Lando Norris takes Miami GP sprint pole to deny Mercedes for first time in 2026

Lando Norris takes Miami GP sprint pole to deny Mercedes for first time in 2026 Last updated 01 May 2026 10:44pm BST Save Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Lando Norris took McLaren’s first pole of the season in sprint qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix Credit: Marco Bello/Reuters Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent, in Miami. Luke Slater live updates Last updated 01 May 2026 10:44pm BST Save Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email Add us as preferred source Add us as preferred source Copy link X Icon twitter Facebook Icon facebook WhatsApp Icon whatsapp email McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris claimed pole for Saturday’s sprint race in Miami, denying Mercedes top spot for the first time in a competitive session this season. Norris beat Mercedes’ championship leader Kimi Antonelli into second by a pretty handy margin, 0.222 seconds, as the top teams unveiled what they had been working on during Formula One’s enforced five-week break.  Norris’s team-mate Oscar Piastri will start third on Saturday morning with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc fourth and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fifth, just ahead of Mercedes’ title favourite George Russell. That is not a sentence anyone expected to write heading into the weekend. McLaren Ferrari and Red Bull appear to have used the five-week gap profitably, arriving in Miami with a raft of upgrades and squeezing the gap at the top to Mercedes. Norris’s hopes of a title defence just raised a notch or two Credit: Bradley Collyer/PA Red Bull had earlier unveiled their own version of Ferrari’s “Macarena” rotating rear wing, one of a number of eye-catching upgrades on the RB22. They appear to have made a big difference. Verstappen was second quickest in practice, just behind Leclerc, and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said it had been an “encouraging” day.  “It was a massive amount of work done in Milton Keynes to deep-dive into what was limiting us and to bring updates, it’s basically two parallel floors,” said Mekies, who denied Red Bull had copied Ferrari’s rear-wing concept. “As much as you will not believe me anyway, I have to say, in fairness to the guys, they came up with that concept far, far before we hit the track and we saw what everybody else had been doing,” Mercedes are expected to bring a significant upgrade package to the Canadian Grand Prix later this month. Their moods were in stark contrast to the teams at the other end of the grid. Williams’s Carlos Sainz, who qualified 15th, one place behind team-mate Alex Albon, complained his team were “three steps behind where we should be on every lap” describing it as unacceptable. At least Sainz made it out of SQ1. Aston Martin, still in a world of pain amid rumours they are planning to unveil a B-spec car in Spa later this year, will start Saturday’s sprint at the back of the field again with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll 21st and 22nd respectively. Miami GP sprint qualifying top 10Lando Norris, McLaren 1:27.869secKimi Antonelli, Mercedes +0.222secOscar Piastri, McLaren +0.239secCharles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.370secMax Verstappen, Red Bull +0.592secGeorge Russell, Mercedes +0.624secLewis Hamilton, Ferrari +0.749secFranco Colapinto, Alpine +1.451secIsack Hadjar, Red Bull +1.553secPierre Gasly, Alpine +1.605sec Latest updates Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent, in Miami. Luke Slater live updates 10:41PM We will be back tomorrow Link copied to clipboard For the sprint race at 5pm and qualifying for the main grand prix at 9pm.  10:36PM Russell speaks after a disappointing session Link copied to clipboard “Surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari have made. We knew they’d probably close the gap but... my side I have been struggling today. Miami is not a track that I love to be honest. It’s only sprint qualifying, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.” He said he was overheating the tyres in the middle section and struggled with the balance, too. Also says he is surprised (again) with how much of a step Ferrari and McLaren made. Bottom line, though, is that is true but he is also 0.4sec off his team-mate... 10:26PM Encouraging signs... Link copied to clipboard Four cars from three different teams within 0.4sec of each other and it’s not a Mercedes on pole for the first time this season. Of course, the sprint, main qualifying and the grand prix are different things, but perhaps Mercedes are not going to have it all their own way. Not sure what happened to Russell. Or Hamilton for that matter.  10:23PM SQ3 - Classification Link copied to clipboard NOR 1:27.869ANT +0.222PIA +0.239LEC +0.370VER +0.592RUS +0.624HAM +0.749COL +1.451HAD +1.553GAS  +1.605 10:20PM Lando Norris speaks Link copied to clipboard “It was great, perfect result for us, nice way to reward the team. We’ve got a lot of upgrades on the car, it’s nice to feel grip again. I’ve always loved Miami... it’s a good result for us. Still a long way to go but nice to tick it off by doing this. It’s tough to know, every track is different. We’ve known that this track has always been good to us... it’s nice that our estimations are proved correct. Since the first lap today I felt comfortable.” 