Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Miami GP Sprint with a time of 1:27.869, marking McLaren’s first pole of the 2026 F1 season.
As of early Tuesday, Kimi Antonelli qualified second, just two tenths behind Norris. Oscar Piastri took third place in qualifying, while Charles Leclerc finished fourth after leading the practice session.
Max Verstappen qualified fifth, ahead of George Russell in sixth. Lewis Hamilton ended up seventh despite setting faster times in earlier sessions.
Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly qualified eighth and tenth respectively. Notably, McLaren introduced significant upgrades for this race, which contributed to their impressive performance.
George Russell remarked, “Pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That’s pretty damn impressive.” Lando Norris expressed his satisfaction by stating, “I feel very good. I’m very happy for the team.” He added that there were high expectations due to the extensive work on upgrades.
The qualifying format for 2026 includes 22 cars, with six eliminated in SQ1 and SQ2. Lance Stroll did not set a time due to an early spin, while Fernando Alonso’s time was notably slower due to issues with his car.
Mercedes introduced fewer upgrades compared to McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull. This shift raises questions about their performance moving forward in the season.
The Miami GP Sprint is expected to take place later this week as teams prepare for what promises to be an exciting race.
