McLaren’s Lando Norris storms to Miami Sprint pole, ends Mercedes streak

Reigning world champion Lando Norris delivered a statement lap to clinch pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint, edging out Mercedes’ rising star Kimi Antonelli and breaking the Silver Arrows’ early-season dominance.

Under the lights at the Hard Rock Stadium, Norris clocked a stunning 1:27.869 to secure top spot for Saturday’s 100km sprint, finishing 0.222 seconds ahead of Antonelli.

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The result also denied McLaren a front-row lockout, with Oscar Piastri settling for third, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth.

Lando Norris produced a stunning lap to secure pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint. Drawing on his experience of racing twice here last season, he narrowly edged Kimi Antonelli and denied McLaren a front-row lockout with an impressive 1:27.869 at Hard Rock Stadium.@F1… pic.twitter.com/Ptxf9t02NH

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) May 2, 2026

Fresh upgrades appear to have transformed McLaren’s fortunes, and Norris didn’t hold back in praising the team’s effort.

“A perfect result for us. A nice way to reward the team,” he said. “We have a lot of new upgrades on the car. It’s nice to feel some grip again and to reward the guys and the girls that have put a lot of work into this.”

Having won last year’s sprint in Miami, Norris once again showed his comfort around the circuit but remained cautious about the weekend ahead. Mercedes drivers had dominated the opening three races of the season, making this McLaren breakthrough even more significant.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen qualified fifth for Red Bull Racing, while Mercedes’ George Russell ended up sixth. Russell admitted he was surprised by the leap in performance from both McLaren and Ferrari.

“Pretty surprising how big a jump McLaren and Ferrari made. That’s pretty damn impressive,” he said.

Further down the order, Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto completed the top eight. Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

It was another tough outing for Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll struggling at the back of the grid.

With momentum shifting and upgrades reshaping the competitive order, all eyes are now on the sprint and Sunday’s main race to see if McLaren can convert this breakthrough into a win.