- Miami Sprint delivers first McLaren win of 2026, ending Mercedes’ perfect season.
- Antonelli’s penalty drops him a place, trimming his championship lead to 7 points.
- Ferrari closes the gap, but McLaren’s upgrades signal a shifting pecking order.
Lando Norris ended Mercedes’ unbeaten start to the 2026 Formula 1 season on Saturday, winning the Miami Sprint from pole position to lead a McLaren one-two finish.
Oscar Piastri crossed the line second, with Charles Leclerc completing the podium for Ferrari. The two Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, finished fourth and fifth on track.
Norris controlled all 19 laps at the Miami International Autodrome, winning by 3.7 seconds. The result came after Mercedes had won all three grands prix earlier in the season, making this the first time a rival team had beaten them to the top step.
Antonelli’s afternoon worsened after the finish. Stewards handed the championship leader a five-second penalty for repeated track limit violations. It dropped him from fourth to sixth in the final standings.
The penalty cut his championship lead to seven points over teammate Russell.
As it happened in the Miami Sprint race
Norris made a clean start when the lights went out. Antonelli, who had lined up second on the grid, did not. The Italian dropped positions immediately, allowing Piastri to move up to second and Leclerc to slot into third.
The early laps saw Antonelli fighting back against Russell. He lost the position along the straight before Turn 1 and then reclaimed it at Turn 2.
Further back, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton made wheel-to-wheel contact heading into the first corner.
Track temperatures hit 53 degrees Celsius. Drivers began managing their tyres by lap four, and Norris steadily pulled away at the front, building his lead from 1.5 seconds to more than three.
One of the highlights of the race was the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton. They spent much of the 19 laps within a second of each other. On lap eight, Verstappen passed Hamilton but was ordered to hand the position back after completing the move off the track.
Verstappen eventually made a legitimate pass on lap 10, using the Boost button to get past Hamilton at Turn 17.
Earlier in the race, the Dutchman had flagged a problem to his team, saying his rear axle was “jumping up and down” under braking.
Behind Norris, the contest for second produced the most sustained drama of the closing laps. Leclerc spent several laps closing on Piastri, getting to within 0.6 seconds by lap 15.
But each time the Ferrari drew close, Leclerc found he lacked the straight-line speed to attempt a pass. He would drop back to cool his tyres, then close in again.
On lap 18, Leclerc ran wide and picked up dirty rubber, ending any realistic hope of catching Piastri. The Australian held on to complete the McLaren one-two.
Reliability woes continue for Audi and Racing Bulls
Nico Hulkenberg did not make the start. His Audi caught fire on the formation lap, forcing him to climb out of the car and register another DNS for the German manufacturer.
Reliability has been a consistent problem for Audi this season, and Saturday added another entry to that record.
Racing Bulls also endured a difficult afternoon. Arvid Lindblad had started from the pit lane after breaking parc fermé, but a technical fault prevented him from taking the start at all.
Teammate Liam Lawson finished 17th, and the team went home without a point, while Pierre Gasly scored one for Alpine in eighth.
Mercedes must react, and fast
The most pressing question from Miami’s Sprint session is what it means for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows had taken all three grands prix of the season so far.
On Saturday, they could not match either McLaren or Ferrari, both of whom brought significant upgrades to Miami while Mercedes chose to wait for Montreal.
Fourth and Sixth for Russell and Antonelli is a reasonable points return. But the pace gap to the leaders was not small, and the championship picture looks considerably more complicated than it did after Japan.
McLaren and Ferrari are closing in, and Verstappen’s improving form means Red Bull are also a factor.
Norris had spoken clearly about his car’s progress throughout the weekend. After Sprint Qualifying on Friday, he said everything had felt better from the first corner of the first lap.
He also said McLaren’s performance estimates for Miami had proved accurate, calling the result “a nice way to reward the team.”
Piastri was equally direct after qualifying. “I think the potential is there, yes,” he said. “We didn’t luck into the result today.” The Australian made clear the pace was genuine rather than the product of a favourable set of circumstances.
What the top three said after the Miami Sprint
Norris kept his assessment brief and grounded.
“It was a good Sprint, nice to be back on the top step,” he said, acknowledging the difficult conditions.
“Our [upgrades] have really helped. It was hot out there, it was sweaty, I was still pushing. A nice start to the weekend, but now I have to do it all again.”
The reigning World Champion was already turning his attention to Sunday’s grand prix before the cool-down lap had finished.
Piastri reflected on the small gap that remained between him and Norris in race conditions.
“I think obviously a little bit to find to try and stay with Lando, but overall a good day,” he said.
His tone was measured, as it usually is, but the satisfaction in finishing ahead of a Ferrari that had been pressing him hard for several laps was evident.
Leclerc offered a candid read of where Ferrari stands. He was pleased the team’s upgrade package had worked as intended, but realistic about the gap McLaren had opened up.
“The upgrades worked well, thanks to the team for their massive work,” he said. “I am satisfied with that, I am not satisfied with P3, but McLaren have done a big step forward.”
He then looked ahead to Sunday, saying a better starting position might make the race considerably easier to manage.
2026 Miami Sprint, full results
| Pos | Driver | Gap |
| 1 | Lando Norris | Winner |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | +3.766s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | +6.251s |
| 4 | George Russell | +12.951s |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | +13.639s |
| 6 | Kimi Antonelli* | +13.777s |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | +21.665s |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | +30.525s |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | +35.346s |
| 10 | Franco Colapinto | +36.970s |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +48.348s |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | +56.972s |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | +57.365s |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | +58.504s |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | +59.358s |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | +1:16.097 |
| 17 | Sergio Pérez | +1:16.691 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | +1:17.626 |
| 19 | Alex Albon | +1:28.173 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | +1:29.597 |
| DNS | Nico Hulkenberg | — |
| DNS | Arvid Lindblad | — |
