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Jolyon Palmer thinks Mercedes’ perfect start to the 2026 season will come to an end at the Miami Grand Prix this weekend. The Silver Arrows have won all three races so far, as well as the first Sprint.
Mercedes bagged a one-two in the first two rounds, with George Russell winning in Australia before Kimi Antonelli’s maiden career victory in China. Antonelli then went back-to-back in Japan, but Russell was bumped off the podium.
While Russell was unfortunate with the timing of the safety car, McLaren showed impressive speed with second-place finisher Oscar Piastri. They, like Ferrari, are expected to bring a major upgrade after the enforced break.
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Jolyon Palmer picks Lando Norris to win the Miami Grand Prix
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer predicted that McLaren would beat Mercedes this weekend, with Lando Norris taking his second career win in Miami.
Palmer feels Norris has been unfortunate so far this season but backed him to take maximum points as long as he delivers a ‘clean’ weekend.
F1 has made changes to the race-start rules in an effort to improve safety, though it remains to be seen if this helps Mercedes in any way after a string of poor launches.
F1 is back! Who is going to win the Miami Grand Prix?
“I can see George coming out of the blocks quite quickly and taking the Sprint,” said Palmer. “Throw it forward to the race, and I’m just going to go curveball.
“I’m going to say McLaren get on top of this. You had Oscar second in Japan, and I’m going to say Lando gets a clean run through Miami. He’s had the win there in the past, new car, punchy McLaren and they show us what they’re capable of.
“Norris takes a surprise win ahead of the two Mercedes.
“Mercedes have got to see if they can get off the line still. If they can get off the line, they will be difficult to beat. If they can’t and you’ve got these upgrades coming on the Ferrari and the McLaren, they came through with a bit of difficulty in Japan, they have to learn to get these cars off the line.”
James Hinchcliffe disagrees with Jolyon Palmer’s Miami prediction
Palmer’s F1TV colleague James Hinchcliffe thinks Mercedes’ win streak will continue for the moment, though he has backed reigning champion Norris to score his first podium of the year.
The opening practice session in Miami has been extended to 90 minutes after the rule changes, but the teams still have limited time to hone their upgrades due to the Sprint format.
“I still think Mercedes come with the slight advantage,” said Hinchcliffe. “Even with all the upgrades, you’ve got to figure them out first. Their baseline’s the best.
“It’s still a Mercedes one-two, and we’ll throw Lando in there for P3 because he’s been quick in Miami in the past.”
Mercedes have never won in Miami, with the four races so far split between Red Bull and McLaren.
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