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Kimi Antonelli is braced for Mercedes’ rivals to pose more of a threat as the 2026 F1 season resumes at the Miami International Autodrome, with a host of teams set to unleash upgrades and regulation changes also coming into play. Antonelli arrives in Florida at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings on 72 points, nine clear of team mate George Russell - the latter winning the first round of the campaign in Australia, and the former triumphing in China and Japan. Offering his thoughts before F1 cars hit the track again, Antonelli says:
"It’s very exciting to be back in a place where I got my first Sprint pole last year. Of course, it’s going to be different this year, different cars, so we’ll see how that goes. It’s going to be a very interesting weekend for us. Let’s see how we do. For sure, they’re our rivals going to get closer, and we might have to fight quite a bit more this weekend, but we’ll do our best and we’re going to keep our heads down. On my side, I’m going to try to maximise the performance in the car, I’m going to do my best, and we’ll see what the result will be".
While Kimi Antonelli currently leads in terms of points, one key area highlighted for improvement by team boss Toto Wolff is his race starts. Over the first three Grands Prix, he has lost several positions on the opening lap. When asked whether he has worked on this issue during the break and if improvements can be expected in Miami, Antonelli explained that the problem is rooted in a fundamental aspect that may take more time to fully fix:
"We’ve been doing some practice starts, of course, in the break. I’ve been working with the team to try and recognise the issue and we seem to have found it. Now we’re trying to think about a solution as soon as possible. We know what to work on for the solution. It’s not going to be that straightforward, because it’s a decent change on the clutch paddle, a little on the hand positioning as well. We’re doing our best to find that solution as soon as possible in order to do decent starts. Definitely we recognise that my issue was much more fundamental. We’ll see in Miami if we can do a step forward, and then we have another break after Miami, so more time to work on it and to find that solution".
Speaking during Thursday’s drivers’ press conference, Kimi Antonelli was also asked about his relationship with team-mate George Russell and how Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team is handling the prospect of another intra-team title battle - having previously managed the intense rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg:
"I think the team have been very clear with us since the first race in Australia. They said we can race each other, but obviously with respect, not doing any stupid things between each other. At the end of the day… We race for each other, we want to win, we want to be the best, but at the same time we want the best for the team as well. Me and George are very well aware that we can race each other, but with respect, and without trying to do any stupid things. The team has given us the green light, because they want to give both of us the same opportunity. They said we can race each other, but just be clean".
George Russell is confident that focusing on the bigger picture will pay off in the long term this season, as Mercedes prepare to defend their hold of the top of the Standings at the Miami Grand Prix. The Silver Arrows have been the strongest team of the season so far, though Russell - who was widely regarded as the favourite for the 2026 title - currently finds himself nine points adrift of team mate Kimi Antonelli having finished P4 last time out in Japan. Asked whether the dynamic within Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team has been affected by Kimi Antonelli leading the championship with 72 points to George Russell’s 63, the Briton replied:
"No, not at all. I was asked the question this morning and we were talking about the London Marathon. It made me think - the guy who’s running the London Marathon after three miles isn’t thinking about the finish line because he’s got 23 miles to go. We’re in race four of the season so it’s not even a consideration. Of course Kimi’s done an amazing job so far this year. The last race was a little bit unfortunate from my side but these things go one way one weekend and swing back later in the year. I’m experienced enough to know how a Championship works and there’s a long way ahead".
Following a dominant weekend at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the British driver dropped behind a victorious Antonelli in China before an unfortunately timed Safety Car saw him settle for fourth place in Japan. With Mercedes eager to seal both Championships this season, Russell shared that he doesn’t want to allow a disappointing result or the intra-team battle to distract him from their rivals' improvement, especially as many of them are set to introduce upgrade packages in Miami:
"It’s pretty clear - we fight each other hard, but we fight each other fair. Right now, there’s lots of talk about the fight between Kimi and I, but we also need to make sure that we continue being the ones to beat. Last year it was Oscar and Lando and from nowhere, you had Verstappen come. Charles is doing a great job, Lewis is fast and McLaren are bringing their upgrade this weekend. I’m sure Red Bull won’t be in this position forever as well, so we can’t take it for granted. I’m just going about my business as usual. I want to be on pole, I want to make a good start, I want to at least be at the first corner in the position I started and fight for victory".
Speaking on media day ahead of the return of track action in Miami, Russell also admitted that he wants to remain realistic about Mercedes’ chances of succeeding at every round and remember how many scoring opportunities are on offer - something which he learned in his junior days when he won back-to-back GP3 and Formula 2 titles. He says:
"The championships I fought and won as a youngster weren’t from winning every single weekend - you have weekends where the car breaks down, you have an incident, you’re unfortunate. That’s the same with the guys who were fighting for the Championship last year. You’re always going to have these difficult weekends and I hope every difficult weekend results in either a P2, like we had in China, or a P4 like Japan. If that is my difficult weekend, I’m pretty damn happy with that. I’m hoping just to have a smooth weekend. I know that with a smooth weekend, I can win. The team have done such an amazing job to deliver us this car but from my side, I just need to keep ensuring that I’m driving as fast as possible every time I jump in the race car. We’re not taking it for granted - we’re still pushing ahead and trying to keep improving the car. We still have lots of things we need to improve, like the race starts, so full attack".
Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg have been sharing their reactions to Allan McNish’s appointment as Racing Director at Audi, with Bortoleto voicing his belief that the Scot will do an incredible job. Following the sudden departure of Jonathan Wheatley from the role of Team Principal in March, the Audi squad evaluated their leadership structure and opted to promote McNish, who has long been a part of the German manufacturer’s operations. McNish - who competed in Formula 1 for Toyota during the 2002 season - went on to drive for Audi in endurance racing, twice winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the brand. He has since held leadership positions within the company, including acting as Team Principal of the Formula E squad.mMore recently he headed up the new Driver Development Programme, a role he will continue to hold alongside the position of Racing Director at the F1 team. Reflecting on the news during Thursday’s media day at the Miami Grand Prix - McNish’s first weekend in his new role - Bortoleto says:
"Allan has been part of Audi for many, many years. He won Le Mans, he was part of the management team in Formula E, and now he’s in Formula 1 with us. He was the director of the Development Programme and still is, so I think he had many roles inside of this team and this is just one more for him. So I’m not even stressed about him fitting in. because he’s already been part of the family for much longer than I have, for example. I think he will do an incredible job".
Asked whether it is useful to have a former F1 driver as a sounding board, Gabriel Bortoleto responds:
"Absolutely. There are no doubts about what he achieved in his career - he’s one of the legends of the sport and legends of Audi, so it’s good to have him as Racing Director in the team. Let’s see how it goes, but I’m very excited about it".
Hulkenberg also spoke positively about the wealth of experience that McNish can bring to the team in his position as Racing Director:
"Allan's been with the brand, with Audi, for… I don't know how long, but a very long time. He’s been with us inside the F1 project and team from the beginning, from the get-go. Obviously he's an ex-driver, even with F1 experience, a lot of F1 and motorsport experience. So it’s a very fitting role, and I look forward to working with him closely together".
Audi arrive into the weekend in P8 of the Teams' Championship, having scored two points so far. Max Verstappen believes trying to stop race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase from joining rival Formula 1 team McLaren in 2028 would be stupid from my side. Lambiase - known by many as GP - has worked alongside Verstappen since the Dutchman was promoted to Red Bull from the then-named Toro Rosso outfit in 2016, with the pair enjoying great success together over the last decade. More recently, Lambiase took on the role of Head of Racing at Red Bull while continuing to race engineer Verstappen, before it was announced earlier this month he would be joining McLaren for 2028 as the Woking-based team's Chief Racing Officer. Ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked for his thoughts on the news and the prospect of breaking up one of F1's most successful partnerships. Says Verstappen on Thursday's media day in Miami:
"We had a good chat about that and it would be stupid from my side to try and hold him back when you get an opportunity like that. I was very happy for him. We are still working together this year, next year. Times change in your career and that was a really good opportunity for him so I'm happy for him and as a team, we keep pushing together, keep looking forward. In the interests of the team for the future we are trying to find the best people to replace him”.
During their time working together, Verstappen has amassed four Drivers' Championship titles and currently 71 F1 victories, with their partnership also helping Red Bull to the Teams' title twice. Verstappen stated that it would be difficult to replace Lambiase, with the pair having a unique relationship among drivers and race engineers:
“The general understanding that we have with each other and the chemistry works really well. That's very rare I think in racing. You don't see that often, a driver and engineer that gel that well together. That's of course something I'll have to try and find again. It's not that easy but sometimes that happens".
