George Russell admitted he was surprised that Mercedes’ consecutive pole positions since the start of the season saw McLaren’s Lando Norris take the lead in Miami GP sprint qualifying.
Mercedes had a dominant start to the season, taking pole position and winning the first three races of the year, but the five-week gap since the Japanese Grand Prix allowed their rivals to introduce upgrades that were expected to have a big impact on the first day of circuit practice in Florida.
Norris took pole position ahead of Russell’s teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, but Norris sank into sixth place, behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull each brought important upgrade packages to Miami, but Mercedes only brought a few new parts as it waits for the Canadian Grand Prix in late May to bring in its big package.
“It’s pretty amazing how big a leap McLaren and Ferrari have made. It’s pretty impressive,” Russell said. “We knew they were probably closing the gap, but they were faster than us all day.
“From my perspective, I’ve been struggling. Miami is not my favorite circuit with particularly hot conditions, but it’s still only sprint qualifying, so let’s see how tomorrow goes.”
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Ted Kravitz takes a closer look at all the upgrades made by McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend
Antonelli, who has won back-to-back races in China and Japan and leads Russell at the top of the drivers’ standings, appeared to have the upper hand over his team-mate all day, but he confirmed that with a great lap in the closing stages of sprint qualifying to draw the McLarens into a draw.
Antonelli said: “It was a pretty tricky session. I was really struggling with the car. On the mediums I couldn’t get a good lap, but on the softs the car suddenly came alive.”
“I think I had a little bit of breathing room. Despite everything, it was a decent result and I did a great job with the team to recover. I’m definitely going to dig deeper tonight and see what I can improve on to be faster.”
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George Russell admits he was surprised by the improvements made by McLaren and Ferrari during qualifying for the Miami Sprint GP
Norris: McLaren’s progress is a ‘pleasant’ surprise
Norris has been quick throughout Friday and looks to have a great chance of closing the gap on Antonelli in the championship to 47 points.
The reigning world champion said he was “confident” in the car but was “surprised” by the two-tenth difference between him and the rest of the field.
“I feel very good. I’m very happy for the team. There are always high expectations. A lot of effort has been put into bringing these upgrades, but it’s always difficult to predict or know what will happen in a new weekend,” he said.
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Watch Lando Norris take pole position at the Miami Grand Prix Sprint.
“But from the first lap, literally after Turn 1, everything felt better. I just had some confidence in the car, a little bit more than last year. And today I felt like I was able to take advantage of that throughout the day.”
“So it was a good start to the weekend. To be honest, it was probably better than we expected. Of course we were expecting something better, but we didn’t know what it was going to be in terms of quantity. So it was a bit of a surprise, but it was certainly fun.”
Norris’ strong performance was followed by Piastri for third place, a result reminiscent of McLaren’s dominant form throughout most of last season.
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Lando Norris admits his McLaren car is ‘better’ as he takes pole position in the Miami Grand Prix sprint
Hamilton: I was hoping it would be better.
While McLaren’s upgrade has propelled McLaren to the top, Ferrari’s update has not had a similar impact, despite bringing the latest parts to Miami with 11 new elements listed by the FIA, including improved floors and suspension.
Lewis Hamilton finished seventh, nearly eight tenths behind pole sitter Norris, disappointed by his lack of pace.
“I had no idea what was going to happen. I was hoping it would be better, but the car didn’t feel particularly good,” said the seven-time world champion.
“We thought we’d be stronger than we were today. We need to practice all night to understand why we’re not as fast. We expected to come in here and be higher…but it wasn’t meant to be.”
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Lewis Hamilton admits his Ferrari did not perform as expected after qualifying seventh in the Miami Grand Prix sprint
Leclerc was fastest in practice and the second half of sprint qualifying, so he was expected to fight for sprint pole.
However, he was unable to convert his medium pace to soft when it mattered most, but hopes Ferrari will have stronger race pace.
“Upgrades are fine, everyone just brought in upgrades. We kind of expected a situation where Mercedes was the car to beat, but McLaren has made a big step forward.”
“I felt like they didn’t optimize the first race very much, so they were always there but couldn’t put it all together.
“Today on our side it was particularly difficult with the tires. The mediums worked very well, but the softs didn’t have a good feel, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
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The Miami Grand Prix is a unique experience. Check out some of our favorite moments from the past few years.
Verstappen: “Red Bull’s deficit has been almost halved”
Dissatisfied with F1’s new regulations for 2026, with Verstappen unhappy with his car’s performance in the opening three races, the Red Bull driver said he is considering his future in F1 after the season ends.
Dutch fans will have been pleased to see a more competitive performance in Miami, with Verstappen finishing fifth ahead of Russell and Hamilton.
The four-time world champion has never qualified higher than eighth in the first three races, but is ninth in the drivers’ standings, already 60 points clear of Antonelli.
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Red Bull unveils brand new rotating rear wing during practice for Miami Grand Prix
Verstappen said: “We feel more together. Of course we are still working on things, but it’s a more positive step for us. In the last few races we were more than a second behind. I would say that’s almost halved.”
“We are still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly the fast (corners), so we know we need to work on that, but the rest looked more cohesive. We seemed to be able to clear the middle.”
“It’s a little more normal and together. It’s not where I want it to be yet, but it’s made me a little more confident and allowed me to get a little more lap time.”
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Max Verstappen says his Red Bull feels “more united” after the team upgraded its car ahead of the Miami Grand Prix
Sky Sports F1 Miami GP Schedule
Saturday, May 2nd
2:55pm: F2 Sprint
4pm: Miami GP sprint build-up
5pm: Miami GP Sprint
6:30pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook
8pm: Miami GP qualifying build-up*
9pm: Miami GP Qualifying*
11pm: Ted’s Qualification Notes*
Sunday, May 3rd
5:25pm: F2 Feature Race
7pm: Miami GP Build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
9pm: Miami Grand Prix*
11pm: Miami Grand Prix reaction: Checkered flag*
12am: Ted’s Notes*
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
F1 is celebrating a sprint weekend in Miami as the 2026 season resumes. Watch the Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 from 9pm on Sunday. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
