Lando Norris wins the Miami Sprint as Mercedes struggle for pace against McLaren and Ferrari

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Lando Norris has won the Miami Grand Prix Sprint race ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri after Kimi Antonelli struggled with his race start.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris lined up on pole for the Sprint race, while title leader Kimi Antonelli secured a front-row start by placing his Mercedes between the two McLarens.

Antonelli has struggled with his starts throughout the 2026 season, often losing positions in the opening corners, something that was expected to play into the hands of the McLarens on the first lap.

Before the race had even begun, disaster struck for Audi as Nico Hulkenberg’s car came to a fiery halt at Turn 17, forcing him out of the race before lights out. Alongside the experienced Audi driver, the Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad suffered a technical issue and was unable to make a pit lane start.

Norris got a strong launch off the line, with Antonelli once again swallowed by the grid, with Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc making their way past the young Italian. It was a horrible getaway for Antonelli, which saw him dropped down to fourth and battling with his teammate George Russell behind.

It was a dramatic opening few corners for the top ten, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton having a tussle, which saw the two cars touch wheels and sprinkle some carbon fibre across the track.

In the early stages, Cadillac showed impressive pace on the hard tyres, with Sergio Perez swiftly dispatching Alex Albon’s Williams and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls, both running on mediums.

Aston Martin, meanwhile, opted for the soft compound but once again struggled for performance, unable to climb from the back of the field, though Lance Stroll did manage to get ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso.

McLaren and Ferrari appear to have closed the gap to Mercedes with the upgrades introduced for the Miami Grand Prix, with Norris looking comfortable out front in the opening phase of the Sprint.

Antonelli began to struggle with rear grip on Lap 7, sliding through Turns 14 and 15 and leaving himself vulnerable to George Russell, who edged past the championship leader around Turn 19 and down the main straight.

However, the Italian quickly responded at Turn 11 to reclaim fourth, as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled behind. The Dutchman briefly overtook the seven-time world champion off track before handing the position back at Turn 18, though the pair subsequently fell two seconds behind the Mercedes duo.

Leclerc appeared to briefly drop back from second place to Piastri in the mid part of the race, before coming back at the Aussie with six laps remaining. With just a few laps remaining, the Monegasque closed in on the McLaren driver who began struggling for grip.

Despite looking like Leclerc might snatch second place, it appeared that the Ferrari didn’t quite have the pace to make the overtake before running wide at Turn 11. There were suspicions that he had overheated his brakes, after then struggling once again at Turn 17.

As the Sprint race came to an end, race stewards announced they were investigating Antonelli for a track limit violation, which saw him handed a five-second penalty, dropping him down to sixth.

Following the Miami Sprint, the FIA confirmed that Gabriel Bortoleto had been disqualified due to a power unit infringement. Further inspection revealed that Audi’s engine intake air pressure had exceeded the maximum permitted limit.

Although the breach occurred only briefly during the shorter session and was subsequently corrected, FIA regulations require the car to remain compliant at all times.

Full results for the 2026 Miami Sprint race

Polesitter Lando Norris secured a commanding win in the Miami Sprint, while Kimi Antonelli’s poor start dropped him behind Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. A late battle for second saw Leclerc struggle with brake issues, forcing him to settle for third.