped him to the back, but with some aggressive overtaking and the others pitting in front of him, it put him in the lead mid-race.

But he was never going to hold on with his worn tyres, and he slipped down. Still, fifth was a decent result after his early error, which was followed by some very aggressive racing that prompted complaints from some of his rivals.

Leclerc slipped back to sixth, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, whose car was damaged in a first-lap clash with Alpine's Franco Colapinto.

The Argentine took eighth, ahead of the Williams cars of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

Verstappen faces an investigation from the stewards for crossing the white line on pit exit, while Russell is under investigation for separate incidents with both Leclerc and Verstappen.

Formula 1 stays in North America for the next race, at Canada's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, in three weeks' time, from 22-24 May.

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Controlled game without being a threat – Slot

Arne Slot claimed it was no surprise a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention went against Liverpool in their 3-2 defeat at Manchester United.

But the Dutch boss said his side must also take a hard look at themselves to stop conceding "ridiculous goals" after falling to an 11th Premier League loss of the season.

Benjamin Sesko's goal, which put United 2-0 ahead in only the 14th minute, was checked for a potential handball, but referee Darren England's call of letting the strike stand was confirmed by the VAR Stuart Attwell.

"If it was a touch, which I think it is, in a ball sport it has a certain curve and it changes it must be a contact, then we should have a debate if that is enough to disallow a goal," said a furious Slot as he banged his fist on the table in his post-match media conference.

"I don't think it is a surprise to anyone this season that if there is a VAR intervention it goes against us – it has been the whole season the same.

"I remember Paris St-Germain at home, getting a penalty for a soft touch on [Alexis] Mac Allister. VAR intervened and it was not a penalty. The next week, PSG gets one.

"But the second goal, we did not concede because of the handball. We lost it because we lost the ball in a stupid position so we have to first look at ourselves. This is a complete pattern over the season but there is also a pattern that we concede ridiculous goals."

Man Utd beat Liverpool to confirm Champions League spot

Man Utd secure Champions League football after Mainoo winner v Liverpool

A chant of "champions" was a constant from the away end throughout this wild afternoon at Old Trafford.

The Liverpool fans had every right to remind their rivals of their triumph last season, but it was a timely reminder too of how far their side has fallen in a feeble title defence.

United finished 42 points behind them in 15th place, but now look set to finish above Slot's side for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.

Michael Carrick's men also completed a league double over Liverpool for the first time since 2015-16.

A tally of 18 defeats in all competitions is also the most since the Reds lost 19 in 2009-10, which was Rafael Benitez's last season at Anfield. Since 1962, there has only been three seasons when Liverpool have lost more than 18 games in a campaign.

It doesn't take much of an eye test to sum it up too. Six points clear of sixth-placed Bournemouth with three games left, Liverpool should secure Champions League football and deserve some credit for that.

But watch this side on a weekly basis and it's clear to see this is a team that is struggling and one that cannot wait for this campaign to finish.

The injuries have been relentless and that was encapsulated with record signing Alexander Isak absent at Old Trafford and third-choice Freddie Woodman and fourth-choice Armin Pecsi as their two goalkeeping options.

Mohamed Salah, also ruled out with injury, watched on from the directors' box and how Liverpool could have done with the Egyptian who has scored more times against United in the Premier League than anyone else.

Despite the absences, Liverpool would have been aware of the task against Carrick's resurgent outfit and had all week to prepare, yet still delivered a woeful first-half performance.

Once again, they went behind first and despite United's best efforts to gift them a way back into the game and drawing level at 2-2, it was another Liverpool error which helped the hosts secure the three points.

Mac Allister will know he should have cleared his lines before Kobbie Mainoo's 77th-minute winner.

Slot spoke earlier in the week about this summer representing the start of new cycle. At the bare minimum, he and his players need to ensure that includes Champions League football.

"I wouldn't say I'm concerned [about qualifying] but I am completely aware that we need three points and that is why I am so annoyed we did not get them," added Slot.

"If you are 2-2 and have come back from 2-0 down, you should at least come out with a draw."

But, deep down, he will know that regardless of Champions League qualification, Liverpool are in for a summer of change.

Slot and Carrick have both had reason to complain about VAR decisions recently.

The Liverpool boss has bemoaned a series of calls that went in favour of the opposition, while Carrick called the red card for a hair pull by Lisandro Martinez against Leeds "one of worst decisions I've seen".

This time, the United boss was the beneficiary of a decision which could have gone either way.

Judging whether the ball has touched a player's hand can be one of the trickiest roles of the VAR.

It involves using split-screen angles because depth perception can give the incorrect suggestion the ball has touched the hand or arm on just one camera.