A number of refinements to the 2026 F1 regulations were agreed during an online meeting between F1 governing body the FIA, Team Principals, CEOs of Power Unit Manufacturers and FOM on Monday. The final proposals presented during the meeting were the result of a series of consultations over the past few weeks between the FIA, technical representatives and extensive input from F1 drivers. Discussions around potential adjustments were based on data gathered from the first three events of the 2026 season in Australia, China and Japan. As referenced in a statement from the FIA, the proposals agreed - outlined below under four key sections - will be implemented from the Miami Grand Prix, apart from the race start changes that are set to be tested in Miami and adopted following feedback and analysis.
QUALIFYING – PROMOTING PERFORMANCE
- Adjustments to energy management parameters, including a reduction in maximum permitted recharge from 8MJ to 7MJ, aimed at reducing excessive harvesting and encouraging more consistent flat-out driving. This change targets a maximum superclip duration reduced to approximately two to four seconds per lap.
Peak superclip power increased to 350 kW, previously being 250 kW, further reducing the time spent recharging, and reducing driver workload on energy management. This will also be applied in race conditions.
The number of events where alternative lower energy limits may apply has been increased from eight to 12 races, allowing greater adaptation to circuit characteristics.
RACE – IMPROVED SAFETY AND CONSISTENCY OF PERFORMANCE
- The maximum power available through the Boost in race conditions is now capped at +150 kW (or the car’s current power level at activation if higher) limiting sudden performance differentials.
MGU-K deployment is maintained at 350 kW in key acceleration zones (from corner exit to braking point, including overtaking zones) but will be limited to 250 kW in other parts of the lap.
These measures are designed to reduce excessive closing speeds while maintaining overtaking opportunities and overall performance characteristics.
RACE STARTS – ENHANCED SAFETY MECHANISMS
- A new low power start detection system has been developed, capable of identifying cars with abnormally low acceleration shortly after clutch release.
In such cases, an automatic MGU-K deployment will be triggered to ensure a minimum level of acceleration and mitigate start-related risks without introducing any sporting advantage.
An associated visual warning system is being introduced, activating flashing lights (rear and lateral) on affected cars to alert following drivers.
A reset of the energy counter at the start of the formation lap has also been implemented to correct a previously identified system inconsistency.
WET CONDITIONS – IMPROVING SAFETY AND VISIBILITY
- Tyre blanket temperatures for intermediate tyres have been increased following driver feedback in order to improve initial grip and tyre performance in wet conditions.
Maximum ERS deployment will be reduced, limiting torque and improving car control in low-grip conditions.
The rear light systems have been simplified, with clearer and more consistent visual cues to improve visibility and reaction time for following drivers in poor conditions. - These final proposals will now be put before an FIA World Motor Sport Council e-vote before their planned implementation.
In recognition of that gap, the recently announced rule refinements and the fact that the Miami weekend runs to the Sprint format, which features only one practice session, mean that FP1 is extended from the usual 60 minutes to 90. This gives the 11 teams and 22 drivers a little bit more time to get back into a rhythm, understand the rule tweaks and learn about a host of upgrades applied to their cars – Aston Martin F1 Team is the only squad not declaring any aerodynamic developments this weekend. Unsurprisingly, when the session gets under way at 1200 local time, plenty of drivers are quick to leave the pit lane and get their first laps in around the 5.412-kilometre Florida venue, with most starting on the hardest tyre compound for some exploratory tours. By the 15-minute mark, everyone apart from the Aston Martin pair Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll has appeared, with Lando Norris holding P1 in the mid-1m30s bracket, followed by the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Aston Martin subsequently confirms a power issue in their garage, while there are early concerns for Pierre Gasly (who reports a very strange smell aboard his Alpine) and George Russell (whose turbo is making a lot of noises… a bit like a steam train). Stroll and Alonso are eventually sent out just over 20 minutes into the session, with Honda chiefs no doubt watching on eagerly following the implementation of further countermeasures aimed at reducing engine vibrations and improving reliability. Also gathering answers to key development questions are Ferrari and Red Bull - the former reveals an updated version of their ‘flip-flop’ rear wing early in FP1, and the latter deploys a rotating concept of their own, as they both push to catch Mercedes. After half an hour, it is championship leader Kimi Antonelli who sits at the top of the times, having slotted ahead of Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen and Hamilton with a 1m 30.079s, while team mate Russell’s tricky start continues with a massive double lock-up that flat-spots both front tyres. Around 20 minutes later, Leclerc triggers another change at the front by clocking a 1m 29.855s, with Hamilton also finding time in the sister Ferrari to go third, just behind Antonelli - the top three are still yet to swap the hard tyres for mediums or softs.
Alonso and Stroll are the first drivers to take on the softest rubber, but can only go 18th and 19th respectively, some three seconds off the pace, while Stroll appears to get in the way of both Antonelli and Sergio Perez on separate laps. Plenty more drivers duly switch to softs over the final 20 minutes of the session, leading to a flurry of personal best and overall best sector times through to the chequered flag - Leclerc ultimately posts the quickest time: a 1m 29.310s. Leclerc’s improvement puts him almost three-tenths clear of Verstappen, and another tenth up on Oscar Piastri, with Hamilton also in the front-running group despite encountering traffic in the final minutes and having to back out of a run. Mercedes experiences further trouble as the session draws to a close, with Antonelli unable to complete a lap on softs due to mechanics troubleshooting a power unit issue - leaving him fifth from Russell, who can only go sixth with the red-marked tyres. Norris bails out of his soft tyre run when he approaches Alex Albon at the final hairpin and runs wide, meaning he ends up a distant seventh ahead of Gasly, Isack Hadjar and Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, Fred Vasseur confirms that Ferrari will keep their ‘flip-flop’ rear wing on the car during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. The Scuderia first introduces the innovation during pre-season testing in Bahrain and uses it in an official session for the first time ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. The component flips completely upside down, creating a bigger gap for air to travel through and subsequently reducing drag when driving down the straights, in theory offering greater straight-line speed. Speaking during Friday’s Team Principals’ press conference, Vasseur says that Ferrari will continue to use the device, with Leclerc and Hamilton set to run it on their SF26s for the first time in a race. Ferrari’s decision comes as Red Bull arrives in Miami with a similar concept, though it remains unclear whether Verstappen or Hadjar will use it for the rest of the weekend.
A few hours on from Leclerc setting the pace in the weekend’s extended sole practice session, the drivers and teams reassemble for Friday’s Sprint Qualifying in order to decide the grid for the second Sprint of the season on Saturday. While there is no initial queue in the pit lane when the green light appears for SQ1 at 1630 local time, a gaggle of drivers soon heads out on track within moments of the opening 12-minute segment getting underway, all sporting the mandatory medium tyres. Championship leader Antonelli is amongst those preparing to leave the garage, before having to hold back as team mate Russell goes first instead, with both likely keen to get out following some issues for Mercedes in FP1. A yellow flag is thrown at around the halfway point of the session after Stroll looks to have stopped at Turn 17, the Canadian experiencing a heavy lock-up that sends him off the track. Fortunately he is able to get his Aston Martin going again as the session continues. With a few minutes left on the clock, Leclerc is again at the top of the timesheets ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton, while the names at risk in the elimination zone are Colapinto, Lindblad, Norris, Alonso, Lawson and Stroll. Norris subsequently gets himself well out of danger by storming to P1 on a 1m 28.273s, just under half a second ahead of fellow McLaren racer Piastri. Meanwhile Stroll is seen getting out of his car in the garage, having not set a time at the bottom of the pack. Lindblad and Lawson both climb up to move out of the bottom six in their yellow-liveried Racing Bulls, while Colapinto also shoots up to P11. However, better laps from others - including Williams’ Albon - push Lawson down to P17, with Ocon, Perez and Bottas also exiting ahead of the Aston Martin pair of Alonso and Stroll. At the other end of the spectrum, Norris remains quickest with an advantage of one hundredth of a second over Leclerc, with the Mercedes duo back in fifth and sixth. Most of the remaining cars are lined up and ready to go when SQ2 begins, Antonelli leading the way as the pack files out for the 10-minute session for which the medium tyres are again mandatory.
This early traffic sees some close moments unfold in the pit lane - including one between Verstappen and Gasly - as drivers try to find a place in the queue. At the halfway point, Leclerc slots into P1 on a lap of 1m 28.470s - 0.036s ahead of Piastri in second, with Hamilton three tenths behind his team mate in third. Russell sits in fourth, followed by Verstappen and Antonelli. Norris, meanwhile, places in seventh after experiencing a drift during his effort. While Leclerc goes even quicker by pumping in a time of 1m 28.333s at the top - with only Piastri within two tenths of that - Bearman’s lap can only lift him to P13 and thus is not enough to get him out of the elimination zone, with those around him also unable to climb into the top 10. As eight minutes go on the clock for SQ3 - which sees the Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes and Alpine pairings go head-to-head for Sprint pole - the track remains quiet as all 10 cars stay in their garages, pointing to a one-lap shootout on the soft tyres. It is at around the halfway mark that the drivers start to head out in the hot and sunny conditions of the Miami International Autodrome, with air temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius. With Mercedes seemingly a little off the pace of their upgrade-carrying rivals in the opening segments, do the Silver Arrows strike back this time out? Or can a different team seal pole position for the Sprint? As the laps come in, Russell initially leads Hamilton before Norris shoots to the top on a 1m 27.869s, the McLaren driver followed by Leclerc whose effort is three tenths behind. Verstappen then slots into third - before Piastri pushes both Leclerc and Verstappen down by going second fastest. Antonelli is the last of the frontrunners to cross the line, and the Italian subsequently splits the papaya duo in P2, his time 0.222s back from Norris’ benchmark. When the order shakes out, this leaves Piastri in third ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell and Hamilton, while Colapinto is the lead Alpine in eighth ahead of Hadjar and Gasly.
