Miami Grand Prix results: Lando Norris defeats Mercedes to kickstart F1 2026 title defence

Thomas Maher 01 May 2026 9:48 PM

McLaren's Lando Norris on track at the 2026 Miami Grand Prix.

Lando Norris has taken pole position for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix Sprint race.

Lando Norris has kicked off his title defence with a maiden pole position in 2026, taking top spot in Sprint Qualifying in Miami.

The Friday afternoon session is used to define the grid for Saturday’s Sprint race ahead of the main event in Miami.

Sprint Qualifying 3 Results

Lando Norris topped his first session of F1 2026 as World Champion by taking pole position for the Sprint race in Miami.

With the top 10 shootout seeing single runs for all, it was Norris who came out in front with a 1:27.869 to go two-tenths of a second clear of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

The Italian had set the fastest second sector and led the Brackley-based team’s charge in SQ3 as he clinched the front row position in the session in which he took pole position last year.

Oscar Piastri underlined McLaren’s upgrade progress as he slotted into third and just 0.017 down on Antonelli, while it was Ferrari who were next up as Charles Leclerc took fourth place.

Max Verstappen showed clear progress for Red Bull on a weekend in which the Milton Keynes-based squad has also shown good pace following a spate of upgrades, and he finished in fifth to place ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.

Lewis Hamilton was seventh for Ferrari, while Franco Colapinto utilised his new Alpine chassis to take eighth place and outqualify teammate Pierre Gasly as the French driver took 10th.

Isack Hadjar was ninth in the second Red Bull.

1. Lando Norris McLaren 1:27.869
2. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.222
3. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.239
4. Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.370
5. Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.592
6. George Russell Mercedes +0.624
7. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.749
8. Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.451
9. Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.553
10. Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.605

FULL REPORT: Miami Grand Prix: McLaren upgrade magic as Lando Norris strikes; Russell struggles

Sprint Qualifying 2 Results

Ferrari repeated its DQ1 accomplishment of immediately taking over at the front after the first runs in SQ2, with Leclerc setting a 1:28.470 to go four-tenths clear of Hamilton.

Seconds later, Piastri popped himself into second, but Norris wasn’t able to immediately join in the battle after a wayward moment through the Sector 2 chicane saw him having to take drastic corrective steps to stay pointing in the right direction.

He wasn’t the only driver struggling, with Antonelli taking to team radio to complain about front end locking.

With the championship leader down in sixth behind Verstappen, the drop zone consisted of Bortoleto, Hulkenberg, Albon, Sainz, Bearman, and Lindblad as the seconds ticked down.

This six remained in the elimination zone at the chequered flag, albeit with Bearman rising to slot in behind the Audis.

1. Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.333
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.173
3. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.508
4. George Russell Mercedes +0.570
5. Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.760
6. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.876
7. Lando Norris McLaren +1.033
8. Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.194
9. Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.417
10. Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.640
11. Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1.661
12. Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1.686
13. Oliver Bearman Haas +1.783
14. Alex Albon Williams +1.883
15. Carlos Sainz Williams +1.891
16. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +2.240

Sprint Qualifying 1 Results

Ferrari established a 1-2 early doors in SQ1, with Leclerc going three-and-a-half tenths clear of Hamilton, before Antonelli slotted himself between them to make it a very interesting leading trio for Italian fans.

Verstappen suggested that Red Bull’s practice pace was genuine as he slotted into fourth ahead of Gasly, almost four-tenths ahead of the Alpine that he spent so long racing against in Japan.

A mistake from Lance Stroll into the penultimate corner briefly brought out the yellow flags while the Canadian gathered himself, leaving the Aston Martin in the drop zone with three minutes remaining; also towards the bottom were both McLarens, who left their runs late, as was Colapinto, Lindblad, and Lawson.

Norris then vaulted back to the front ahead of Piastri as McLaren showed its pace, dropping Bottas and Alonso into the bottom six.

A deleted lap for Alonso was within 107% of the fastest time, although he would still have been slowest of all, and the Spaniard joined Stroll on the sidelines after SQ1 as the Canadian didn’t return to the track after his incident.

With Norris leading Leclerc at the front, it was Lawson, Ocon, Perez, and Bottas also relegated along with the Aston Martins.