The decision comes down to a VAR assessing the weight of evidence, and asking themselves if they can be sure the ball did touch the hand.

In these situations, who is in the VAR chair can make a difference. Because, while handball before a goal is considered a factual decision, whether you think the ball touched the fingers in a case like this is very much subjective.

Slow motion can help, but there should not be an over-reliance on zooming in. Broadcasters have higher frame rate options with an ultra zoom, which Sky showed a few minutes after play had restarted.

In this case the VAR Attwell felt he did not have the definitive evidence to overturn the goal. He may have believed it was likely, but he could not be absolutely sure.

Match referee England explained this to the two captains before play got under way again.

If you are a Liverpool fan you will absolutely feel that there was proof, of course.

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Champions League football 'a real achievement' – Carrick

"You want to follow him. You want to fight for him. You want to die for him on the pitch. We showed that today."

Kobbie Mainoo's assessment of manager Michael Carrick on Sky Sports after Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-2 in the Premier League resonated.

It resonated because when Mainoo scored his 77th-minute winner at Old Trafford, the stadium announcer made a point of hailing the homegrown, local-born 21-year-old, who signed his new long-term contract on Thursday.

Mainoo has become the poster boy for the club.

That is amazing because he had a request to join Napoli on loan turned down last summer, did not start a league game for the first five months of the season and was preparing for tough discussions over his future in January before Ruben Amorim got the boot.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards told BBC Sport: "Watching him play, you really can see the difference that Carrick has made, in terms of the previous manager not believing in him, and then the new manager coming in and giving him so much confidence. You can see that self-belief in his performances."

Bringing Mainoo back into the fold – and getting him to play at a high level – is just one of Carrick's completed tasks since he was asked to guide his old club through to the end of the season.

He has also restored skipper Bruno Fernandes to his favourite position and overseen wins over City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Chelsea and now Liverpool – the first time United have done the league double over their old rivals since 2015-16.

In addition, the 44-year-old has taken United back into the Champions League after a two-year absence.

Typically, Carrick did not want to speak about his future.

"Whatever it is going to happen is going to happen," he said.

But, in talking around the situation as he was peppered by the media in his post-match briefing, he did seem to go slightly further than he has before.

"I love doing what I am doing," he said. "It feels pretty natural. To be sat in this position is a good position to be in."

Man Utd beat Liverpool to confirm Champions League spot

Over the past four months there has been a lot of focus on what Carrick is not.

He is not a demonstrative individual, in news conferences or on the sideline. He does not charge around like Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

His most expressive reactions on Sunday were in his exchanges with fourth official Anthony Taylor when it seemed decisions were going against his side in the first half.

We cannot know how he will react to playing games every three or four days, rather than once a week and sometimes not even that, although he did OK at Middlesbrough at the start before key players were sold.

We cannot know either how he will react to a losing sequence because it has not happened yet. United have won 10 out of 14 matches under Carrick. No team has accumulated more points during that period.

That is the reality. That is what United hierarchy will be discarding if they choose to replace Carrick in three games' time.

Unless Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique can be persuaded to ditch Europe's best team to switch to the Premier League, it is difficult to conceive of United coming up with an alternative that would be acceptable to either the fans, who bellowed Carrick's name after the final whistle, or the players, who, if not quite in such blunt terms as Mainoo, are repeatedly praising their boss.

Club officials have said they want to wait and carry out a full assessment of the situation at the end of the season.

Is that necessary? Is there an argument to say Carrick's status should be confirmed before the final home game of the season against Nottingham Forest on 17 May?

Carrick clearly feels, together with his coaching team and squad, that he has done a good job.

"It has been a good run," he said. "We have beaten some very good teams.

"When we came in, the Champions League was a bit in the distance. We wanted to get back into Europe. To be there with three games to spare is a big achievement.

"One of the biggest things for me is trying to get the best out of players, helping people and letting them go out and perform.

"Then there is seeing this place alive and bouncing.

"The players need a lot of credit for the run we have put together and also the coaching staff. There is a lot of good work beyond me.

"The pleasing thing to see is the spirit and the camaraderie of the group, which you could see at 2-2, when they were sticking in and fighting for each other.

"We want a team to be proud of. It [the Champions League] is a huge step for so many reasons, and I am not underplaying that.

"But it can't be everything. We expect more of that consistently. That is the message – let's kick on."

United fans would doubtless agree, especially those who remember the team Carrick was part of – and the ones before that – who were never allowed to settle for what they had done, as Sir Alex Ferguson always wanted more.

Dion Dublin was part of Ferguson's first Premier League title-winning squad. He understands the club.

"Beating Liverpool ticks all the boxes," Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's decision-making. It's substitutions at the right time. He's got his team to find a way to get a result. That's what a manager does.

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