George Russell confessed that he was taken aback when Mercedes' flawless run of pole positions at the start of the 2026 season was halted by Lando Norris, who topped the Sprint Qualifying session for McLaren at the Miami Grand Prix. The German team had ridden a wave of dominance, clinching pole and victory in each of the first three rounds, but a five‑week lull since the Japanese Grand Prix gave rival outfits the chance to introduce new parts that appeared to make a decisive difference on the sunny Florida circuit. When the session concluded, Norris had secured the top spot, followed by Russell's teammate and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Russell himself slipped down to sixth place, trailing not only his fellow McLaren driver Oscar Piastri but also Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The performance gap was stark, especially considering that McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all arrived in Miami with substantial upgrade packages, whereas Mercedes introduced only a handful of new components while they bide their time for a larger overhaul slated for the Canadian Grand Prix later in May. "It was pretty surprising to see how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That's really impressive," Russell said in the post‑session interview. "We knew they had probably closed the gap, but all day they were quicker than us.
From my perspective, I've been struggling. Miami isn’t a track I love, especially in the hotter conditions, but it’s only Sprint Qualifying, so let’s see what tomorrow brings." Antonelli, who currently leads the drivers' championship after back‑to‑back victories in China and Japan, appeared to have the edge over his teammate throughout the day. He capped his effort with a strong final lap that split the McLarens and cemented his position ahead of Norris. "It was a pretty messy session.
I struggled a lot with the car. On the medium tyre I couldn’t get a good lap, then on the soft, all of a sudden, the car came alive," Antonelli explained.
"I think there was a bit left on the table. Despite everything, it was a decent result and the team did a great job to recover.
We’ll dig deep tonight to see what we can improve to be faster." Norris, who has been consistently quick throughout Friday, now sees a real chance to chip away at the 47‑point deficit he faces against Antonelli. The reigning world champion expressed confidence in his McLaren, yet admitted surprise at the narrow two‑tenths margin separating him from the rest of the field. "I feel very good. I’m very happy for the team.
There are always huge expectations and a lot of work goes into bringing these upgrades. It’s difficult to anticipate exactly what will happen on a new weekend," he said. "From lap one, literally turn one, everything felt better.
It felt a little bit more like last year, giving me confidence in the car, and I think I exploited that throughout the day. So, a nice start to the weekend – probably better than we were expecting, honestly.
It was a pleasant surprise." Piastri’s third‑place finish reinforced the narrative that McLaren’s development trajectory is returning to the form that made them a dominant force last season. While McLaren’s upgrades have vaulted them to the front of the pack, Ferrari’s extensive package – the Scuderia listed eleven new elements with the FIA, including a revised floor and updated suspension – has not produced the same immediate impact. Charles Leclerc, who was fastest in practice and the second part of Sprint Qualifying, could not translate his medium‑tyre speed onto the soft compound when it mattered most, leaving him off the podium.
He remained optimistic about race pace, noting, "The upgrades are fine. Everyone brought upgrades. We expected Mercedes to be the car to beat, but McLaren have taken a big step forward.
We struggled with the soft tyres today, so we have to look at that." Lewis Hamilton, now a seasoned veteran with seven world titles, found himself eight tenths off the pole in seventh place and voiced disappointment at the lack of pace. "We didn’t really know what to expect.
I hoped we would be better but the car didn’t feel particularly great," the seven‑time champion said. "I thought we would be stronger than we were today. We have to work overnight to figure out why we are not that quick. I was hopeful coming here, positive, that we would be much higher but… not meant to be." Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who has been vocal about his frustration with the 2026 regulations and his car’s performance over the opening three rounds, managed a fifth‑place finish, outpacing both Russell and Hamilton.
This represented a marked improvement after previously struggling to qualify higher than eighth. Verstappen commented, "It feels more together.
Of course there are still things we are working on, but it’s been a more positive step for us. The last few races we were over one second behind; I would say we have almost halved that. We are still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly high‑speed corners, so we know we need to work on that, but the rest seemed more together. It seems we have cleared the midfield.
It feels a bit more normal and together. Still not where I want it to be, but it allows me to trust it a bit more and I can take a bit more lap time out of it." The Miami weekend also featured a packed schedule of supporting events, including an F2 Sprint race, a build‑up show for the Grand Prix, and a series of Sky Sports analysis programmes such as "Ted’s Sprint Notebook" and "Ted’s Qualifying Notebook". Fans could follow the action via Sky Sports on WhatsApp for the latest news, videos and expert commentary, or stream the races live on the NOW platform without a long‑term contract.
Looking ahead, Mercedes will aim to unveil a more comprehensive upgrade package at the Canadian Grand Prix, hoping to reclaim the performance edge that has slipped away in Miami. Meanwhile, McLaren will try to maintain the momentum generated by their recent upgrades, while Ferrari will continue to fine‑tune their abundant new parts in the hope of extracting more speed. The evolving competitive landscape promises an exciting second half of the season, with the championship battle between Antonelli, Russell, and the rest of the field poised to intensify as teams scramble to adapt to the new technical regulations and the diverse challenges of each circuit.