2026 Miami Sprint results: Lando Norris dominates Antonelli's start woes continue

Lando Norris delivered a commanding performance to win the Miami Grand Prix Sprint race, leading home a McLaren 1-2 ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. While the papaya cars controlled the pace at the front, championship leader Kimi Antonelli endured another frustrating opening lap, further highlighting his ongoing struggles off the line in the 2026 season.

Pre-Race Drama Strikes Audi and Racing Bulls

Even before the lights went out, the Miami Sprint delivered high drama. Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi came to a fiery halt at Turn 17 on the way to the grid, forcing the experienced German out of the race prematurely. Meanwhile, Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad suffered a technical issue that prevented him from even making a pit lane start, reducing the field before the formation lap was complete.

Antonelli Swallowed at the Start

Reigning world champion Norris lined up on pole, with Antonelli placing his Mercedes on the front row, splitting the two McLarens. However, as has been the case throughout the 2026 campaign, Antonelli struggled to get his Mercedes off the line.

Norris executed a perfect launch, while Antonelli was immediately swallowed by the pack. A horrible getaway saw the young Italian drop down to fourth by the opening corners, with Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc surging past. This left Antonelli vulnerable and battling with his Mercedes teammate, George Russell.

Further back, the opening corners were equally chaotic. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton engaged in a fierce tussle, with the two world champions touching wheels and scattering carbon fibre across the Miami circuit.

Tyre Strategies and Upgrade Impacts

In the early stages, Cadillac demonstrated impressive pace on the hard compound tyres. Sergio Perez swiftly dispatched the medium-shod Williams of Alex Albon and the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson. Conversely, Aston Martin’s gamble on the soft compound failed to pay dividends. The team once again struggled for performance, unable to make significant progress from the back of the field, although Lance Stroll did manage to edge ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso.

At the front, Norris looked entirely comfortable. It appears that both McLaren and Ferrari have successfully closed the performance gap to Mercedes with their respective upgrade packages introduced for the Miami Grand Prix.

Mid-Race Battles and Brake Issues

By Lap 7, Antonelli began to struggle visibly with rear grip, sliding his Mercedes through Turns 14 and 15. This allowed Russell to close in and edge past the championship leader around Turn 19 and down the main straight. However, Antonelli showed his resilience, quickly responding at Turn 11 to reclaim fourth position.

Behind the Mercedes duo, the battle between Verstappen and Hamilton raged on. The Red Bull driver briefly overtook the seven-time world champion off the track, correctly handing the position back at Turn 18 to avoid a penalty. The scrap, however, cost them time, dropping the pair two seconds adrift of the Mercedes battle ahead.

In the closing stages, the fight for second place intensified. Leclerc, who had briefly dropped back from Piastri during the middle phase of the Sprint, began to reel in the Australian with six laps remaining as the McLaren driver started to struggle for grip.

Despite closing the gap, the Ferrari lacked the ultimate pace to execute an overtake. Leclerc's challenge faded when he ran wide at Turn 11, with suspicions that he had overheated his brakes—an issue seemingly confirmed when he struggled again at Turn 17, forcing him to settle for third.

Post-Race Penalties Alter the Order

As Norris crossed the line to secure a commanding Sprint victory, race stewards announced an investigation into Antonelli for a track limit violation. The Italian was subsequently handed a five-second time penalty, which demoted him from fourth down to sixth in the final classification, promoting Russell to fourth and Verstappen to fifth.