Friday: Heat, Limited Preparation and an Early Signal from Ferrari
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix took place on 1–3 May at the Miami International Autodrome in the sprint weekend format. That immediately made Friday especially important: instead of the usual three practice sessions, the teams had only one session in which to evaluate updates, find the right balance for the car and prepare for sprint qualifying. In this format, a mistake with the set-up can be far more costly than usual, because there is almost no time left to correct it.
Charles Leclerc topped the only practice session with a lap of 1:29.310. Ferrari looked confident over a single lap, and the Monegasque driver immediately signalled that he would be a serious contender for a strong result. Max Verstappen was second, with Oscar Piastri third. Mercedes, by contrast, began the weekend with some difficulties: the team had to work through balance issues and technical details, which could have seriously complicated its preparation in a sprint format.
However, the competitive picture changed later that evening. In sprint qualifying, McLaren made the decisive move of the day: Lando Norris took pole for Saturday’s sprint with a lap of 1:27.869. Kimi Antonelli was second, Oscar Piastri third, Leclerc fourth and Verstappen fifth. The session showed that Ferrari had pace in practice mode, but McLaren put together the stronger lap when the track became quicker and the margin for error narrowed.
The main conclusion from Friday was clear: Miami was not shaping up as a weekend dominated by a single team. Ferrari had speed, McLaren looked very strong in the sprint format, Red Bull with Verstappen remained in contention, and Mercedes, despite a difficult start, still had major potential through Antonelli. After the opening day, it was already clear that the weekend would be decided not only by outright pace, but also by starts, tyre management, traffic and strategy.
Saturday: McLaren Wins the Sprint, but Antonelli Takes the Main Pole
Saturday’s sprint became a confirmation of McLaren’s strength. Norris held the lead confidently after the start and converted the 19-lap race into victory, preventing Piastri and Leclerc from getting close enough to mount a real attack. Piastri finished second, with Leclerc third. For McLaren, this was not only a valuable points haul but also an important psychological boost: the team showed it could control a race and impose its pace on its rivals.
For Antonelli, the sprint was less successful. The Italian started from second place but lost positions in the opening laps, became involved in a battle with George Russell and, after the finish, received a penalty for track limits infringements, dropping him to sixth. Against the backdrop of his qualifying speed, it served as a reminder that even with outstanding pace, the young driver is not yet immune to mistakes in close racing and at the start.
There was also plenty of action behind the leaders. Verstappen and Hamilton fought a hard duel, ran side by side several times and added further tension to the race. Verstappen finished sixth on the road but was promoted to fifth after Antonelli’s penalty. The final sprint point went to Pierre Gasly, an important result for Alpine.
The main event of Saturday, however, came later — in qualifying for the Grand Prix. Antonelli quickly put the disappointing sprint behind him and responded in the best possible way: he took pole position with a lap of 1:27.798. It was his third consecutive pole of the season. Verstappen was just over a tenth of a second behind in second, Leclerc took third, Norris was fourth, Russell fifth, Hamilton sixth, while Piastri ended up only seventh after a less-than-clean session for McLaren.
Saturday therefore had two storylines. McLaren won the sprint and confirmed its strong race pace, but Mercedes took the key position for Sunday. Antonelli showed maturity: after a mistake in the sprint, he did not lose focus and delivered the perfect lap when it mattered most.
Sunday: A Nervous Start, a Strategic Mercedes Move and Antonelli’s Third Consecutive Victory
The 57-lap Grand Prix was the most dramatic part of the weekend. The start immediately destroyed any calm scenario for the polesitter. Antonelli came under pressure from Verstappen and Leclerc, the cars were on the limit into Turn 1, and Verstappen soon spun and dropped down the order. The race quickly became unpredictable: the leader could not simply disappear into clean air, while his rivals were given a chance to intervene in the fight for victory.
The opening laps were further complicated by incidents involving Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly, which brought out the safety car. These moments disrupted the rhythm of the race and forced the teams to react more quickly to the situation. Strategy was no longer a pre-planned sequence: much depended on the timing of the pit stop, tyre condition and track position after the restart.
The lead changed hands several times during the race. Antonelli, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri and Verstappen all spent time at the front. That was what made the race especially compelling: Mercedes’ victory was not a simple case of domination from pole. Antonelli had to regain control after a difficult start, while the team won not only through speed but also through a precise strategic call.
The key moment was Antonelli’s pit stop. Mercedes brought its driver in earlier and successfully used the undercut. McLaren responded a lap later, but Norris had already lost the initiative. After the race, the British driver admitted that the team had no real excuses: McLaren had simply lost out strategically at the decisive moment. At the same time, Piastri noted that the team’s race pace was encouraging, even though qualifying for the Grand Prix had been less than ideal.
In the closing laps, the fight for victory came down to Antonelli and Norris. McLaren remained close, but Mercedes held the advantage. Antonelli won the race in 1:33:19.273, with Norris finishing second, 3.264 seconds behind, and Piastri third. Russell took fourth place, with Verstappen fifth. For Antonelli, it was a third consecutive victory and an important historical achievement: he became the first driver to convert his first three Formula 1 pole positions into wins.
For Ferrari, the end of the race was painful. Leclerc had been in podium contention for a long time, but in the final laps he lost position to Piastri, then spun, and after the finish received a 20-second penalty for repeatedly leaving the track without sufficient justification. As a result, he dropped to eighth, while Hamilton moved up to sixth. Alpine scored an important result thanks to Franco Colapinto’s seventh place, while Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon brought points to Williams by completing the top ten.
Weekend Conclusions: Mercedes Leads, but the Fight Is Getting Closer
The 2026 Miami Grand Prix confirmed that Kimi Antonelli has become one of the central figures of the early season. His qualifying speed no longer looks like a one-off flash of brilliance, while his victory after a difficult start and pressure from Norris demonstrated an even more important quality — the ability to win races that do not unfold perfectly. After victories in China and Japan, Miami became his third win in a row, and his championship lead grew to 20 points.
McLaren, despite missing out on victory, left Miami with its best weekend of the season. A sprint win, second and third places in the Grand Prix, strong race pace and clear progress compared with the previous rounds showed that the team is now capable of fighting Mercedes directly. But Miami also exposed McLaren’s weakness: even with strong pace, the team does not always make perfect use of strategic opportunities, while a poor qualifying session for the Grand Prix made Sunday more difficult for Norris and Piastri.
Ferrari left a mixed impression. Leclerc began the weekend with the fastest time in practice, was quick in qualifying and spent much of the race fighting for the podium, but a late penalty turned a potentially strong result into a loss of important points. Hamilton drove a steadier but less spectacular race and ended up ahead of his team-mate in the final classification only because of Leclerc’s penalty. For Ferrari, it was a weekend of speed without full execution.
Red Bull and Verstappen also showed signs of returning to the fight for the leading positions. Second place in qualifying was a strong signal after a difficult start to the season, but a mistake in the race and a spin cost the team any chance of victory. In those circumstances, fifth place was more a salvaged result than a failure.
Miami 2026 turned into a weekend with three different focal points. On Friday, Ferrari showed strong single-lap pace; on Saturday, McLaren won the sprint and confirmed its strength over a race distance; and on Sunday, Mercedes and Antonelli took the result that mattered most — victory in the Grand Prix. This round did not close down the intrigue of the season; on the contrary, it made it sharper. Antonelli remains the championship leader, but McLaren is now close, Ferrari still has potential, and Red Bull with Verstappen is gradually returning to the fight.
