2026 F1 Round 4, Miami Grand Prix Sprint: Norris wins as McLaren finish one-two

In the early hours of May 3, China Standard Time (UTC+8), the Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix, Round 4 of the 2026 F1 season, took place at the Miami International Autodrome. Lando Norris converted pole position into victory, with Oscar Piastri second, securing McLaren’s first one-two finish since the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix.

It was not only the first win of the season for Norris and McLaren, but also the first victory this season for a team other than Mercedes.

Miami has been a turning point for McLaren in recent years: Norris claimed his maiden career victory here in 2024, and in 2025 the team became the first in history to finish one-two in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix on the same weekend.

As F1 resumed after a break of around five weeks, Miami revealed a shift in the competitive order. Against a Mercedes team that had been dominant from the outset, an upgraded McLaren and Ferrari, along with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, joined the fight at the front.

Reigning world champion Norris took pole in Sprint Qualifying, ahead of Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in second and Piastri (McLaren) in third.

Before the Sprint started, everyone at the circuit observed a moment of silence for motorsport and Paralympic legend Alex Zanardi, who had died the previous day. After that poignant moment, the short, 19-lap, 100-kilometre contest began.

At the start, Norris made good use of pole position to retain the lead through Turn 1. He then stayed clear of any trouble and settled into his race in clean air.

Behind him, Antonelli suffered another sluggish getaway, dropping from second to fourth as Piastri and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) passed him. Antonelli then came under pressure from team-mate George Russell.

Norris steadily extended his advantage over Piastri as the laps ticked by, building a lead of around four seconds by the chequered flag. Although it was a Sprint, the victory offered a clear demonstration of McLaren’s race pace.

“A very good race. Even though it’s a Sprint, I’m happy to be back on top. It’s a great day for us. The team have done an incredible job bringing the upgrades. Everyone seems to be saying similar things, but our upgrades really have helped a lot this weekend. So I’m happy to have delivered a result for the team.”

Leclerc stayed within one second of Piastri for much of the race, keeping up the pressure on second place. But he ran wide while chasing Piastri in the closing stages and ultimately finished third, 2.5 seconds behind him.

At Mercedes, an intra-team battle unfolded. At the end of lap seven, Russell used Antonelli’s slipstream on the long straight to snatch fourth at the hairpin.

On the following lap, Antonelli reclaimed the position in a braking duel at Turn 11. He subsequently received a black-and-white flag warning for repeated track limits infringements, before another infringement late in the race brought a five-second penalty.

As a result, Antonelli, who crossed the line fourth, was classified sixth. Russell took fourth, with Verstappen promoted to fifth.

While McLaren dominated the race, another focal point on track was the battle between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari). The pair fought over sixth from the opening lap, racing wheel-to-wheel at close quarters, and renewed their contest midway through. That tension stood out all the more in such a short Sprint.

On lap nine, Verstappen dived down Hamilton’s inside at Turn 11. Hamilton protested over the radio: “Max overtook me off the track.” Red Bull instructed Verstappen to give the position back, which he initially did.

Verstappen then reset the gap and, a few laps later, completed a clean pass at Turn 17. Verstappen ultimately finished fifth and Hamilton seventh, with both scoring points.

Pierre Gasly (Alpine) finished eighth, claiming the final point. Gasly passed team-mate Colapinto at the start and held firm in the points-paying positions.

Colapinto lost momentum immediately after the start as he was caught between Hamilton and Verstappen, before becoming embroiled in a battle with Isack Hadjar (Red Bull).

Hadjar started ninth but dropped to 12th in the opening stages. He then fought his way back, pulling off a bold overtake at Turn 4 late in the race to take ninth.

Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) initially gained positions with an excellent start and ultimately finished 11th. However, he was disqualified after the race for an engine intake pressure infringement. Post-Sprint technical checks found that the pressure exceeded the 4.8 barA limit, breaching Article C5.3.2 of the regulations.

Behind Bortoleto were Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman. Ocon’s car also shed a piece of bodywork.

There had already been plenty of drama before the start: Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi caught fire on a reconnaissance lap and stopped beside the track. Marshals worked to extinguish the blaze, leaving the 12th grid slot empty.

Arvid Lindblad also failed to start. The Racing Bulls rookie had been due to start 15th, but was ordered to start from the pit lane because his mechanics continued working on the car beyond the permitted time and failed to place it in parc fermé. The car never subsequently emerged from the garage.

Most drivers chose medium tyres. The exceptions were the two Aston Martin-Honda cars on softs and the two Cadillacs on hards.

For Aston Martin-Honda, Fernando Alonso finished 15th and Lance Stroll 17th, with Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) between them. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) finished 19th.

Alexander Albon (Williams) pitted for a replacement front wing late in the race and finished 18th. Carlos Sainz (Williams) was 13th and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 14th.

Qualifying was held at the same circuit in the early hours of May 3, China Standard Time (UTC+8).