Norris will line-up first for Saturday's Sprint, after bouncing back from what he described as a "woeful" Q2, with the reigning Formula 1 World Champion claiming top spot in Sprint Qualifying by more than two-tenths from current championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, with a 1m 27.869s. It marks the first time this season that Mercedes has been beaten in any form of Qualifying session, with McLaren introducing a number of changes to its MCL40 that appear to have paid off. Says Norris after hopping out of the car:
"It was great, perfect result for us. A nice way to reward the team. We've got a lot of new upgrades on the car so it's nice to feel some grip again and nice to reward the guys and the girls that have put a lot of work into this. I've always loved Miami, both on and off the track. It's a good result for us. Of course, just the beginning of the weekend, still a long way to go but nice to kick it off by doing this".
The Miami International Autodrome has been a happy hunting ground for Norris and McLaren, the Briton claiming his first F1 win in 2024 before team mate Oscar Piastri claimed top spot 12 months ago:
"We've known that this track has always been good to us but we knew that what we were bringing was going to hopefully do a good step and it has. It's nice that our estimations have proved correct and the team deserve that, they put a lot of work into all these things. But since the first lap today, I've felt comfortable, I've got a bit of rear grip and I felt good. I've always felt good around here and it's always good to do it. Good to start the weekend with a pole".
When asked how difficult it is to control tyre temperatures during his lap, with track temperatures surpassing 50C on Friday, Norris admits it is pretty tough:
"My Q2 was pretty woeful. I was like one second off so it didn't fill me with confidence into the final run and I was debating whether we do one lap or two. Will Joseph pushed me and said we're doing one lap and it paid off. It's been good work from the whole team, we got everything in a good window straight away so I'm very proud of them. But the lap was good, it was good apart from Turn 16 onto the back straight. Completely missed it. Difficult conditions also with the wind, the wind can play a big part. I'm just happy, happy to be back here as it's been a little while. It's the perfect way for me to start the weekend".
Piastri managed to qualify third behind Norris and Antonelli, and believes that the pace of McLaren is genuine and helped by the warmer conditions in Miami:
"I think the potential is there, yes. We didn't luck into the result today. We'll have to wait and see, I'm expecting Mercedes to still be very strong but they've not looked quite as dominant this weekend so far. We'll see if that stays true into tomorrow".
Antonelli headed into the weekend suggesting that Mercedes might have to fight quite a bit more, given the push from their rivals to close the gap to the front - and the significant updates McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull have all unleashed. It proved to be an even more challenging first day for the Silver Arrows than anticipated, however, with technical issues hampering their Free Practice programme, and preventing Antonelli from running the soft compound tyre. When the first grid-deciding session of the weekend got under way, Mercedes found themselves in a fierce battle with the McLarens, Ferraris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for pole position, with reigning World Champion Lando Norris coming out on top. After struggling for grip on the medium tyres through SQ1 and SQ2, championship leader Antonelli managed to salvage second on the grid with his sole SQ3 lap on the softs, while team mate Russell had to settle for sixth. Admits Antonelli when he speaks to the media afterwards:
"It was a pretty messy session. I struggled a lot with the car. On the medium I couldn’t get a good lap in, and then on the softs all of a sudden the car became more alive, I felt more comfortable. Of course, it was a shame not to try the soft in FP1. I think there was a little bit left on the table. But I think despite everything it was a decent result, and with the team we did a great job on recovering. Now we look forward to tomorrow. Definitely we’ll dig deep tonight to see what we can do better in order to be faster tomorrow".
Quizzed on the pace shown by McLaren and Ferrari in particular, Antonelli repeated his comments from Thursday’s media sessions, but remains hopeful that Mercedes can still challenge for overall honours in Florida:
"We were expecting this weekend to be quite a bit tougher, also because those teams, everyone brought major upgrades, which obviously they closed the gap massively or even went in front of us. Definitely the McLarens, they’ve got the same power unit as us, and they improve a lot the car, so it was expected for them to be at the front. But I think we can be in the fight, and that’s what we’re going to try to do tomorrow and then on Sunday as well".
After some issues for the Silver Arrows in Friday’s sole practice session, the championship leaders were somewhat on the back foot when SQ1 got underway a few hours later. It would prove to be McLaren and Ferrari - both teams that have brought upgrade packages this weekend - who set the pace through Sprint Qualifying, with Lando Norris ultimately coming out on top to seal pole position for Saturday’s Sprint. While Kimi Antonelli slotted into P2 during the closing moments of SQ3, his Mercedes team mate Russell had to settle for P6 and later reflected on the challenges of the day as he spoke to the media afterwards:
"It’s pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari have made, so that’s pretty damn impressive. We knew they’d probably close the gap, but all day they’ve been quicker than us. On my side I’ve been struggling today - Miami’s not a track that I love, to be honest, especially in these hotter conditions. But it’s only Sprint Qualifying, so let’s see what tomorrow brings".
Pushed on the key areas that are causing those struggles, Russell explains:
"It was just overheating the tyres a lot in that twisty section in the middle - I was struggling to get the right balance with the car so, yeah, not much more to say than that really. As I said, I’ve just been quite surprised by the progress of the others, but another day tomorrow".
When asked if he felt that it would take a lot to bring the fight to those ahead of him on Saturday, the British driver conceded: “I don’t know. I’m not in a great starting position:
"Sprint races generally don’t offer that much, but obviously China was a bit more interesting this year, which gives an opportunity to have a bit of a race. So I want to get off the line - hopefully don’t lose any more positions - and see what we can do".
Things had initially appeared promising for the Scuderia Ferrari - one of several teams to bring significant upgrade packages this weekend - as the action got underway in Miami, Leclerc having topped the timesheets in Friday’s sole practice session. The Monegasque again went quickest during the SQ2 segment of Sprint Qualifying, but both Ferraris were outpaced in the top 10 shootout by rivals including McLaren, with Lando Norris claiming pole position for Saturday’s Sprint. Reflecting on whether he had feels that the SF-26 is performing as expected during the session, Hamilton says afterwards:
"We didn’t really know what to expect. I had hoped that we would be better, but the car didn’t feel particularly great".
The seven-time World Champion goes on to say that he has no idea if the team’s new package will perform better at other tracks, adding:
"I thought we would be stronger than we were today. We’ve got to do some work overnight to try and figure out why we’re not that quick. I was hopeful coming in, positive that we could be much higher, but not meant to be".
Leclerc also conceded that Ferrari have progress to make when it comes to Qualifying form, with the eight-time race winner explaining the areas where the team have been struggling:
"The upgrades are fine, it’s just that everybody brought upgrades. We kind of expected that situation where Mercedes is probably still the car to beat. McLaren did a very big step forward, but I felt like they didn’t optimise their first races of the season, so they were always there but they didn’t put everything together. On our side, today particularly we’ve struggled with tyres - medium were working very well, on the soft it wasn’t a nice feeling, so on that we’ve got to look at it. We know that in the race pace we are stronger, but in terms of Qualifying there is still some work to be done".
Quizzed on how he sees the rest of the weekend unfolding based on what the squad learned during Friday’s running, Leclerc sounded an optimistic note about the possibilities in race form:
"I think in Qualifying tomorrow we can try and fine-tune a little bit and find a bit of performance, but I hope that in the race we can come back in the front. We’ve got the pace to do that, let’s just see if we are able to overtake".
The Dutchman will start from the third row for Saturday's Sprint at the Miami International Autodrome, having notably out-qualified the Mercedes of George Russell and Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton. The four-time World Champion was six-tenths behind polesitter Lando Norris, but was encouraged having been able to break free of the midfield battle with Red Bull bringing several upgrades this weekend, including a version of Ferrari's flip-flop rear wing. Says Verstappen when asked how the car has improved:
"It feels more together. Of course, there's still things that we are working on but it has been a really positive step for us. Last few races we were like over a second behind. I would say we have almost halved that gap now, so that's positive. We're still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly high speed so we know we need to work on that. The rest seemed a bit more together, so a bit happier with that, at least it seems like we have cleared a little bit the midfield. It feels a bit more normal to drive, a bit more together. Still not where I want it to be obviously but it's at least allowing me to trust it a bit more and I can take a bit more lap time out of it".
