George Russell confessed that he was taken aback when Mercedes’ flawless run of pole positions at the start of the 2026 Formula One season was snapped by Lando Norris, who topped the Sprint Qualifying session for McLaren at the Miami Grand Prix. The German outfit had enjoyed a seemingly unstoppable opening, securing pole and victory in each of the first three rounds, but the five‑week lull after the Japanese Grand Prix gave rival teams a window to introduce upgrades that dramatically reshaped the competitive landscape on the streets of Miami. When the session began, Norris clinched the top spot, edging out Russell’s teammate and current championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, while the British driver found himself down in sixth place. Also ahead of Russell were McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The stark shift in the order reflected the fact that McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all arrived in Florida with substantial aerodynamic and mechanical upgrade packages, whereas Mercedes introduced only a handful of new components, opting to wait for a larger, more comprehensive package slated for the Canadian Grand Prix in May. Russell summed up his reaction in a post‑session interview: "It was 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. From my side, I've been struggling.
Miami is not a track I love, especially in those hotter conditions but it's only Sprint Qualifying, so let's see what tomorrow brings." His comments highlighted both the difficulty the Brit has with the high‑temperature, high‑downforce circuit and his optimism that the race proper could still yield a different outcome. Antonelli, who leads the drivers’ standings after back‑to‑back wins in China and Japan, appeared to have the edge over Russell throughout the day. He capped his performance with a strong final lap that split the McLarens, reinforcing his position at the top of the leaderboard.
"It was a pretty messy session. I struggled a lot with the car.
On the medium I couldn't get a good lap in, 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 with the team we did a great job to recover. Definitely we will dig deep tonight to see what we can do better in order to be faster." Norris, who has been consistently quick throughout Friday, now sees a genuine chance to close the 47‑point gap to Antonelli.
The reigning world champion expressed confidence in his McLaren, noting a two‑tenths advantage over the rest of the field: "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," he said. "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. And 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." Piastri’s third‑place finish reinforced the impression that McLaren’s upgrades have catapulted the team back to the front of the pack, reminiscent of the dominant form they displayed for much of the previous season.
In contrast, Ferrari’s extensive update list—eleven new parts according to the FIA, including a revised floor and revised suspension geometry—has not translated into the same level of performance. Charles Leclerc, who was fastest in practice and in the second part of Sprint Qualifying, was unable to convert his medium‑tyre pace onto the soft compound when it mattered most. He remained hopeful that the upgrades would deliver stronger race pace, acknowledging that "everyone brought upgrades" and that the balance of power had shifted. Lewis Hamilton, now a seven‑time champion, found himself eight‑tenths off the pole in seventh place and expressed clear disappointment.
"We didn't really know what to expect. I hoped we would be better but the car didn't feel particularly great," the veteran said. "I thought we would be stronger than we were today.
We have to do some work overnight to try 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." Max Verstappen, who has been vocal about his frustrations with the new 2026 regulations and even hinted at contemplating his future beyond the season, finally showed a more competitive edge in Miami. The Dutch driver finished fifth, outpacing both Russell and Hamilton.
After a sluggish start to the year—never qualifying higher than eighth—Verstappen noted a significant improvement: "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 weekend schedule is packed: on Saturday, May 2, the F2 Sprint kicks off at 2.55 pm, followed by a build‑up to the Miami Sprint Qualifying later in the afternoon and evening.
Sunday, May 3, features the F2 Feature Race, the Grand Prix build‑up, the main race at 9 pm, and post‑race analysis. Sky Sports will broadcast all sessions live, and viewers can stream the action via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract.
Overall, the Miami Sprint Qualifying has underscored how quickly the competitive order can shift when teams bring significant upgrades. Mercedes, which has been dominant on paper, now faces a crucial test in Canada where it hopes to unveil a major package that could restore its pole‑position streak.
Meanwhile, McLaren appears to have seized a momentum boost, Ferrari is still searching for the right balance, and Red Bull is cautiously optimistic after a noticeable performance gain. For Russell and the Mercedes crew, the next few weeks will be decisive in determining whether they can halt the slide and reclaim the top spot in a season that is already proving to be highly unpredictable.