McLaren Claims First Win of 2026 Season with Dominant Miami Sprint 1-2
Lando Norris led from start to finish to deliver McLaren’s first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Miami Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday, team-mate Oscar Piastri completing a controlled 1-2 for the Woking team. Norris crossed the line 3.766 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third, 6.251 seconds back. George Russell moved to fourth in the final standings after championship leader Kimi Antonelli was relegated from fourth to sixth with a post-race five-second penalty for track limits violations. The result trimmed Antonelli’s championship points lead over Russell to seven with Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix still to run.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Sky Sports
Antonelli Takes Third Consecutive Pole at Miami, Matching Senna and Schumacher
Kimi Antonelli delivered a third consecutive pole position at Miami International Autodrome on Saturday evening, setting a 1m27.798s lap to head the Miami Grand Prix starting grid. Max Verstappen qualified second, 0.166 seconds behind, his best result of the 2026 season. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell. Antonelli's three poles from three race weekends places him in company with Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher as the only drivers in Formula 1 history to claim pole in each of their first three starts. The 18-year-old Italian heads the grid alongside Verstappen on Sunday.
Sources: Sky Sports, RaceFans, Motorsport.com
Red Bull's Sweeping Miami Upgrade Transforms Verstappen from Midfield to Front Row
Max Verstappen said he no longer felt like a passenger after Red Bull's heavily upgraded RB22 earned him a Miami front-row start, qualifying second just 0.166 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli. Red Bull's package covered the front wing, floor, sidepods and rear aerodynamics. The improvement was stark: at Suzuka three weeks earlier, Verstappen was 1.2 seconds off the pace. Red Bull cited improved mechanical balance as the key gain, though high-speed corners remain a relative weakness. The upgrade put Verstappen within genuine race-winning distance of the championship leaders heading into Sunday's 57-lap event at Miami International Autodrome.
Sources: Motorsport.com, The Race
Miami Grand Prix Start Moved Three Hours Earlier to Beat Severe Thunderstorm Threat
Formula 1 officials moved Sunday's Miami Grand Prix start forward three hours to 1:00 pm local time after severe weather was forecast for South Florida. Thunderstorms packing 50–80 km/h winds, up to 35 mm per hour rainfall and frequent lightning were expected during the original 4:00 pm local window. Florida law mandates suspension of outdoor events whenever lightning is detected within eight miles of the venue, a rule that could have forced an early halt. The FIA and organisers acted to maximise the weather window and ensure the best prospect of completing all 57 laps before afternoon conditions deteriorate.
Sources: Sky Sports, Motorsport.com
Antonelli Penalised for Sprint Track Limits, Championship Lead Over Russell Cut to Seven Points
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli lost ground in Saturday's Miami sprint after a post-race five-second penalty for track limits violations dropped him from fourth to sixth. Antonelli accumulated four infringements across the 19-lap race, receiving a warning flag on lap 12 before a final breach on the last lap triggered the automatic sanction. Team principal Toto Wolff attributed the poor race start that hampered Antonelli's sprint to a system glitch on the team's side rather than driver error. George Russell, who finished fifth on the road, inherited fourth place in the revised standings, cutting his team-mate's championship lead from twelve to seven points.
Sources: Sky Sports, Motorsport.com
Audi Hit by Double Disaster at Miami: Hulkenberg Fire Before Sprint, Bortoleto Disqualified After
Audi endured a wretched Saturday at Miami, suffering a pre-race fire and a post-race disqualification within three hours. Nico Hulkenberg's car caught fire on the formation lap before the sprint, preventing him from starting; mechanics repaired the burned chassis in 45 minutes so Hulkenberg could contest main qualifying. Team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th in the sprint but was disqualified after stewards determined his engine intake air pressure had exceeded the permitted 4.8 barA limit. Audi cited higher temperatures than expected as the cause. The back-to-back incidents raise serious reliability concerns for the German manufacturer in just its fourth race weekend as an F1 constructor.
Sources: GPFans, The Race, Motorsport.com
All Teams Except Aston Martin Bring Upgrades to Miami as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull Debut New Packages
All Formula 1 teams except Aston Martin brought new parts to Miami, with Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull fielding the most ambitious upgrade packages. Ferrari logged eleven changes to the SF-26, covering the floor, suspension and rear wing. McLaren revised the brake ducts, bodywork, floor and rear wing, describing the scope as approaching a new car. Red Bull's package featured revised active-aero elements, floor geometry changes and sidepod revisions. Charles Leclerc cautioned the Ferrari updates would not close the gap to Mercedes, but Verstappen's front-row qualifying result showed Red Bull's overhaul delivered dramatic immediate gains, turning a midfield contender into a front-row challenger in a single weekend.
Wolff Focuses Mercedes on Constructors' Lead as Antonelli-Russell Title Fight Intensifies
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff addressed the sharpening internal championship battle after Saturday's sprint further tightened the fight between his two drivers. Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by seven points heading into Sunday's race, a margin that has changed at each of the four events completed. Wolff defended Antonelli's sprint start as a team-side glitch while crediting Russell's consistent pressure. Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren all brought major upgrades to Miami, and Wolff acknowledged that his team's constructors' lead of 45 points over Ferrari meant external pressure was also growing. Protecting that advantage, Wolff indicated, remains Mercedes' primary focus.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Autosport
Drivers' Championship
1. Kimi Antonelli — 75 pts
2. George Russell — 68 pts
3. Charles Leclerc — 55 pts
4. Lewis Hamilton — 43 pts
5. Lando Norris — 33 pts
6. Oscar Piastri — 28 pts
7. Oliver Bearman — 17 pts
8. Max Verstappen — 16 pts
9. Pierre Gasly — 16 pts
10. Liam Lawson — 10 pts
11. Isack Hadjar — 4 pts
12. Arvid Lindblad — 4 pts
13. Gabriel Bortoleto — 2 pts
14. Carlos Sainz — 2 pts
15. Franco Colapinto — 1 pts
16. Esteban Ocon — 1 pts
17. Alexander Albon — 0 pts
18. Nico Hülkenberg — 0 pts
19. Sergio Pérez — 0 pts
20. Valtteri Bottas — 0 pts
21. Lance Stroll — 0 pts
22. Fernando Alonso — 0 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 143 pts
2. Ferrari — 98 pts
3. McLaren — 61 pts
4. Haas — 18 pts
5. Alpine — 17 pts
6. Red Bull — 16 pts
7. Racing Bulls — 12 pts
8. Audi — 2 pts
9. Williams — 2 pts
10. Cadillac — 0 pts
11. Aston Martin — 0 pts