Lando Norris eased to victory in the Miami Grand Prix sprint to claim his first win of the 2026 season. The world champion started from pole position and was never under threat as he took the chequered flag almost four seconds ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Championship implications
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who started second, once again paid the price for a poor start. He crossed the line in fourth place but was later hit with a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him to sixth. As a result, his early lead in the standings was cut to just seven points by finishing two places behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Norris is now 42 points adrift of Antonelli, having missed the Chinese Grand Prix due to a mechanical issue. The Briton's victory in Miami marks a significant turnaround for McLaren, who arrived with an upgraded package that has brought them back into contention.
Battles throughout the field
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton engaged in a thrilling duel, with the Dutchman ultimately prevailing to finish sixth and seventh. Verstappen was promoted one place by Antonelli's penalty. Mercedes had won every race this season, both sprint and full distance, but McLaren's upgrades have closed the gap.
Norris broke Mercedes' grip on qualifying in 2026 by securing sprint pole on Friday evening, as McLaren took a big step forward at the track where the 26-year-old claimed his first Formula 1 win in 2024.
Antonelli and Russell have struggled with their starts all season, but hoped small tweaks had improved Mercedes' getaways. However, that did not prove to be the case for the Italian, who was again sluggish when the lights went out, allowing Piastri and Charles Leclerc to jump ahead of him.
Antonelli fended off Russell as Hamilton and Verstappen banged wheels through the opening corners. Hamilton got past the Red Bull before the first lap ended to claim sixth, with Verstappen losing two places to run seventh.
There was little further action for the first seven laps, but the race burst into life as Russell dived past Antonelli into the final corner, and the title protagonists continued their fight across the rest of the lap. The Italian won the battle to reclaim fourth, while Hamilton and Verstappen also resumed their tussle.
Verstappen got past the seven-time champion into turn 11, with both cars running off the track. Red Bull told him to give the place back, but the Dutchman completed the move cleanly on lap 10 to take sixth.
Out front, Norris was untroubled as he maintained a healthy margin to Piastri, who fended off late pressure from Leclerc to secure a McLaren one-two finish.