Red Bull team mate Isack Hadjar qualified ninth but was frustrated after being one second adrift of Verstappen, claiming he needed to work with the team as: I know how to drive:
"It was smooth at least. Got through into SQ3 which is a start but then to be a second off, I don't know why. I've never been more than a tenth off so far this year when it mattered, I don't know what's going on".
After an extended five-week gap, F1 returns to action at the Miami International Autodrome on Friday, where Mercedes’ dominant start to the 2026 campaign is emphatically ended in the afternoon’s enthralling Sprint Qualifying session. With the upgraded McLarens, Ferraris and Red Bull of Verstappen all in the front-running mix alongside the Silver Arrows, it is reigning World Champion Norris who takes pole position - leading the way from Antonelli and team mate Piastri. Post-session, there are a couple of changes to the grid: Albon drops from 14th to 19th after a track limits violation, and Lindblad goes from 15th to the pit lane due to mechanics breaching the regulations by working on his car beyond the ‘covers-on’ time. As day turns to night, news comes in that motorsport and Paralympic legend Alex Zanardi has passed away - the paddock comes together on Saturday morning to remember him with a host of tributes and a minute of silence ahead of the Sprint. After those emotional moments, drivers get into the zone and gear up for the 100-kilometre Sprint - taking place over 19 laps, and awarding points to the top-eight finishers: eight points for the victory, down to a single point for P8. However, there is drama before the race starts when Hulkenberg’s Audi catches fire on the reconnaissance laps and stops at the side of the track - marshals spring into action to extinguish the flames, and the German’s P12 grid slot remains empty. When the remaining 21 cars line up at 1200 local time, it is revealed that most drivers are starting on the medium compound tyre, with only the Aston Martins opting for softs and only the Cadillacs going for hards. At lights out, polesitter Norris gets away well to lead into Turn 1, while another sluggish start for Antonelli sees him drop to fourth, behind Piastri and Leclerc - and almost team mate Russell, who enjoys a much cleaner launch. A few car lengths back, Verstappen and Hamilton bang wheels as they battle over sixth and seventh respectively, from the Alpines of Gasly and Colapinto, and the sole remaining Audi of Bortoleto, who has edged ahead of the slow-starting Hadjar. As the laps tick by, Antonelli pushes hard to find a way past Leclerc and recover some lost ground, but instead comes under pressure from Russell and subsequently has to go into defensive mode. Reports Leclerc over the radio:
"Kimi is so bad on wheel-to-wheel. He moves under braking. It’s unbelievable".
At the end of Lap 7, Russell tucks into Antonelli’s slipstream along the lengthy back straight and manages to make a move for P4 into the final hairpin, but the Italian retaliates on the following tour with a pass under braking at Turn 11. Just behind them, Hamilton and Verstappen go wheel-to-wheel once more. Comments Hamilton after the Dutchman muscles his way past over the white lines between Turns 11 and 12:
"Max overtakes me going off the track".
Verstappen is duly ordered to give the place back, before winding himself up again and making an overtake stick into Turn 17 a couple of laps later - the top seven now read Norris, Piastri, Leclerc, Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen and Hamilton. Elsewhere, another retirement is confirmed when planned pit lane starter Arvid Lindblad hops out of his Racing Bulls machine and heads to the garage timing wall, while there is drama for Ocon when some bodywork flies off his Haas. Antonelli’s eventful race continues when he is issued a black-and-white flag by the stewards for exceeding track limits on multiple occasions, something that eventually catches him out with one final transgression in the closing laps of the race. Up front, Norris enjoys life in clean air, building his advantage over Piastri to almost four seconds by the time he takes the chequered flag - marking his first win of 2026, McLaren’s first win of 2026, and the first non-Mercedes win of 2026. Leclerc is another 2.5 seconds adrift after running wide in his late pursuit of Piastri, while Antonelli crosses the line fourth but is pushed back to sixth post-race - behind Russell and Verstappen - for that aforementioned track limits breach and five-second penalty. Hamilton and Gasly are the final points scorers in P7 and P8 respectively, from Hadjar and Colapinto (the Frenchman pulling off a bold move into Turn 4 to grab ninth), Bortoleto and Haas duo Ocon and Bearman, who are also close together across the line. Sainz and Lawson are next up for Williams and Racing Bulls in 14th and 15th, as Aston Martin logs a slightly more positive session by making the finish with both Alonso and Stroll in 16th and 18th - the pair sandwiching the Cadillac of Perez. Albon (after a late front wing change) and Bottas are the last drivers to reach the finish in 19th and 20th, following the pre-race stoppage for Hulkenberg and the undisclosed issues that keep Lindblad’s Racing Bulls car stuck in the garage.
While Mercedes leads the way across the opening three rounds, Norris becomes the first non-Silver Arrows driver to triumph in the 2026 campaign as he converts pole position into a win during Saturday’s Sprint at the Miami International Autodrome. The reigning World Champion makes a strong start and remains mostly untroubled in the lead from there, ultimately crossing the line with a margin of 3.766s over McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri.
"It was a good race - nice to be back on the top step, even if it’s a Sprint".
Norris smiled afterwards, with the win being his first since the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix:
"A good day for us. A massive job for the team in bringing the upgrades - it feels like everyone’s saying the same thing but ours have really helped this weekend, so I’m happy to get it done for the team. It was hot out there, it was sweaty. I was still pushing, trying to find that balance of pushing but also being quite relaxed and not making any mistakes. A good start to the weekend, but now I have to do it all over again".
With Qualifying for the Grand Prix next on the agenda later on Saturday, Norris is asked if he and the team will look to make any adjustments to the car prior to the session:
“Probably not too many. It’s worked so far. We’ll probably change a couple of things, there’s a couple things I wanted different from yesterday that we’ll adjust so hopefully we’ll have a little bit more to come, but I’m sure the others will too. We’ll just keep our head down and keep pushing".
On the other side of the garage, Piastri faces pressure from the chasing Ferrari of Charles Leclerc during the latter stages of the 19-lap event but manages to hold onto second place. Quizzed on whether he is satisfied with the seven points that he will collect from the result, the Australian responds:
"Yes, I think mostly. Obviously it was a little bit defiant to try and stay with Lando, but overall it was a good morning, so we’ll try and see what we can do for Qualifying. I think everyone else will learn a lot and so will we, so hopefully we can maintain that through the rest of the weekend".
After qualifying on the second row, the Ferrari driver benefits from a poor getaway for Kimi Antonelli and charges into the top three before consolidating his position by defending against the Italian. Leclerc then sets his sights on Piastri up ahead and manages to close the gap down to less than a second, but he struggles to stay near and repeatedly drifts wide, leading him to cross the line around 2.5s behind the Australian:
"The upgrades worked well. It’s thanks to the team that has done massive work over these five weeks of break, but I’m satisfied with that. Unfortunately I’m not satisfied with P3 though - obviously we wish we were a little bit higher, but McLaren brought significant upgrades as well and did a big step forward".
The result is a marked improvement on Sprint Qualifying, where both Leclerc and team mate Lewis Hamilton find themselves unable to break into the top three - something which he is hopeful will not be repeated over the rest of the weekend. And despite his frustration at their rival’s progress, the early signs of success from the Scuderia’s major upgrade package leave Leclerc confident that they can carry the momentum into the Miami Grand Prix. He says:
"We are not too far behind, so I think for later today if we put everything together maybe we can start a bit higher up, and that will make our life a little bit easier".
Antonelli starts Saturday’s 19-lap encounter from second on the grid but drops to fourth at Turn 1, behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc - and almost Mercedes team mate George Russell, who lines up sixth. While the championship leader emerges on top in a mid-race battle with Russell and crosses the line in P4, he falls to P6 post-race - five seconds being added to his overall time for exceeding track limits on multiple occasions. Reflecting on his rollercoaster outing, and another sluggish getaway after similar experiences in Australia, China and Japan, Antonelli says:
"Yeah, the start to be fair, on procedure it was all good. We need to check what happened, because the clutch drop was good. On my side, for once I did everything right, so it was a shame to again have a really bad start. It just compromised the race. We’re struggling a little bit this weekend, but the pace was not too bad at the end. It was difficult out there, but we’ll focus on Qualifying now".
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff states shortly after the Sprint that Antonelli’s latest poor start is down to the team rather than the driver - while noting the development steps made by rivals McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull over the April gap:
"We know that we are a little out of sync with our upgrades compared to other teams. We were hoping we were going to be able to hold on to our advantage, and in terms of pure lap times, we were close to the pace at the front in the Sprint. But if you have a bad getaway, which wasn't at all Kimi's fault but was an issue on our side, it is going to be difficult to fight back".
