2026 Miami GP Sprint Qualifying: Norris grabs Sprint pole from Antonelli

Lando Norris celebrated Sprint pole for the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, becoming the first driver to beat Mercedes in a competitive session in 2026.

Norris lit up Friday at the Miami International Autodrome, storming to pole position and securing McLaren’s first P1 grid slot of the season. In a session defined by razor-thin margins and a high-pressure, one-lap shootout finale, Norris delivered when it mattered most — throwing down a 1m 27.869s to take control of the grid for Saturday’s Sprint.

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Having shown strong pace throughout SQ1 and SQ2, Norris carried that momentum into the final segment, where drivers had just a single opportunity to hook up a lap. The Briton executed flawlessly, finishing 0.222s clear of Kimi Antonelli, with the championship leader once again underlining Mercedes’s underlying pace despite earlier struggles in practice. Oscar Piastri completed a strong showing for McLaren in third, just fractions behind Antonelli, as the battle at the front of the 2026 F1 World Championship continued to tighten.

2026 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Results

2026 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying, 1 May 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:28.723	1:29.366	1:27.869	15
2	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:29.312	1:29.209	1:28.091	14
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:29.169	1:28.506	1:28.108	11
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:28.733	1:28.333	1:28.239	15
5	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:29.801	1:29.093	1:28.461	12
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:29.659	1:28.903	1:28.493	15
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:29.255	1:28.841	1:28.618	15
8	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:30.386	1:29.527	1:29.320	15
9	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	1:30.352	1:29.750	1:29.422	15
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:29.984	1:29.973	1:29.474	15
11	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:30.561	1:29.994		12
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:30.270	1:30.019		12
13	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:30.614	1:30.116		9
14	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:30.988	1:30.216		12
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:30.987	1:30.224		12
16	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:30.872	1:30.573		9
17	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:31.043			5
18	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:31.245			6
19	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:31.255			3
20	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:31.826			6
NC	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:41.311			6

Tight margins define top 10 as Ferrari and Red Bull stay in the fight

Just behind the leading trio, Charles Leclerc converted Ferrari’s promising form into fourth place on the grid, having looked competitive throughout all three segments. Max Verstappen followed in fifth for Red Bull, keeping himself within striking distance despite not quite matching the pace of the McLarens and Mercedes.

Further back, George Russell could only manage sixth in the sister Mercedes, ending the session around six-tenths off Norris’ benchmark. Lewis Hamilton placed seventh for Ferrari, while Alpine secured a double top-10 presence with Franco Colapinto in eighth and Pierre Gasly in tenth — split by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in ninth.

Midfield battles and early exits highlight competitive depth

Sprint Qualifying once again exposed the fine margins across the midfield, with the Audi duo of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missing out on SQ3 in 11th and 12th. Ollie Bearman followed in 13th for Haas, while Williams endured a frustrating session with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz eliminated in 14th and 15th — the latter voicing clear frustration over team radio.

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad slotted into 16th, while team-mate Liam Lawson exited earlier than expected in SQ1, ending up 17th. Behind them, Esteban Ocon placed 18th for Haas, with Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas taking 19th and 20th respectively during the team’s first home event.

Aston Martin struggles continue as Norris takes control

It proved to be another difficult outing for Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll propping up the grid in 21st and 22nd after failing to progress beyond SQ1. Ongoing technical concerns and a lack of outright pace left them firmly on the back foot heading into the Sprint.

At the front, however, the narrative belonged to Norris — whose commanding performance not only delivered McLaren a breakthrough moment in 2026, but also injected fresh energy into an already intense championship fight. With limited time to reset and points immediately on offer, the high-stakes Sprint could further reshape the season’s order in Miami.

2026 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Starting Grid

The Sprint starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2026 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying session.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time
1	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:27.869
2	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:28.091
3	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:28.108
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:28.239
5	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:28.461
6	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1:28.493
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:28.618
8	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	1:29.320
9	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	1:29.422
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:29.474
11	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	1:29.994
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	1:30.019
13	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	1:30.116
14	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:30.216
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:30.224
16	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	1:30.573
17	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:31.043
18	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	1:31.245
19	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	1:31.255
20	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	1:31.826
21	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:41.311
22	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	Not Time Set