The 2026 Miami Grand Prix was heavily affected by changing weather, technical disqualifications, and a highly competitive midfield battle, with rain threatening to turn the main race into a chaotic finale.
Sprint Qualifying
Lando Norris (McLaren) delivered a standout performance to take Sprint Pole with a 1:27.869, ending Mercedes’ strong qualifying streak and signalling McLaren’s upgraded pace.
He was joined at the front by championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) in P2 and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in P3, with Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) fourth and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) fifth. The session was extremely tight, with mixed conditions and tyre struggles affecting several teams.
Image Credit: Motorsports.com
Sprint Race
Norris converted pole into a dominant Sprint win, leading from start to finish and securing McLaren’s first victory in any format of the season. Piastri completed a McLaren 1–2, with Leclerc finishing third.
Antonelli dropped down the order after a poor start and a time penalty, while Verstappen finished fifth after recovering places.
Gabriel Bortoleto was later disqualified for an illegal engine intake air pressure breach, removing him from the classification entirely. Overall, McLaren looked like the strongest team in Sprint conditions.
Qualifying
In qualifying, Mercedes struck back as Antonelli claimed a sensational third consecutive pole position with a 1:27.798, narrowly beating Verstappen. Leclerc took third, while Norris managed fourth after not fully replicating his Sprint pace.
The session was chaotic due to changing wind and low grip, and margins were extremely small across all top teams (Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren all looked competitive). Isack Hadjar was initially P9 but was disqualified after his Red Bull was found to have an illegal floor dimension, sending him to the pit lane for the start of the race.
Image Credit: Sky Sports News
Grid & Conditions
After post qualifying penalties were applied, Antonelli would still start on pole ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc, with Norris fourth. The field remained extremely tight, and rain forecasts added major uncertainty to race strategies for the teams.
Race build-up
Originally scheduled for 4pm local time, the Grand Prix was moved forward to 1pm due to heavy rain and thunderstorms expected later in the day. This forced teams to rapidly adjust strategy, setup, and tyre plans, with the threat of wet conditions making the race highly unpredictable. There was even speculation whether it would be full race distance or half race distance because of the forecast.
Grand Prix
Leclerc overtook both Verstappen and Antonelli before the first corner, while Antonelli locked up at Turn 1. Verstappen then made slight contact with Hamilton and spun, and more making contact with several other drivers during a chaotic opening lap. Hulkenberg pitted for a new front wing after picking up damage, and Lawson also had a small lock-up.
The stewards reviewed an incident between Hamilton and Colapinto at Turn 11 but decided to take no further action. Hamilton had already sustained damage earlier in the lap. On Lap Four, Antonelli retook the lead from Leclerc, but Leclerc reclaimed first place a lap later.
Lap Six brought out the safety car after a major crash involving Hadjar and also Gasly in two separate incidents. Hadjar clipped the wall at Turn 14, and later in the lap Lawson clipped Gasly at Turn 17, sending Gasly’s car airborne before it crashed heavily. Lawson retired from the race after the collision and was placed under investigation.
Hulkenberg retired on Lap Nine with an engine issue. Racing resumed on Lap 12, with Leclerc controlling the restart as the green flag was shown. On Lap 13, Norris overtook both Antonelli and Leclerc to take the lead. A lap later, Antonelli and Leclerc battled intensely for second place, with Antonelli coming out ahead.
Verstappen was later noted by the stewards for crossing the pit exit line, with the incident set to be investigated after the race. Several drivers were also investigated for possible yellow flag infringements.
Leclerc and Piastri then fought over third place, but Leclerc managed to stay ahead on Lap 18. Between Laps 22 and 23, Leclerc made an early pit stop due to pressure from Russell, despite initially wanting to stay out as there was no rain at the time. Bottas was also investigated for speeding in the pit lane and received a drive-through penalty.
Around Laps 32 and 33, Antonelli experienced problems with his gearbox paddles, although the issue soon disappeared. During this stage of the race, drivers attempting to gain positions were creating a “yo-yo” effect, with cars bunching up and dropping back repeatedly. By Lap 37, Antonelli’s rear tyres were beginning to wear heavily, but Mercedes told him they needed the tyres to last another ten laps.
Between Laps 42 and 46, Leclerc steadily closed the gap to Verstappen in the battle for third place. On Lap 47, Leclerc finally overtook Verstappen, but Verstappen immediately fought back and reclaimed the position. Moments later, Leclerc passed him again to retake third.
On Lap 48, Piastri also got past Verstappen to move into fourth place. On Lap 55, Russell attempted to overtake Verstappen but damaged his front wing during the move.
The final lap was chaotic. Piastri overtook Leclerc for third place, before Leclerc spun under pressure. Russell then passed Verstappen, and the two made slight contact during the battle. Antonelli went on to win the Miami Grand Prix, while Russell finished fourth and Verstappen took fifth after Leclerc dropped back following his spin.
Top Ten
- Kimi Antonelli
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- George Russell
- Max Verstappen
- Charles Leclerc
- Lewis Hamilton
- Franco Colapinto
- Carlos Sainz
- Alex Albon
Post race penalties were applied to Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen after the Miami GP. Leclerc received a 20 second penalty for leaving the track “on several occasions without a justifiable reason” on the final lap. Verstappen received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit. Meaning that Leclerc dropped to P8, promoting Lewis Hamilton to P6 and Franco Colapinto to his highest ever finish in P7, while Verstappen stayed P5.
Feature Image Credit: Sky Sports News
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