The Red Bull driver starts the Sprint in P5 with Hamilton close behind in seventh before they nearly come together on the opening lap, going three-wide with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in a tense moment. Although the Briton momentarily comes out on top, the contest between the historic rivals doesn’t end there as Verstappen looks to reclaim the position on Lap 9, which leads to the duo running wide over track limits. Verstappen is forced to give the place back but quickly makes a more lasting overtake on Hamilton, and later gains another spot thanks to Kimi Antonelli’s five-second time penalty to wind up in fifth - his highest finish of the season so far. Offering his verdict on Red Bull’s improvement from the first three rounds, Verstappen says:
"I think overall it was a lot more positive. We’re finally battling a bit more with the cars that we want to battle, even considering all the issues that I had. At the start, again something went wrong, and then at the end of the first lap I also had no battery release out of the last corner, so that’s why I got passed. After that, once I was in clean air a bit, the pace was okay. There are still a few problems with the car that I want to sort out and we’ll go from there".
While the Dutchman is primarily struggling with braking issues, Hamilton is left to rue the set-up of his Ferrari as he can only secure two points in P7, while his team mate Charles Leclerc ends up on the podium. Asked by the journalists what needs to be adjusted ahead of Qualifying, he replies:
"I’m hoping that we can change a lot. I think yesterday I lost three-tenths just because the software wasn’t working properly. I was driving the same but losing down the straights. In the Sprint, it seemed that that continued from Sprint Qualifying so I think they’re going to have to do some software changes or something to make sure that doesn’t happen going into Qualifying. Hopefully we’ll have slightly better deployment. The set-up is in the wrong place so definitely will make some big changes going into Qualifying".
Following a shake-up in the order in the Sprint Race - which sees McLaren and Ferrari’s upgrades come alive to build an advantage over Mercedes - it is time for Saturday’s tough-to-predict Qualifying session. While Cadillac pair Bottas and Perez are two of the first to arrive on track following the green light, it is clear that Audi’s Bortoleto isn’t heading out anytime soon as he is shown stranded in the garage after being disqualified from the Sprint result due to a technical breach. Despite the sunny conditions, some drivers report a tailwind as they begin to set the first flying laps of the hour, with the majority opting for used soft compound tyres. Verstappen sets an early benchmark of 1m 29.099s, with Norris close behind on the timesheets with a 0.084s deficit to the Red Bull driver. After receiving a five-second time penalty that demotes him to P6 earlier in the day, Antonelli is the next to slot into P2, leaving Verstappen’s effort untroubled. However, there is evidently still plenty of improvement to find as his fast lap is over a second slower than Norris’ Sprint Qualifying time. Lawson is the first to bolt on fresh red-walled tyres and temporarily shoots up to sixth place as a result, while his Racing Bulls team mate lingers in the elimination zone with just five minutes remaining. Russell - having been reminded how important his final lap is as he sits in P12 - escapes danger as he improves to P7, but the other Mercedes of Antonelli clocks an eye-catching time that blows Verstappen’s attempt out of the water by over four-tenths. Meanwhile, it is a shaky few moments for Piastri as he rapidly drops down the order while those around him continue to cut down their times. Ultimately, Lindblad is unable to find enough to knock him out of Q1 and the Aussie narrowly squeezes through in P16. The Aston Martin duo of Alonso and Stroll wind up 18th and 19th respectively, ahead of Cadillac’s Bottas and Perez. Rounding out the pack is Bortoleto who manages to complete a timed lap before his brakes catch fire, bringing a dramatic end to Q1. Following a short delay to recover the stricken Audi, Red Bull are the first to send their drivers out as Q2 gets underway at the Miami International Autodrome. Although it looks like he is building on his strong Q1 showing, Verstappen complains about his tyres feeling terrible and he is soon displaced by Hamilton and Leclerc. While Norris suffers a scary snap that makes him abandon the lap, his pole position rival Antonelli surges to P1, again on a set of soft tyres.
In a strong segment for the Silver Arrows, Russell then matches Hamilton’s effort to put the former team mates in P3 and P2 respectively. Further down the order, Colapinto and Gasly consistently demonstrate that Alpine’s Sprint pace is not a one-off as they comfortably settle in the top-10, with Norris splitting the pair on his first full flying lap. Everyone returns to the pits to reset for a high stakes end to Q2 as the windy conditions become more of an issue for the drivers - Russell is told that there are gusts of up to 25kph at Turn 11, while Norris mistakes the wind for a deployment problem. Back at the front, Antonelli finds marginally more time before Verstappen reclaims the top spot with a 1m 28.116s and Leclerc tucks into P3. Like his McLaren team mate earlier in the hour, Norris needs to deliver from an underwhelming ninth place, and he manages to gain a couple of positions to end Q2 in P7. Hulkenberg loses out on a spot in Q3 to the Alpine duo, ending the session in P11 for Audi. Lawson is next in 12th place and leads Bearman while the second Haas of Ocon takes P15, with Williams’ Sainz marginally ahead in P14. The Spaniard’s team mate is heard exclaiming what a joke as he misses out on Q3 once again, leaving him to start the Miami Grand Prix from P16. With the top-10 decided, it is a slow start to Q3 as everyone is eager to maximise the track evolution and set their best laps as late as possible. McLaren confirms that Norris is impacted by an issue with the boost in Q2, but it is clearly no longer a problem when it really matters as the Briton zooms to the top of the times early on. Verstappen has a response ready to go as he edges out the McLaren by 0.002s before Leclerc goes even quicker. However, their efforts are outshone by Antonelli as he sets a provisional pole time of 1m 27.798s, the fastest lap of the weekend so far. With the clock ticking down, it will take a colossal attempt from one of his competitors to beat the Italian. Even though Antonelli doesn’t improve on his final lap, no one else can match his earlier time and he secures his third consecutive Grand Prix pole position, beating Verstappen by 0.166s. Leclerc is displaced by the Dutchman at the last second and will line up third on the grid alongside Norris. Russell takes fifth for Mercedes ahead of Hamilton, while Piastri has to settle for seventh, just over seven-tenths off Antonelli’s pace. Alpine, meanwhile, enjoys another strong Qualifying session as Colapinto and Gasly claim P8 and P10 respectively, with Hadjar splitting the two.
Kimi Antonelli dropped from second to fourth at the start of the 100-kilometre race and was then demoted to sixth after the chequered flag for exceeding track limits on multiple occasions, allowing George Russell, his Mercedes team mate, to close the gap in the Drivers’ Championship. However, the Italian youngster came back fighting in Qualifying for the Grand Prix, posting a scintillating Q3 time of 1m 27.798s that nobody else could match across two runs - despite making a mistake on his final lap. Speaking after the session, Antonelli said:
"It’s been an amazing day, to be on pole again. It was obviously a difficult start of the day with the Sprint, where it didn’t go our way, but I’m super happy with the recovery. It was a good Qualifying. I got a little bit too excited on the last lap of Q3, but the first lap was good enough, and I’m really happy with that".
Pushed on how he felt after abandoning his second Q3 lap, Antonelli smiled:
"I was very stressed! I was just waiting for everyone to finish their laps. At the end, as I said before, it was good enough".
Antonelli is now focused on executing a stronger start in Sunday’s Grand Prix and rebuilding his advantage over Russell in the standings, after it was trimmed from nine points to seven in the Sprint:
"Hopefully a magic [start] will happen tomorrow. It would be nice to not lose any positions. We’ll do our best. This weekend has obviously been a little bit more difficult for us, but we’re keeping all this together and we’re maximising the performance".
George Russell is lacking pace relative to Mercedes team mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli at the Florida venue this weekend, lapping around four-tenths slower than the Italian teenager in both grid-deciding sessions. While Antonelli starts Sunday’s race on pole position, adding to his P1 grid slot for the Miami Sprint last year, Russell lines up fifth — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris sit between them. Russell looks set to improve on his final Q3 lap and potentially join Antonelli on the front row of the grid, only to lose out in the final sector and finish a few hundredths behind Norris and Leclerc. Asked if fifth is the maximum he can achieve in Qualifying, Russell replies:
"It’s never the most you can do. I think P3 was on the cards. It’s just a track that I’ve always struggled with. Last year Kimi was pole for the Sprint and I was P5, today he’s pole and I’m P5. It’s not really a major cause for concern, it’s just I know this is a real struggle for me - low grip, really hot temperatures".
Russell cuts Antonelli’s championship lead from nine points to seven in the Sprint race earlier on Saturday, with his team mate suffering a slow start and receiving a penalty for exceeding track limits. Put to him that a more competitive Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren could aid his cause on Sunday by taking the fight to Antonelli, Russell says:
"Potentially, but I don’t really know, to be honest. Tomorrow, who knows what the weather will bring. It’ll be interesting".
