Lando Norris dominated the Miami Sprint from pole to flag to hand McLaren their first win of 2026. Oscar Piastri held off Charles Leclerc to secure second and give McLaren a one-two finish. The result marked the biggest points haul for any team this season and validated their Miami upgrade package.
Kimi Antonelli suffered a poor start and a five-second track limits penalty that dropped him from fourth on the road to sixth. George Russell recovered to fifth after Verstappen finished ahead on track.
McLaren One Two Shows Upgrade Package Works
Norris controlled the Sprint from lights to checkered flag. He crossed the line 3.766 seconds ahead of Piastri. The gap proved McLaren found genuine pace with their six-upgrade package rather than just a one-lap qualifying boost. Piastri spent the closing laps defending from Leclerc but held position without serious threat.
McLaren scored 15 constructors’ points from the Sprint. That cuts their deficit to Ferrari from 37 points to 30 in one afternoon. Mercedes gained eight points. Ferrari gained eight points. The championship order stays the same but the gaps tightened significantly.
Norris now has 33 championship points after his first win of the season. He jumped multiple positions in the drivers’ standings with the eight-point haul. Piastri added seven points. The McLaren drivers finally have momentum after watching Mercedes dominate the opening races.
Antonelli Start Problem Costs Championship Points
Antonelli lined up second on the grid. He dropped positions immediately at the start. The poor launch marks another recurring issue for the championship leader. Mercedes described it as a fundamental problem they are working urgently to fix. He recovered through the field but picked up a five-second penalty for track limits violations.
The penalty dropped him from fourth on the road to sixth in the final classification. He scored three points instead of five. Russell gained five points to close the championship gap from nine points to seven. Antonelli still leads with 75 points. Russell sits second with 68. The margin continues to shrink.
Mercedes gained eight constructors’ points despite Antonelli’s struggles. Russell drove cleanly to fifth on track, which became fourth after the penalty was applied. The team maintains a 45-point lead over Ferrari but McLaren closed to within 82 points after the one-two finish.
Ferrari Hold Third But Cannot Match McLaren Pace
Leclerc finished third on track and kept the position in the final classification. He pressured Piastri in the closing laps but could not find a way past. Hamilton finished seventh after battles with Verstappen on the opening lap and again around lap eight. The pair rubbed wheels twice without major incident.
Ferrari brought 11 upgrades to Miami. The package delivered strong one-lap pace in qualifying but race performance fell short of McLaren’s level. Leclerc gained six points. Hamilton gained two points. The team added eight constructors’ points total, the same as Mercedes.
Hamilton admitted post-Sprint that he hoped Ferrari would be stronger. The car did not feel particularly good during the race. Ferrari’s deficit to Mercedes in the constructors’ championship stays at 45 points. McLaren closed from 52 points behind Ferrari to 37 points in one Sprint.
Verstappen Shows Red Bull Progress Despite Fifth Place
Verstappen finished fifth on track, which became fourth after Antonelli’s penalty. He battled Hamilton twice in the opening laps with wheel-to-wheel contact both times. He pulled clear in the second half of the Sprint. Red Bull showed their best pace of the weekend so far.
Verstappen called it a really positive step compared to recent races. Red Bull closed the gap to the leaders significantly. The rotating rear wing brought to Miami appears to deliver measurable gains. However, fifth place still puts him well behind the top three teams on pure performance.
Cadillac Home Race Ends in Disappointment
Perez finished 17th, 76.691 seconds behind Norris. Bottas finished 20th, 89.597 seconds behind the winner. Both drivers started near the back and made minimal progress during the Sprint. The major upgrade package showed in reliability but not lap time. The gap to the midfield remained over a second per lap.
This was Cadillac’s home race. The special Stars and Stripes livery attracted attention. The team brought their biggest upgrade package of the season. The result delivered nothing to celebrate. Neither driver threatened points or even the lower midfield teams.
Perez described Miami before the weekend as the biggest test for the team. The test exposed that Cadillac still operates well behind the established midfield pace. Small gains in car feel, as Bottas mentioned after qualifying, do not translate to competitive race speed yet.
Sunday Qualifying Decides Main Race Grid
The Sprint awarded 36 total points across eight positions. McLaren gained the most. Mercedes and Ferrari stayed level. Red Bull, Alpine, and the midfield teams picked up smaller hauls. Sunday’s main Grand Prix qualifying happens later today. Rain forecasts show up to 80 percent chance of thunderstorms for the race itself.
Norris leads McLaren into qualifying with confidence. Antonelli needs to fix his starts before Sunday. Ferrari must find race pace to match their qualifying performance. Cadillac faces another session starting from the back unless weather creates chaos.