10:16PM 🏁 LANDO NORRIS TAKES MIAMI GP SPRINT POLE Link copied to clipboard It’s a good lap from Antonelli, but not good enough. Second, 0.222sec off the pace of Norris, the world champion, who takes the best result of the season for McLaren in qualifying. Piastri third, Leclerc fourth and Verstappen fifth. A mistake from Hamilton I believe. P1 for LN1! 🥇👋#F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/z0im3oo9UP — Formula 1 (@F1) May 1, 2026 10:14PM SQ3 - Or is he? Link copied to clipboard Verstappen goes third! It looked a bit ragged. Piastri then into second... McLaren currently 1-2.  Over to Antonelli, who does the fastest middle sector... 10:14PM SQ3 - Hamilton slower than Russell in the end Link copied to clipboard What have Norris and Leclerc got? Norris 0.6sec faster than Russell... Leclerc into second, losing time to Norris.  Antonelli has only just started his fast lap.  Verstappen wringing the neck of the car but is unlikely to challenge the front two rows... 10:13PM SQ3 - Hamilton and Norris looking fast after sector one Link copied to clipboard George Russell not so much... I am not sure Mercedes are in contention here.  Russell crosses the line with a 1:28.493... 10:11PM SQ3 - We have some drivers on track... Link copied to clipboard Everyone on soft compound tyres, as is mandated. Mercedes with time to find, it could be a shoot-out between McLaren and Ferrari on current form this session.  10:07PM SQ3 begins... Link copied to clipboard 10 drivers, one man to take sprint pole.  10:07PM Mercedes have some time to find Link copied to clipboard They might well do so in SQ3 but this is the furthest off the pace that they have been all season.  10:05PM Sainz is not happy Link copied to clipboard He says they are “three steps behind” where they need to be on every lap and that they cannot be like this after 90 minutes of practice. A criticism of how they are going about things rather than the session, I believe.  Credit: Rebecca Blackwell/AP 10:02PM 🏁SQ2 ends - Leclerc fastest Link copied to clipboard OUT: BOR, HUL, BEA, ALB, SAI LEC 1:28.333PIA +0.173HAM +0.508RUS +0.570VER +0.760ANT +0.876NOR +1.033COL +1.194HAD +1.417GAS +1.640 10:00PM SQ2 - Both Audis out... Link copied to clipboard 11th and 12th. Not terrible, but about where they are. Russell goes again but stays fourth on a used set of tyres.  9:58PM SQ2 - Drivers in the drop zone Link copied to clipboard BOR, HUL, ALB, SAI, LIN, BEA Piastri is staying in the garage and he should be safe. Norris and Leclerc are out, though Norris has backed off.  9:55PM SQ2 - Leclerc with a rapid lap! Link copied to clipboard A full four tenths faster than Russell. Hamilton is second but is still a long way from Leclerc, 0.371sec. Piastri splits the Ferraris but Norris can only move seventh, nearly 0.9sec slower.  Looking like a three-team fight for pole here. Looks like Norris got a bit squirmy in the middle sector, which is where he lost a lot of time, in the chicane.  9:53PM SQ2 - A much better time for Russell Link copied to clipboard He is 0.339sec faster than Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen moves just under two tenths to split the Mercedes cars.  9:51PM SQ2 begins Link copied to clipboard Verstappen has a close shave with an Alpine. Not sure who was to blame. Nobody, really. Tight pit lane and all that. 🟢 SQ2 IS GO! 🟢 We're underway for the second part of Sprint Quali here in Miami 🤩#F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/TEIZRkzBBr — Formula 1 (@F1) May 1, 2026 9:46PM Pain for Aston Martin... Spa is a long time away Link copied to clipboard More misery for Aston Martin. Some eyebrows were raised when they turned up here without any upgrades. Been told they are saving them up for a B-spec car in Spa.  9:44PM 🏁SQ1 ends - Norris fastest Link copied to clipboard Eliminated: LAW, OCO, PER, BOT, ALO, STR NOR 1:28.723LEC +0.010PIA +0.446HAM +0.532ANT +0.589RUS +0.936VER +1.078GAS +1.261HUL +1.547HAD +1.629COL +1.663BOR +1.838BEA +1.891LIN +2.149SAI +2.264ALB +2.265 9:43PM SQ1 - Lindblad out of the drop zone Link copied to clipboard Perez is back in the garage so will be eliminated. Russell crosses the line just in sixth and still a long way, nearly a second, from the fastest time of the session. Albon in danger of being knocked out here if he doesn’t improve significantly... Alonso yet to set a lap time... but then dives into the pits. So he is eliminated, too.  Albon into 16th. Is that enough? It might be... 9:40PM SQ1 - Norris goes to the top Link copied to clipboard 0.567sec ahead of Leclerc, but then Piastri crosses the line to move to second, albeit more than four tenths slower than the world champion. Stroll’s session looks to be over. Oh dear.  Two minutes remain. In the drop zone are: BOT, ALO, COL, LIN, LAW, STR.  9:37PM SQ1 - Leclerc leads the way so far Link copied to clipboard Hamilton posts a time 0.352sec behind him. What has Russell got in his pocket? He is 1.175sec slower but I think a good chunk of that might have been because of the yellow flags... or did he have a problem somewhere else? That said Antonelli goes within a few hundredths of a second of Leclerc. Verstappen fourth, 0.5sec slower than Leclerc.  9:36PM SQ1 - Everyone out now Link copied to clipboard 🟨We have a yellow flag somewhere. Can see that Lance Stroll looks to have stopped on track. He is stationary on the run-off at turn 16 but eventually gets going. That has ruined a fair few laps, including Lando Norris. 