After a tricky opening three rounds of the campaign for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, the squad is enjoying a stronger weekend so far at the Miami International Autodrome, having been one of several teams to bring significant upgrades to the event. Verstappen finishes Saturday’s Sprint in P5 - the same position he starts in - but seems to find even more pace in Qualifying, ultimately just missing out on pole by 0.166s to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. When asked after the session what Red Bull has done to the car to find something extra, Verstappen explains:
"For me it’s been two things. For sure, the car has not been great in the previous races, but also from my side I’ve never felt comfortable with the layout of the car. I think over those last few weeks the team has been pushing flat-out to try and bring upgrades to the car, and making me feel more comfortable with a lot of things in the car. It really pays off. I feel more in control of the car again, then I can push a bit more, then the upgrades are working. To be on the front row is way better than I expected heading into the weekend".
Reflecting on what he can achieve on Sunday if he gets a good start - with the forecast for the race suggesting that rain might be on the way - Verstappen says:
"Let’s start with a good start. I’ve not had a lot of them this year. We’ll try to have a look at that, for sure, and see what the weather will do tomorrow, but I’m already very happy with where we are. From here there’s like light at the end of the tunnel, and we can just push on and try to close the gap further".
And in terms of how confident he feels when it comes to Red Bull’s race pace, the Dutchman adds:
"It looked alright in the Sprint, once I was in clean air. Of course, tomorrow is a completely different day".
After gaining one position in Saturday’s Sprint to secure the final podium position, Leclerc admits that he is not satisfied with P3 but feels optimistic that the momentum will help the Scuderia take another step forward in Qualifying. However, despite their extensive upgrades package that aims to close the gap to the Silver Arrows, he winds up 0.345s adrift of Antonelli’s pole position time and later rues the combination of challenging weather conditions and inconsistent car performance. Leclerc says after the session:
"It was on the limit. At the end of the day, we were just not fast enough today, and this weekend. We brought a significant package, which helped us, but there is still here and there where we need to improve a little bit. It was a very tricky Qualifying, the wind was changing also slightly from run to run, so the car was behaving differently. Especially in Turns 11 and 12, there were massive differences between laps, so that was tricky to manage to put a lap together. At the end P3 is a good starting position, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow".
Lewis Hamilton shares his team mate’s hope for the Grand Prix after Ferrari tweaks his car following a frustrating Sprint in which the Briton loses out in a close battle with Verstappen, settling for P7. The adjustments appear to pay off at first, with the seven-time World Champion breaking into the top three during the early runs in Q2, but he cannot improve at the same rate as his competitors and ultimately qualifies in sixth place. He is nevertheless pleased to focus on the positive shift from one session to another as he explains:
"We change the car going into Qualifying and it is much, much better. In hindsight, I wish we start with the car like that - that is where Charles starts. The car is night-and-day different so I am basically learning through the session. When it gets to Q2 it is solid, but then when I get to Q3, I struggle at Turn 1 and Turn 8. I just do not really extract the most from the car. It is a much better car for tomorrow so I am excited for tomorrow’s race".
The weekend is getting off to a strong start for the Woking-based squad - one of many outfits bringing an upgrade package to the event - as Norris seals pole position in Friday’s Sprint Qualifying, which he then converts into a win in the Sprint earlier on Saturday. However, McLaren experiences a tougher outing in Qualifying later in the day amid a competitive session that sees Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull all seemingly in contention. Kimi Antonelli ultimately claims pole, while Norris places fourth and Piastri winds up in seventh place. Asked after the session where he feels the car is not as strong relative to earlier in the weekend, Norris explains:
"I’ve not looked at comparing to the others just yet, but a bit everywhere, honestly. I feel like I was doing a better job, but just we were slower. I think today was probably a little bit more where we should be. I know it was close, so you can probably say we could have been third. I think the weird thing is how much pace we lost from yesterday to today really, so we need to understand that first of all. Some of that is kind of conditions - it’s still a lot hotter than it was at this point yesterday, and the wind was a little bit different. But all in all, it was just a lot trickier - a much more messy session from our side as a team, myself included. Some things to understand, but I think it wasn’t like we did a bad job, it was just yesterday I think everyone else did do a bad job! We capitalised, and today we are more where we deserve to be".
While Norris acknowledges that some little tweaks have been made to the MCL40 between the Sprint and Qualifying, he jokes that this is nothing that should make them slower. On the other side of the garage, there is a tense end to Q1 for Piastri as the Australian only just makes it through to Q2. After progressing from there to the top-10 shootout, Piastri does not have the pace to be in the final battle for pole but suggests that he had expected the margins to be fine:
"We knew it was going to be tight. I think Antonelli’s lap is more what we expected from Mercedes, to be honest. Obviously Lando was pretty close to P2 or P3. For myself, just a very messy session, and a lot of things didn’t quite work the way we expected or hoped, so some digging to do there. Just a bit of a tricky one, with the car as well. Obviously incredibly tough conditions - it’s quite windy, extremely hot, so I think it just puts everything to the test".
Pushed on whether the car has improved throughout the session or whether it has remained the same, Piastri answers:
"More or less the same the whole way through. It certainly wasn’t easy and I think we did a good job yesterday of getting the car in a good window quickly. The car didn’t feel really much different - I think the others just caught up and maximised what they had a lot better. Not a huge surprise, a little bit of a kick back down to reality, but I think there are also things on our side that we can do better, so plenty to work on".
The fifth edition of the Miami Grand Prix is set to begin at 16:00 local time but now commences at 13:00, the FIA, Formula 1 and the Miami Grand Prix say in a statement:
"Following discussions between FIA, F1 and the Miami promoter, the decision has been taken to move the start of Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix to 13:00 local time in Miami due to the weather forecast that is expected to bring heavier rainstorms later in the afternoon close to the original planned race start time. This decision has been taken to ensure the least amount of disruption to the race, and to ensure the maximum possible window to complete the Grand Prix in the best conditions and to prioritise the safety of drivers, fans, teams and staff".
Isack Hadjar will start the Miami Grand Prix from the back of the grid after the Red Bull driver was excluded from Qualifying for a technical infringement. The Frenchman had qualified ninth, seven places behind four-time World Champion team mate Max Verstappen, as Red Bull showed an encouraging turn of pace following the introduction of a significant upgrade package. However, Hadjar and his Red Bull team were called to the stewards on Saturday evening following an inspection of the Frenchman's car. The stewards found a small section of the left and right-hand side floorboard was protruding outside of the permitted reference volume by 2 mm and thus contravened the regulations. As a result, Hadjar was disqualified from Qualifying - although as he had set times in practice that were deemed satisfactory by the stewards, he has been permitted to start the race from the back of the grid. Red Bull have accepted the penalty and do not intend to appeal, with boss Laurent Mekies apologising to Hadjar for the mistake:
"We made a mistake and we respect the decision of the Stewards. No performance advantage was intended nor gained from this error. We will learn from this incident and assess our processes to understand how it occurred and to take steps to ensure it cannot happen again. As a team, we apologise to Isack, and to our fans and partners. We learn the hard way today but we will move forward. Now our focus is on converting yesterday’s encouraging showing into a strong race performance this afternoon".
Following an action-packed build-up featuring the second Sprint of the campaign on Saturday, the attentions of the paddock shift to Sunday’s 57-lap Miami Grand Prix, the fourth round of the 2026 season. Due to heavy rainstorms being forecast for later on Sunday, it is confirmed ahead of the event that the race starts three hours earlier than originally planned. While rain already falls on Sunday morning, the showers abate as the new start time nears - albeit with some clouds still lingering in the sky. Antonelli lines up in pole position for a third consecutive Grand Prix, the Italian putting together an impressive performance in Qualifying - bouncing back from a tricky Sprint just hours earlier - to seal the P1 slot ahead of the resurgent Red Bull of Verstappen. Things do not go so well for Verstappen’s team mate Hadjar, however, who is disqualified from Qualifying for a technical infringement before also being penalised for changes made to his car under parc ferme conditions - meaning that he starts the race from the pit lane. As the cars line up to take the start and the tyre blankets are removed, it is revealed that the entire field starts on the medium compound bar Hadjar on hards. The expected strategy for most is a one-stop in dry conditions - but with the risk of rain during the race standing at 40%, question marks remain over whether the intermediate or full wet tyres might potentially come into play later on. After the formation lap is completed and the five lights go out, Antonelli finds himself with Verstappen and a fast-launching Leclerc on each side of his Mercedes. While the Italian locks up into the first corner, Verstappen - who also suffers a lock-up - makes contact with Leclerc and spins around 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding any further incidents as the pack steams around him.
