Lando Norris Takes Pole For Miami Sprint Race, Ending Mercedes' Dominant Qualifying Run

Formula 1 has returned after its unplanned five-week break for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, and has already thrown in quite a few surprises.

Having looked confident in the car right from the start of Free Practice, Lando Norris took pole position ahead of Kimi Antonelli in second place, with teammate Oscar Piastri in third. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen rounded out the top five. 

F1 Miami GP 2026 Sprint Qualifying Results 

Miami is a track that Norris has been good at over the past couple of years. This, coupled with the extensive upgrades McLaren has brought to this race, makes their strong qualifying performance not too surprising. Both McLaren drivers expressed their positive feelings about the car after the session.

Antonelli was left with mixed feelings, but was overall optimistic for the upcoming sessions. His Mercedes teammate George Russell was left surprised by McLaren and Ferrari's progress, while acknowledging his own struggles and admitting that Miami is not one of his favourite tracks.

Leclerc complained about the car's feeling on the Soft tyres, but was happy with the Mediums and was optimistic about the race pace. Lewis Hamilton was left disappointed after expecting to be higher up in the order.

After an underwhelming start to the season, Verstappen stated everything felt “more together”, pleased with the progress made and being clear of the midfield teams to fight more at the front. Isack Hadjar was left “clueless” after being more than a tenth off his teammate on his final SQ3 run.

It was an overall positive session for Alpine, with both Franco Colapinto and Pierre  Gasly starting in the top 10, though the latter stated he expects to struggle in the race.

Also Read - F1 Miami GP 2026 Preview, India Timings, and Where To Watch
 

Miami Sprint Race Preview

Sharing the front row, it will be interesting to see the Sprint start play out, as McLaren were rapid off the line in Japan, while Antonelli has had slow starts in all the races. If he has yet another one of those starts again, he may well end up behind Leclerc. Expect Hamilton to get past Russell as well.

Verstappen is another driver who has consistently suffered from poor starts so far this season, dropping down multiple positions. It remains to be seen whether Red Bull has been able to work on this issue.

Moreover, we could see the low-power start detection system kicking in for some drivers, which was introduced during the break to ensure safer race starts.

We can also see how much of a difference the updated regulations have made in improving the overall racing action.

Also Read - What Regulation Changes Has F1 Made Before the 2026 Miami GP?
 

F1 Miami GP 2026 Sprint Race Results 

Top four finishers were Lando Norris in first for McLaren, Oscar Piastri in second also for McLaren, Charles Leclerc in third for Ferrari, and George Russell in fourth for Mercedes. Read full results and race breakdown here 

F1 Miami GP 2026 Schedule

Image Credits: McLaren Racing