🟡 YELLOW ➡️ GREEN 🟢 Lance Stroll comes to a halt at Turn 12 before getting going again #F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/kY6u8c56h8 — Formula 1 (@F1) May 1, 2026 9:32PM SQ1 - A bit of a stand-off in the pits Link copied to clipboard Eventually a few drivers get out there, though mostly backmarkers.  9:30PM 🟢GREEN LIGHT - SQ1 begins Link copied to clipboard 22 drivers in, six to be eliminated at the end of the 12 minutes.  9:25PM Russell could do with a strong weekend Link copied to clipboard He is trailing Antonelli in the championship but there is a long way to go. He was unlucky not to win in Suzuka, though. That said, this was one of Antonelli’s strongest tracks last year and one of Russell’s weakest, at least in qualifying. Both sessions he was behind Antonelli, though finished ahead in the sprint and main grand prix.  9:20PM Qualifying head to heads after four sessions Link copied to clipboard 9:06PM Constructor standings Link copied to clipboard Mercedes dominating so far. Will that change this weekend? 8:57PM Red Bull: We are not worried about Verstappen leaving Link copied to clipboard Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images Laurent Mekies has denied that the recent exodus of staff at Red Bull, particularly from Max Verstappen’s side of the garage, has increased the likelihood of the Dutchman departing the team later this year. Mekies, who took over as Red Bull team principal after Christian Horner was sacked last summer, insisted the number of leavers was still “tiny” relative to the size of Red Bull’s overall workforce and that Verstappen “understood” the bigger picture. Speaking in the build-up to this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix – Formula One’s first race in five weeks because of the cancellation of rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – Mekies also claimed morale at the team’s HQ in Milton Keynes was “fantastic” and that he detected a “fire” in the bellies of his staff. Verstappen has cut a hugely frustrated figure so far this season, slamming F1’s new hybrid-electric formula, which he has described as “anti-racing” and akin to “Formula E on steroids”. The four-time world champion, who is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, has even spoken about quitting the sport. Read Tom’s full article here 8:50PM Session timings this weekend Link copied to clipboard All times BST.  Friday, May 1 Sprint qualifying – 9.30pm Saturday, May 2 Sprint race – 5pm Qualifying – 9pm Sunday, May 3 Race – 9pm 8:41PM A reminder of the current driver standings Link copied to clipboard It has been a while since F1 last raced, so here is a reminder... 8:34PM FP1 classification Link copied to clipboard 1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari 1min29.310sec 2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull +0.297 3. Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.448 4. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari +0.467 5. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes +0.769 6. George Russell, Mercedes +0.790 7. Lando Norris, McLaren +0.898 8. Pierre Gasly, Alpine +1.277 9. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull +1.563 10. Carlos Sainz, Williams +1.620 11. Franco Colapinto, Alpine +1.705 12. Alexander Albon, Williams +1.714 13. Oliver Bearman, Haas +1.781 14. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi +1.801 15. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi +2.285 16. Esteban Ocon, Haas +2.325 17. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +2.338 18. Sergio Perez, Cadillac +2.737 19. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +3.283 20. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac +3.452 21. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls +3.552 22. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +3.649 8:20PM Good evening Link copied to clipboard It has been a long time, hasn’t it? With the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races, F1 has had an enforced and unexpected spring break after just three rounds of the new regulation set. But here we are, back in Miami for a sprint weekend, with some tweaks to the regulations. Without going into too much detail – and the new regulations are so detailed that it beggars belief – there will, of course, be hope that the tweaks make for better, more sensible racing as well as bringing some of the challengers close to leaders Mercedes. Hard to say if that has happened on the basis of one (albeit extended) practice session in Miami, but there were some fairly promising signs. Charles Leclerc was fastest for Ferrari ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, nearly 0.3sec behind, followed by Oscar Piastri, Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton and then the lead Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli. George Russell, who is hoping to overturn the Italian’s championship advantage this weekend, was sixth, only marginally behind his team-mate. I am not sure the additional 30 minutes in FP1 feels like enough time for the teams before sprint qualifying, but who cares? It’s up to them and the drivers to get on with it. Plenty of upgrades here as well as the regulation amendments, so let’s see if they have made a difference. SQ1 begins at 9.30pm and the whole session should be done in about an hour, so let’s get back on with it, shall we?