This all puts Leclerc into the lead ahead of Antonelli and the McLarens of Norris and Piastri, while further back Hamilton collides with Colapinto at Turn 11, resulting in some pieces of bodywork flying off. The incident is noted by the stewards. By Lap 3, Russell picks off Piastri for fourth place, while Verstappen tries to climb his way back through the order, having worked his way up to eighth. Meanwhile Antonelli makes moves one lap later, surging ahead of Leclerc into Turn 17 to take the lead. However, on the next tour Leclerc finds his way back in front of the Silver Arrows machine - while team mate Hamilton loses time due to seemingly picking up damage in that incident with Colapinto, on which the stewards have since decided that no further action is necessary. Just as Norris picks off Antonelli for second place, Hadjar finds himself out of the race after hitting the wall at Turn 14, the Frenchman seen slamming the steering wheel in frustration - and just moments later in a separate incident, Gasly also goes into the barriers, his Alpine flipping over following contact with the Racing Bulls of Lawson. The Safety Car is deployed as the two stricken cars are cleared, while Lawson - whose collision with Gasly will be investigated after the race - heads into the pits to retire his car. Hulkenberg also brings his Audi into the garage, meaning that four drivers are now out of the Grand Prix. Elsewhere Verstappen opts to pit during the Safety Car phase for the hard tyres, dropping him down to P16 – while some of the drivers are warned that some rain is potentially on the way in around 20 minutes’ time. It is confirmed on Lap 11 that the Safety Car phase is ending, with all eyes on Leclerc at the front of the pack. The Monegasque executes a good restart as the action resumes, while Piastri makes his way past Russell into P4 - with the Australian left annoyed by the Mercedes driver’s actions during their battle, reporting:
"That is super dangerous by Russell".
Shortly afterwards it is all happening at the front as Norris snatches the lead from Leclerc, leaving the Ferrari driver to have to defend against Antonelli. The Italian manages to take the position, only for Leclerc to steal it back - but Antonelli subsequently retakes it, albeit with Leclerc remaining close on his tail. Russell radios in to report that he is on the wrong strat mode, while further back Verstappen makes his way up to P11. In not such good news for the Dutchman, he is also noted by the stewards for crossing the line at the pit exit. It seems to be a busy afternoon for the stewards, who also note Ocon, Albon and Alonso for yellow flag infringements. Up ahead, Piastri is scrapping with Leclerc over P3, while Norris continues to extend his lead over Antonelli as he stretches the gap to 2.5s by Lap 18. The drivers are warned again of a shower coming in a few laps’ time, while the stewards confirm that Verstappen’s pit lane exit incident will be investigated after the race. It is also announced that an incident between the Red Bull driver and Albon is noted.
Russell dives into the pits on Lap 21 for a set of hard tyres, bringing him back out into P12 – and shortly afterwards Ferrari seemingly responds as Leclerc then pits. It is a slow stop for the Monegasque of 3.7s, resulting in him returning to the track behind Russell.
"Why do we stop? When is the rain?"
Leclerc asks his team, while Piastri is informed that an approaching shower might particularly affect Turns 7 and 8 and could get heavy. Meanwhile Norris continues to lead from Antonelli as Lap 25 ticks down. Leclerc remains vocal on the radio as he tries to work his way up from P9, stating:
"Next time you make a big decision, speak with me first".
Meanwhile drivers including Antonelli and Colapinto report rain on the track, though this looks to be very light. It is Antonelli’s turn to pit on Lap 27, the championship leader emerging in fifth on hard tyres behind Verstappen and Hamilton, the Dutchman having just taken a position from his former title rival. Norris then pits one tour later to return to the track in third - bringing him out just behind Antonelli. When Piastri subsequently pits from the lead - reemerging in seventh ahead of Hamilton - Verstappen is now in P1 ahead of Antonelli and Norris, only for Antonelli to make a move on Lap 29 before Norris then follows through moments later. There is some tough news for Cadillac on the team’s debut home race when Bottas is handed a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Meanwhile Leclerc is tussling with Russell for P5, the Ferrari ultimately finding a way through. Antonelli reports a possible issue with his gearbox on Lap 34, with Norris making ground on the Italian whose lead now stands at 1.4s. Meanwhile another Mercedes vs McLaren scrap is playing out between Russell and Piastri, the latter snatching P5 into the first corner. After some back and forth that sees the Briton retake the place, Piastri again puts himself ahead, while Norris has closed the gap to Antonelli down to under a second, the latter reporting struggles with his rear tyres.
By Lap 40, Antonelli is now 0.9s ahead of Norris, with Verstappen some 12 seconds down the road in third while Leclerc holds a lonely fourth. Piastri and Russell remain in fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Hamilton, Colapinto, Sainz and Albon. With his early stop meaning that his tyres are now over 35 laps old, Verstappen remains at risk of being caught by the likes of Leclerc, Piastri and Russell during the remainder of the race. But Russell also seems to be facing some challenges on his 22-lap-old tyres, reporting that he is sliding everywhere. Leclerc has cut the gap to Verstappen down to less than a second by Lap 46, while Antonelli is informed that he has received a second strike for track limits. One tour later, Leclerc grabs P3 from Verstappen into Turn 1 - and although the World Champion initially retakes the position, he cannot defend against Leclerc a second time. This allows Piastri to home in on Verstappen, the Australian eventually sweeping through on Lap 49. Meanwhile Antonelli is holding steady at the front, two seconds ahead of Norris as the final laps tick down - but can he hold on until the chequered flag? Reports come in of some light drops of rain as the race enters into its last five tours, with any heavy showers fortunately not on the forecast until after the Grand Prix has ended. The action is not over, though, as Russell is the next to close in on Verstappen in the fight for P5.
"I think he hits my tyre".
Verstappen radios in, with Russell appearing to be carrying damage to his front wing. Elsewhere Piastri is now only half a second back from Leclerc, the McLaren piling the pressure on in a battle for the final spot on the rostrum. Piastri soon picks off Leclerc for third, while there is further drama when the Monegasque spins and taps the wall.
The Ferrari is able to continue on, but soon has Russell and Verstappen - the former having overtaken despite his damage - on his tail. With Norris being told to cool off due to a wing problem, Antonelli stretches his lead out further and crosses the line with a margin of 3.264s to seal a third consecutive win, bringing his championship lead up to 20 points. The McLarens of Norris and Piastri seal their places on the podium, but the fight for fourth is not over, with Russell snatching the position from a struggling Leclerc while Verstappen also overtakes the Ferrari at the line for fifth. However, these drivers all face visits to the stewards after the race: Russell for separate collisions with Leclerc and Verstappen; Verstappen for that Russell incident as well as earlier crossing the line at the pit exit; and Leclerc for his Russell collision as well as leaving the track multiple times and gaining an advantage, and driving in an unsafe condition. Behind them, Hamilton, Colapinto, Sainz and Albon round out the points-scoring positions, ahead of Bearman, Bortoleto, Ocon, Lindblad, Alonso, Perez, Stroll and Bottas, with Hadjar, Gasly, Lawson and Hulkenberg the day’s four retirements. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli expresses his pride and satisfaction after a hard-fought run to victory in the Miami Grand Prix - becoming the first driver in F1 history to win his first three races from his first three pole positions. Antonelli survives another tricky start when Sunday’s encounter gets under way - once again being attacked into Turn 1 before taking to the run-off to avoid Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and then having to dodge Max Verstappen’s spinning Red Bull. After regaining his composure, Antonelli fights back to come out on top in wheel-to-wheel exchanges with Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris, and maturely manages gearbox concerns to ultimately take the chequered flag first. Speaking after the race, the Italian says:
"The start was not as bad as yesterday - it was a little bit better! I didn’t expect Charles to brake that early, so to avoid him I locked up. I was a bit lucky with what happened with Verstappen in Turn 2. I did a little mistake with the energy management, trying to overtake Charles, then I lost a place to Lando, but then the pace was strong and I was able to stay close. Then the team did a great strategy; we did a massive undercut, and we managed to bring it home, even though it was not easy".
Antonelli’s win, combined with team mate George Russell’s fourth-place finish, means the teenager now holds a 20-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship - but he keeps his feet firmly on the ground:
"This is just the beginning; the road is still long. But we’re working super hard, the team is doing an incredible job, and without them I wouldn’t be here - so it’s mainly thanks to them, my family. I’m going to enjoy this one and then get back to work, because Canada is in two weeks’ time".
Lando Norris feels that there are no excuses for McLaren other than being undercut after losing out on victory in the Miami Grand Prix, with the Briton having to settle for P2 behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. In an action-packed race, Norris takes the lead shortly after a Safety Car period in the early stages. However, when he makes a pit stop one lap later than Antonelli, the McLaren emerges back on track behind the Italian. While Norris continues to chase down Antonelli as the race wears on, the Mercedes driver does enough to stay ahead and crosses the line 3.264s clear of Norris. Reflecting on the race, the reigning World Champion says:
"A mixed bag, really. We just got undercut. No excuses other than that. We got undercut; we should have boxed first. Kimi did a good job, hats off to Merc and Kimi - they drove a good race. It’s easy to make mistakes out there with the big braking zones and with these cars, but he didn’t make any big enough for me to capitalise on. I have to be happy, and I think as a team we have to be happy. I’m gutted to miss out on a win here in Miami, I think it was possible today, but not the pace to get back past him in the end. We take it on the chin, and it’s still a positive weekend altogether".
