Formula 1 returned to action this weekend in Miami, Florida, following a five-week gap since the previous Grand Prix in Japan, caused by the cancellation of the rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia last month for safety reasons. It felt like the season was beginning all over again, with most teams introducing significantly updated cars, and it was Mercedes’ rising star, Kimi Antonelli, who claimed the Grand Prix victory spoils, with McLaren’s Lando Norris having won the previous day’s shorter Sprint event.

With Miami being a Sprint weekend, there was just a single practice session on Friday, but it was extended from its usual one-hour duration to ninety minutes because of the various technical changes introduced regarding the harvesting and deployment of electrical power following significant driver concerns raised mainly by McLaren’s reigning world champion, Norris, and Red Bull’s four-time champion, Max Verstappen. It was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who set the pace ahead of Verstappen, with a flying Antonelli hampered by power unit issues. Qualifying for Saturday’s 19-lap Sprint encounter then followed, and at the front of the grid, Norris and his third-placed teammate, Oscar Piastri, sandwiched the teenage Antonelli in their upgraded McLarens. Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s ongoing misery simply got worse as Fernando Alonso was almost ten seconds slower than 20th-placed Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll failed to even set a time.

... although to their rear we did witness some entertaining close racing at times between the Mercedes cars of Antonelli and George Russell and also between Verstappen and his old nemesis, Lewis Hamilton, before the latter dropped away.

A minute’s silence was held before the start of the Sprint race following the death of the 59-year-old Italian, Alex Zanardi, on the previous evening. He was a former Formula 1 driver, a US Indycar Series double champion and a Paralympic multiple gold medallist, who had to have both legs amputated following a serious motor racing accident in 2001 and later suffered severe head injuries during a handcycling event. He was a true gentleman and an inspiration to all about how to overcome adversity, and I recall the shock I felt back in 2001 when news of his terrible injuries at Germany’s Lausitzring reached me while reporting that same weekend from Silverstone.

Turning back to the action in Miami, when the Sprint got underway, Norris, Piastri and Leclerc circulated as the leading trio from start to finish, although to their rear we did witness some entertaining close racing at times between the Mercedes cars of Antonelli and George Russell and also between Verstappen and his old nemesis, Lewis Hamilton, before the latter dropped away. Antonelli reached the chequered flag in fourth position, behind the podium trio, but a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits too often dropped him to sixth behind his teammate and Verstappen.

Later on Saturday, qualifying for the Grand Prix took place, and it was Antonelli who claimed his third pole position in a row, with Verstappen the best of the rest. Conditions were expected to be wet for Sunday’s race, but the start time was brought forward by three hours to 13.00 local time in the hope of avoiding the worst of the forecast thundery weather. It was set to be a journey into the unknown for all the drivers, as the event was the first time the new 2026 cars raced in wet weather.

Weather forecasters around the world tend to be pretty accurate, but in Florida, the race turned out to be almost devoid of rain, revealing an abundance of overtaking created by the new technical regulations, almost to the level of being excessive and less meaningful. Leclerc sprinted from the second row on the grid into an early lead, while Antonelli and Verstappen faced their challenges. The safety car was called into action on lap six after Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar self-inflicted a visit to the trackside barriers, ending his race prematurely, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly experienced a slow-speed roll after contact with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.

When racing resumed six tours later, Norris soon claimed the lead from Leclerc, and, as the Grand Prix progressed, it became clear that Antonelli and the McLaren driver were in a class of their own out front. Norris pursued Antonelli relentlessly for lap after lap but was never quite close enough to challenge for the lead, and we were left to witness another superb display of pure racing talent from the 19-year-old Italian, who so reminds me of a young Ayrton Senna.

By lap 50 the pair were 22 seconds ahead of third-placed Leclerc, and on the penultimate tour Piastri helped himself to the final podium position, while Ferrari’s Monégasque driver spun and damaged his car with a fleeting tap of the barriers before continuing. Leclerc, Russell, and Verstappen were subsequently required to visit the FIA stewards post-race to discuss various alleged misdemeanours; the former was given a 20-second penalty for several offences on the final lap, which demoted him from sixth to eighth in the official results. Verstappen was given a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit, which didn’t affect his fifth-place finish, and Russell avoided any penalty.

... Norris soon claimed the lead from Leclerc, and, as the Grand Prix progressed, it became clear that Antonelli and the McLaren driver were in a class of their own out front.

Antonelli increased his lead at the top of the Drivers’ championship standings to 20 points after winning the last three Grands Prix from pole position, a fact that will hardly have gone unnoticed by his teammate Russell, who started the season as the title favourite.

Juggling existing contracts with the promoters of every F1 round around the world in an attempt to reduce the level of long-haul travel by grouping events by geographical location is an ongoing process, and progress is being made. However, the long-agreed 2026 calendar means that there is now a further three-week interval before Montreal hosts the Canadian Grand Prix round, which will also include a Sprint race. As a result, the delay means that all the teams will be returning to their UK and European bases before then heading back across the Atlantic bound for Montreal.


2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix
1 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1hr33m19.273s
2 Lando Norris (McLaren) +3.264s
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +27.092s
4 George Russell (Mercedes) +43.051s
5 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +48.949s
6 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +53.753s
7 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1m1.871s
8 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1m4.245s
9 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1m22.072s
10 Alex Albon (Williams) +1m30.972s
11 Oliver Bearman (Haas) Lapped
12 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) Lapped
13 Esteban Ocon (Haas) Lapped
14 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) Lapped
15 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) Lapped
16 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) Lapped
17 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) Lapped
18 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) Lapped
19 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) Retired
20 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Retired
21 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) Retired
22 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) Retired

2026 Formula 1 Miami Sprint Race
1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 29m15.045s
2 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +3.766s
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +6.251s
4 George Russell (Mercedes) +12.951s
5 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +13.639s
6 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +13.777s
7 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +21.665s
8 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +30.525s
9 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +35.346s
10 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +36.970s
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +48.438s
12 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +56.972s
13 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +57.365s
14 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +58.504s
15 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +59.358s
16 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1m16.067s
17 Sergio Pérez (Cadillac) +1m16.691s
18 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1m17.626s
19 Alex Albon (Williams) +1m28.173s
20 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) +1m29.597s
21 Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) Did not start
22 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) Did not start




2026 Drivers’ Championship
1 Kimi Antonelli 100
2 George Russell 80
3 Charles Leclerc 63

2026 Constructors’ Championship
1 Mercedes 180
2 Ferrari 112
3 McLaren 94