Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, broke Mercedes' streak by clinching the pole position for the Sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, marking the first time in the 2026 season that a driver outside the Mercedes camp has topped the grid. Norris achieved this feat in McLaren's freshly upgraded MCL40, delivering a lap time of 1:27.869 on the Miami International Autodrome and securing his first pole of the year. The Miami event marked Formula 1's return after a five‑week hiatus, and the usual hierarchy that had seen Mercedes in control during the opening three rounds of the season was dramatically reshuffled. Leading teams introduced a wave of technical upgrades, and the performance gap narrowed considerably.
While Mercedes opted for a relatively modest package in Miami, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all brought more extensive updates, resulting in a noticeable shift in on‑track speed. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, finished second, just two‑tenths of a second off Norris's best time. George Russell, Antonelli's teammate, struggled throughout the session and could only manage sixth place.
The limited Mercedes upgrades in Miami contrasted sharply with the extensive work undertaken by their rivals, and the team has indicated that a larger upgrade bundle will be introduced at the next round in Canada later this month. "It was pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That's pretty damn impressive," Russell admitted after the session. He added that the team had expected the gap to close, but the pace advantage McLaren and Ferrari displayed throughout the day was greater than anticipated.
Oscar Piastri completed the podium, taking third place and reinforcing McLaren's resurgence. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had topped the sole practice session and led SQ2, settled for fourth after a strong showing in the SF‑26, a car now equipped with eleven distinct upgrades. Max Verstappen, who had been looking to bounce back after a mixed weekend in Japan, finished fifth, while his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar lagged behind by 0.8 seconds, landing him in ninth place behind Alpine's Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.
Lewis Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari, posted a seventh‑place time, roughly 0.3 seconds off Leclerc's best lap. Aston Martin chose not to introduce any aerodynamic changes for the weekend, and despite Honda's efforts to eliminate persistent vibration issues in their power unit, the team remained near the back of the field. Lance Stroll failed to set a time after spinning early and ending up in the run‑off area, and Fernando Alonso's 21st‑fastest lap was an outlier, sitting about ten seconds slower than the Cadillacs that qualified directly ahead. The provisional top ten after Sprint qualifying read as follows: 1.
Lando Norris (McLaren) 2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 3.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 6. George Russell (Mercedes) 7.
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 8. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 9.
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) McLaren's performance in Miami suggests the team is finally capitalising on the new regulatory era that began last year. Their heavily modified MCL40, which showed promising speed at Suzuka but fell short of a podium finish, now appears to be a genuine front‑runner.
Norris, who claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory in Miami two years earlier, expressed satisfaction with the car's progress. "I feel very good. I'm very happy for the team," Norris said after securing pole.
"There are always high expectations, and a lot of work goes into bringing these upgrades to life. It's difficult to predict exactly how a car will behave over a weekend, but from the first lap, everything felt better. It reminded me a bit of last year, giving us confidence in the car.
I think I was able to exploit that throughout the day." He continued, "It's a nice start to the weekend, probably better than we expected. We hoped for improvement, but we didn't know the scale of the gains. So it's a pleasant surprise." The weekend schedule featured a packed lineup: on Saturday, the F2 Sprint began at 2:55 pm, followed by build‑up shows for the Miami Sprint and qualifying sessions throughout the afternoon and evening.
Sunday offered the F2 Feature Race, a build‑up show for the Grand Prix, and the main race itself, which aired at 9 pm on Sky Sports F1. Viewers could also stream the action via the NOW platform, which offers flexible, contract‑free access. Overall, the Miami Sprint qualifying highlighted a shifting balance of power in the 2026 season.
McLaren's aggressive upgrade strategy paid immediate dividends, allowing Norris to break Mercedes' pole streak and signal that the championship battle could become far more open as the season progresses. The upcoming Canadian Grand Prix will be a crucial test for Mercedes, as they aim to unveil their larger upgrade package and reclaim the performance edge they temporarily lost in Miami.