Norris suggests that a key element of the race is who can make the least mistakes, adding:
"You still have to be tactical with how you use the battery; you can easily just get caught up in the wrong running of things and get caught out badly. But other than that, I feel like I did a good job, and the team did a good job all weekend, so I have to be proud of everyone".
On the other side of the garage, Oscar Piastri gets himself into the action during the latter stages of the race, overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc towards the very end to grab the final position on the podium. Piastri concedes after the Grand Prix:
"It’s not been the most straightforward of weekends. I think Qualifying yesterday was a bit messy for both of us McLaren drivers, but the pace seemed more encouraging again today. I had to make a few overtakes, and obviously the end of the race was a pretty late charge, but it’s just very, very tricky around here, especially in these conditions. Thanks to the team. Clearly, we’re a step closer in performance once again, so it’s nice to see".
With the event proving to be McLaren’s strongest of the season so far, Piastri admits that it is definitely promising to see how much the team has closed the gap to Mercedes:
"I think this weekend we showed that if we get track position, we can hang onto things well. We were close in Japan, but we’ve definitely taken a step forward, and hopefully in Canada we can take another step forward again. I’m excited for the future".
Charles Leclerc admits that his dramatic spin on the final lap of the Miami Grand Prix is all on me as the Ferrari driver loses out on a potential podium to finish sixth. The Monegasque driver suffers highs and lows during Sunday's 57-lap race in Miami, having initially led proceedings after getting the jump on polesitter Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen from third on the grid. Leclerc is eventually shuffled back over the opening laps after tussling for position with Antonelli and Lando Norris, but loses further ground after an early pit stop drops him behind George Russell. Having recovered the position and overtaken Verstappen, Leclerc is running third but concedes the spot on the penultimate lap to Oscar Piastri down the back straight. In his bid to re-pass the McLaren driver, Leclerc completes a high-speed spin through the opening section on the final lap. Although able to rejoin, Leclerc has glanced the left-hand side of his Ferrari against the wall, with the damage leaving him unable to defend from Russell and Verstappen through the final corners. Leclerc says:
"Very disappointed with myself. The last lap mistake is all on me and it cost us P3 or P4, more likely it would have been a P4 but the P3 was still right there. I'm very disappointed with myself, mistakes happen but on the last lap of the race like that, it's frustrating and not the level where I should be at. It's been a very strong start to the season, not many mistakes. This one luckily didn't cost us too many points but it could have ended in the wall. It's a shame".
Leclerc finishes more than 44 seconds behind race winner Antonelli as Norris pushes the Italian teenager until the chequered flag, with the McLaren driver having claimed victory in the Sprint. Leclerc admits that Ferrari seems to have fallen behind the reigning Teams' champions, but that an early pit stop makes life difficult:
"McLaren was very strong. On my side, I tried everything I could try. Managed the lap times on some part of the race but then our strategy was a little bit sub-optimal and that made it difficult".
Max Verstappen feels that Red Bull’s decision to pit him early in the Miami Grand Prix limits his ability to fight for any position higher than P5. The Dutchman recognises the team’s progress over the weekend though - the Milton Keynes outfit brings extensive upgrades to Miami along with many of their competitors - as they look to recover from a lacklustre start to the year that has a high point of P6 in the opening round. The updates seem to pay off from the get-go as Verstappen secures a top-five finish in the Sprint and comes close to taking pole position for the Grand Prix, losing out to Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by 0.166s in a close-fought Qualifying session. However, his front row start falls away from him in a matter of corners as he locks up heading into Turn 1, loses a position to Charles Leclerc before he dramatically spins and plummets to P10. Reflecting on the mistake, Verstappen says:
"Bit of a shame, of course, what happened in Turn 2 - I just lost the rear and then I tried to recover or minimise the damage by doing that 360".
He then drops further down the order as Red Bull switches out his medium compound tyres for hards during an early Safety Car period while his team mate Isack Hadjar's car is recovered, as well as the Alpine of Pierre Gasly from a separate incident. The decision eventually sees Verstappen inherit the lead of the race as his rivals choose to wait until later to pit, but it also means that his tyre performance drops off as the end approaches, resulting in him losing places to Oscar Piastri and George Russell. P6 looks to be the best result the Dutchman can hope for, but Leclerc spins on the final lap of the race and bumps the wall, suffers damage that forces him to limp to the finish line where Verstappen pips him to fifth by just under three-tenths:
"We opted to go early onto the hard compound and I think now in hindsight after the race, it was probably a bit too long, that stint. It was just too difficult to keep the tyres alive. I just think that on the hard compound we were not that competitive. On the medium I felt a bit better".
George Russell believes his performance in the Miami Grand Prix is clearly an outlier weekend for me, as he is unable to match Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli after finishing a distant fourth. Russell finishes 43 seconds behind race winner Antonelli after struggling for pace during Sunday's 57-lap race in Miami, and prior to that in Qualifying and the Sprint. A late-race overtake on Max Verstappen and a last-lap pass on Charles Leclerc eventually mean Russell salvages fourth from fifth on the grid, which leaves him 20 points behind Antonelli in the standings after just four rounds. Says Russell when asked if P4 is a reasonable result considering his lack of pace:
"It's a funny old place and it's been a funny old weekend, so I'm very glad to see the end of it and just looking forward to getting into more traditional circuits. It's clearly an outlier weekend for me".
Mercedes enters this season with an advantage under the new-for-2026 rules, and many expect Russell to take a commanding lead in the standings compared to his teenage teammate, who is only competing in his sophomore season. Antonelli takes three consecutive pole positions and Grand Prix victories, though, but Russell believes that small details mean he slips behind his more inexperienced teammate in the pecking order:
"It's obviously a little bit frustrating but I think over the course of a year that's always going to be the case at certain points. It's why I'm still standing here, head held high because Australia I was quickest, pole and win. China I had the pace, won the Sprint, pole in that and had the issue in Qualifying. Japan also had the potential for victory without the unfortunate timing of a Safety Car. The smallest of differences, I could be standing here saying okay Miami is a one-off and this is my first bad weekend of the season. Unfortunately it's not but that's the way the game goes and its swings and roundabouts".
Charles Leclerc’s day at the Miami International Autodrome has taken a turn for the worse after the stewards gave him a post-race time penalty. Leclerc was called up by the officiating panel for three separate potential offences, triggered when the Ferrari man suffered a last-lap spin and tapped the wall. After that, Leclerc was noted for driving his damaged car in an unsafe condition, leaving the track multiple times and gaining an advantage, and clashing with Mercedes rival George Russell at the final hairpin. Following their investigations, the stewards opted to hand Leclerc a drive-through penalty, which - given that this was handed out after the Grand Prix - has been converted into 20 seconds being added onto his race time, dropping him down the order to eighth place. This penalty was given for leaving the track on several occasions without a justifiable reason, a document released following the stewards’ hearing confirmed. After hearing from Leclerc and a team representative - as well as the data, video and radio evidence - the findings from the stewards read:
"Car 16 spun on the last lap at Turn 3 and hit the wall but continued on track. The driver informed us that the car appeared fine save that the car would not negotiate the righthand corners properly. Given this problem, he was forced to cut chicanes on the way to the chequered flag. We determined that the fact that he had to cut the chicanes (i.e. to leave the track) meant that he gained a lasting advantage by leaving the track in that manner. The fact that he had a mechanical issue of some sort did not amount to a justifiable reason. We accordingly impose a Drive Through penalty on Car 16, given the number of times the car left the track and gained an advantage. We also considered whether there was an additional breach in continuing to drive a car with an obvious and discernible mechanical issue. We determined that there was no evidence of there being an obvious of discernible mechanical issue. We therefore took no further action in relation to that potential infringement".
In a separate investigation for Leclerc’s contact with Russell into Turn 17, the stewards deemed that no further action was necessary, stating in a document from that hearing:
"Both drivers considered the contact to be minor racing incidents and we agreed".
Max Verstappen has been given a time penalty after he was found guilty of a pit exit breach at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday. Having made an early pit stop under the Safety Car, Verstappen crossed the white line separating the pit exit and the track when he rejoined the action - something that was promptly noted by the stewards. Once they had looked into the situation post-race, the stewards confirmed Verstappen’s transgression and handed out the standard five-second time penalty. Verstappen would have dropped from fifth to sixth in the results, behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, but the Monegasque was also given a 20-second penalty after the chequered flag. Read the stewards’ report:
"When the incident occurred, there was limited video evidence to make a clear decision on whether an infringement had occurred. We therefore decided to investigate the incident after the race, to see if we could get better video evidence of the incident in the meantime, perhaps from other angles. We were able to do so. The new angles did show more views of the pit exit line and the incident in question. The driver of Car 3 explained that he was driving out of the pit exit and rejoined the race under full course yellow. The stewards determined that the outside of the front left-hand tyre did cross the outside of the solid white pit exit line in violation of Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 6 c) of the International Sporting Code. Given the nature of the infraction, the stewards elected to impose a penalty of five seconds".