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 campaign that a driver outside the Silver Arrows has topped the grid. Norris achieved this feat by delivering the quickest lap in Sprint Qualifying, sending McLaren's freshly upgraded MCL40 to the front of the pack with a time of 1:27.869 on the Miami International Autodrome.
The weekend marked Formula 1's return after a five‑week hiatus, and the usual Mercedes‑centric hierarchy that had defined the opening three rounds in March was noticeably shaken. All of the front‑running teams introduced a suite of upgrades, but McLaren’s package proved the most effective, allowing the British driver to outpace the competition despite his modest Sprint record to date – he has yet to finish higher than fourth in either a Sprint or a full‑distance Grand Prix this season.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed the runner‑up spot, just two‑tenths off Norris, while his teammate George Russell struggled to find pace and ended the session in sixth place. The German’s comments after the session underscored the surprise many felt: "Pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That's pretty damn impressive.
We knew they had probably closed the gap but all day they were quicker than us." McLaren’s resurgence was further highlighted by Oscar Piastri, who secured third on the grid, reinforcing the team's return to form after a relatively quiet showing at Suzuka. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had topped the sole practice session and led SQ2 with an impressive run in the upgraded SF‑26, rounded out the top four.
Leclerc’s performance hinted that the Italian squad could be a serious contender, especially given the eleven distinct upgrades they introduced for this race. Red Bull also showed signs of life. Max Verstappen reclaimed fifth place, while teammate Isack Hadjar, who had been further back in the midfield during the Chinese and Japanese rounds, finished ninth after a lap that was 0.8 seconds slower than Verstappen’s. This improvement suggests that Red Bull’s significant aerodynamic and power‑unit updates are beginning to pay dividends.
Aston Martin was the only team that did not bring any aerodynamic modifications to Miami. Despite Honda’s efforts to address vibration issues in their power unit, the team remained at the back of the field. Lance Stroll failed to set a time after an early spin into the runoff area, and Fernando Alonso’s 21st‑fastest lap was a full ten seconds off the pace of the cars that qualified directly ahead of him. The final starting order for the Sprint was 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).
This lineup reflected a dramatic reshuffle compared with the Suzuka results, where Mercedes had been firmly in control. Norris’s pole was especially significant given his recent history at the circuit. He had taken his maiden Grand Prix victory in Miami two years earlier, and his confidence was evident in post‑qualifying comments: "I feel very good. I'm very happy for the team.
It's always a lot of expectations. A lot of work has gone into trying to bring these upgrades and it's always just difficult to anticipate or to know what to expect coming into a new weekend.
But since lap one, literally, turn one, everything felt better. It felt a little bit more like last year with just having some confidence in the car. I felt like I exploited that through the whole day today. So, a nice start to the weekend.
Probably better than we were expecting, honestly. We were expecting better of course but we didn't know in terms of quantity how it was going to be. So, a little surprise, but a pleasant one for sure." Looking ahead, Mercedes has indicated that a larger upgrade package will be introduced at the next round in Canada, suggesting that the team is aware of the performance gap revealed in Miami.
Meanwhile, McLaren appears to have found a sweet spot with their current development direction, and Ferrari’s extensive list of upgrades could make them a dark horse for the remaining races. The weekend’s schedule included a full slate of supporting events: an F2 Sprint on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Miami GP Sprint later that evening, and a series of pre‑race analysis shows. Sunday featured the F2 Feature Race, the Grand Prix itself, and post‑race reaction segments, all broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and available for streaming via NOW without a contract.
Fans were reminded to use Chrome for the best video experience. In summary, Norris’s pole position not only ended Mercedes’ early‑season dominance but also signaled a potential shift in the competitive landscape of the 2026 Formula 1 season. With multiple teams unveiling substantial upgrades and the championship still in its infancy, the battles ahead promise to be fiercely contested, and Miami has set the tone for an unpredictable and exciting second half of the year.