Mercedes’ streak of qualifying dominance in 2026 ended in Miami as Lando Norris took pole for the sprint race.
The McLaren driver outpaced championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Oscar Piastri’s strong run ensured Mercedes-powered cars occupied three of the top four grid slots.
George Russell could manage only sixth in the other Mercedes, lined up behind Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
SQ1
Lando Norris’s practice simulation had already been compromised when he met Alexander Albon at turn 17, and his first flying lap in SQ1 suffered the same fate. Norris abandoned that opening attempt after yellow flags were shown for Lance Stroll, who had locked up and stopped at the corner with an apparent technical issue.
With Norris sidelined temporarily, Charles Leclerc posted the early benchmark of 1’29.290, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli right on his heels. When Norris completed a clean lap he jumped to the top, setting a 1’28.723. Leclerc’s second run brought him within a hundredth of Norris’s time.
The remainder of the order saw team-mates from the leading squads fill the next positions, with Mercedes again split by their drivers: Antonelli ahead while George Russell struggled to match the pace. Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon failed to progress after lock-ups at turn one, and Stroll set no time after his earlier lock-up. The Cadillac pair also bowed out in the team’s first home race.
Both Williams drivers initially advanced to SQ2. Race control approved Alexander Albon’s lap despite a track-limits flirt at turn seven, but stewards later opened an investigation during Q3. That review came too late to affect whether Lawson should have been promoted to the second round.
SQ1 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.723 | |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.733 | 0.010 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’29.169 | 0.446 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’29.255 | 0.532 |
| 5 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’29.312 | 0.589 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’29.659 | 0.936 |
| 7 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’29.801 | 1.078 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.984 | 1.261 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’30.270 | 1.547 |
| 10 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’30.352 | 1.629 |
| 11 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’30.386 | 1.663 |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’30.561 | 1.838 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’30.614 | 1.891 |
| 14 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’30.872 | 2.149 |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’30.987 | 2.264 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’30.988 | 2.265 |
| 17 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’31.043 | 2.320 |
| 18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’31.245 | 2.522 |
| 19 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’31.255 | 2.532 |
| 20 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’31.826 | 3.103 |
| 21 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’41.311 | 12.588 |
| 22 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | No time |
SQ2
In SQ2 Norris battled oversteer and couldn’t match his earlier pace, dropping to seventh and more than a second off Charles Leclerc’s improved time. Leclerc found roughly four tenths during his run to lead the session.
Oscar Piastri produced a smooth lap to split the Ferraris and progress in second. George Russell had a stronger run and finished ahead of Antonelli, who reported heavy brake locking, while Max Verstappen also posted a quicker time than the Mercedes rookie.
Isack Hadjar secured a place in the top 10 despite encountering Gabriel Bortoleto at the end of his lap. Bortoleto narrowly missed out on advancing by just two hundredths of a second but still outpaced his experienced team-mate.
That left Alpine with both cars in the shoot-out alongside Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull. Both Williams drivers were eliminated, as was Oliver Bearman.
SQ2 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.333 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.506 | 0.173 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.841 | 0.508 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.903 | 0.570 |
| 5 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’29.093 | 0.760 |
| 6 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’29.209 | 0.876 |
| 7 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’29.366 | 1.033 |
| 8 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.527 | 1.194 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’29.750 | 1.417 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.973 | 1.640 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’29.994 | 1.661 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | R26 | 1’30.019 | 1.686 |
| 13 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’30.116 | 1.783 |
| 14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’30.216 | 1.883 |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’30.224 | 1.891 |
| 16 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’30.573 | 2.240 |
SQ3
In the final shoot-out Norris, Leclerc and Hamilton traded fastest sector times early on as the top ten began their single soft-tyre runs. Norris was first to set a complete lap, delivering a 1’27.869 that proved decisive.
Norris’s middle sector was particularly strong. Leclerc made a correction at turn 11 and could not match the McLaren, ending almost four tenths slower. Hamilton produced a scruffy lap and crossed the line around three-quarters of a second adrift.
Oscar Piastri secured a front-row slot alongside Norris, while Antonelli left his run late and posted the quickest middle sector but ultimately had to settle for second on the grid. For the first time this season no Mercedes chassis claimed pole.
Verstappen put the updated Red Bull in a solid fifth place, ahead of Russell and Hamilton. Isack Hadjar finished ninth for Red Bull, with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto impressively out-qualifying his team-mate.
SQ3 result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’27.869 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.091 | 0.222 |
| 3 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’28.108 | 0.239 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.239 | 0.370 |
| 5 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’28.461 | 0.592 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’28.493 | 0.624 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’28.618 | 0.749 |
| 8 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.320 | 1.451 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’29.422 | 1.553 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’29.474 | 1.605 |
2026 Miami Grand Prix
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- F1 drivers say they are still at the mercy of their power units over a flying lap
- McLaren’s Miami GP radio messages show the scars of Qatar GP tactical error
- ‘This is not the level F1 should be’: Norris tells F1 to ‘ditch the battery’
- Lawson was right: Racing Bulls should not have ordered him to let Verstappen past
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