Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Miami GP Sprint with a time of 1:27.869. This marks McLaren’s first pole of the 2026 F1 season and breaks Mercedes’ qualifying dominance.
Kimi Antonelli qualified second, just two tenths behind Norris. Oscar Piastri secured third place, while Charles Leclerc, who led the practice session, finished fourth.
Max Verstappen qualified fifth, ahead of George Russell in sixth. Lewis Hamilton managed seventh despite setting faster times earlier in the day.
Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten, finishing eighth and tenth respectively. Notably, Lance Stroll did not set a time due to an early spin.
McLaren introduced significant upgrades for this race, which seem to have paid off. George Russell remarked on the impressive leap made by McLaren and Ferrari, stating, “Pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That’s pretty damn impressive.”
Lando Norris expressed his satisfaction with the performance, saying, “I feel very good. I’m very happy for the team.” He acknowledged the hard work that went into bringing these upgrades.
Mercedes, on the other hand, introduced fewer upgrades compared to McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Russell noted that they were quicker all day.
The qualifying format for 2026 includes 22 cars, with six eliminated in SQ1 and SQ2 rounds. Observers will be keen to see how this reshaped grid affects race dynamics in tomorrow’s event.