F1 Miami GP live commentary and updates - sprint race

Thanks for joining us - we'll be back a bit later for full grand prix qualifying! See you then!

Full Miami sprint report

Formula 1

F1 Miami GP: Norris leads dominant McLaren 1-2 in sprint race

Lando Norris took McLaren's first win in the 2026 F1 campaign aboard a heavily upgraded MCL40

Lando Norris, Miami sprint winner: "It was a good race, nice to be back on the top step, even if it's a sprint. Massive job from the team in bringing the upgrades, I know it seems like everyone's saying the same thing, but ours have really helped this weekend. It was hot out there, sweaty! I was trying to find that balance of pushing and not making mistakes. Now we have to do it all again!"

Oscar Piastri, second in the Miami sprint: "I think mostly we had a little bit to find to stay with Lando. But it was a good morning, and let's what we can do for qualifying. Everyone else will learn a lot, but so will we, so hopefully we can maintain that through the rest of the weekend."

Charles Leclerc, third in the Miami sprint: "The upgrades worked well, and I'm satisfied with that. Unfortunately I'm not satisfied with P3, I wish we were a little bit higher but McLaren brought significant upgrades as well and did a big step forward. But we are not too far, so tomorrow if we put everything together we can start a bit higher and it makes our life a bit easy."

"Let's do it all again," Norris says over the radio, matter-of-factly. McLaren looked very comfortable and won't want to change too much now that parc ferme will reopen - Ferrari and Mercedes might want to do a bit more.

Antonelli might be in a spot of bother - he got a black-and-white flag for track limits, and then got pinged another time. This has been noted by the stewards.

Norris wins the Miami sprint

Pole to win, easy as you like for Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri completes the McLaren 1-2, 3.7s down, while Charles Leclerc completes the top three.

Antonelli leads Russell home, as Verstappen's late charge is too late, as Hamilton and Gasly complete the top eight.

Ocon wins out in a battle between the Haas drivers to the line.

Norris has been serene out in front, looking very comfortable with this revised McLaren. 

Verstappen, meanwhile, is closing in on Russell - but will probably run out of time to make a move.

Leclerc goes wide at Turn 11, and then again at Turn 17 - I think his tyres might be toast. This is good news for Piastri, who seems to have weathered the storm.

Hadjar's snatched ninth from Colapinto there, opting for the surprise attack in the opening sector. The Argentine fights back in Turn 11, but Hadjar has this for now and holds position through the back straight.

Norris, meanwhile, is now 4.2s clear of the field.

Little snap for Leclerc through the opening sector, as the dirty air from Piastri hurts the front end balance a little bit. 

Hadjar is sat in Colapinto's wake, but the Argentine is trying to keep the Frenchman at bay - the Alpine's straight-line speed seems to be more than a match for the Red Bull.

Norris has a 3.3s lead, with Piastri one second ahead of Leclerc. Antonelli is 3.7s back, having asserted himself ahead of Russell, while Verstappen seems to have dispatched Hamilton.

Leclerc is continuing to try and sit within Piastri's wake, but it's really difficult to stay there.

Albon pits for a new front wing, relieving the pressure on Sainz as the Williams driver attacks the two Haas drivers.

Leclerc is still on Piastri's tail, 0.8s behind and hoping to make inroads on the Australian.

Antonelli and Russell are some way behind, as is Verstappen.

Sainz is having a look at Bearman now, as the Haas driver was overtaken by team-mate Ocon. 

Otherwise, there's not too many battles going on; Hadjar has closed down Colapinto, but rear tyre temperatures seem to be the limitation here.

We've got Ocon attacking Bearman, and Albon attacking Sainz at the moment in the lower midfield. 

Leclerc is now within one second of Piastri.

It looks like we're in tyre overheating land at the moment; Leclerc can't make any inroads into the McLarens at the moment, as Norris has almost 3s over Piastri, who is over a second clear of Leclerc.

Ocon's Haas sheds some debris, but it's off the racing line.

Verstappen makes a slightly more legit pass on Hamilton this time, down the inside of Turn 17 this time. Looked pretty easy, as Hamilton tries to keep touch with the Red Bull.

Norris is 2.2s clear of Piastri, and lapping fastest of anyone. 

All action along the back straight, as Antonelli steams back past Russell.

Meanwhile, Verstappen makes a lunge on Hamilton at Turn 11, but went off-track in taking sixth - so Verstappen has to give the place back.

Perez's midfield charge has petered out a bit, and Albon has been able to get past as Williams has almost a second a lap in hand.

Russell now makes a move on Antonelli, diving down the inside at Turn 17, and resists his team-mate's attempt at a riposte.

"I can't really brake, the rear axle is jumping up and down," Verstappen reports. He is just on the cusp of Hamilton's overtake range, but 4.8s clear of Gasly now.

Antonelli's now 1.2s down on Leclerc, which gives Russell and Hamilton a chance here.

Replay of Antonelli's start, just gets bogged down but then blends off the brakes later than Russell to keep fourth.

Verstappen doesn't get a great start either, and ends up being caught between Hamilton and Gasly.

Norris has a 1.7s lead up front over Piastri; McLaren looks very comfortable here.

Norris is leading Piastri by 1.5s, with Leclerc a further 1.3s back. Leclerc has Antonelli, Russell, Hamilton, and Verstappen all in his overtake range.

Hadjar has staunched the position haemorrhaging and is now trying to close down Bortoleto once more for 10th. The Frenchman blasts past at Turn 17.

Perez is having a cracker so far, and gets past Lawson for 15th - and is now trying to reel in Sainz. Hard tyres on the Cadillacs are looking like a good call at the moment, as Bottas closes in on Albon.

Hamilton is trying to close in on the Mercedes pair, who are also trying to close down Leclerc. This is bringing Verstappen into play, while Gasly might be able to close in here too.

Hamilton indeed dispatches Verstappen, while Hadjar is losing further places - Bearman gets past...although the Red Bull driver reclaims 11th.

Antonelli has a go at Leclerc, but can't find a way through into Turn 8 or Turn 11. Leclerc takes a dim view: "Kimi is so bad at wheel-to-wheel, I feel like we're going to crash," the Monegasque says.

The formation lap is about to come to an end, and then we'll have 19 laps of hopefully wheel-to-wheel action.

Final chance to build some tyre temperature, then, as Norris brings the field back around to the grid now...

Tyre strategy

The top 16 drivers are all on mediums. Perez and Bottas have hard tyres, and it's softs for the two Aston Martins.

Cadillac and Aston not expecting to get anything out of this race, so it's a good chance to get some race data on the two compounds.

Miami sprint - coming up!

Not long to go now until we get underway at the Miami International Autodrome. Norris from Antonelli, from Piastri, from Leclerc. Getting a good start is one thing, but who's got the race pace?

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images

We have a minute's silence for Alex Zanardi on the grid, who passed away yesterday. A legend in motorsport, and later a Paralympic handcycling champion. Rest in peace, Alex.

Alessandro Zanardi, Jordan 191 Ford

Photo by: Motorsport Images

20 cars on the grid

We're without one car, then, with Hulkenberg's power unit fire. Arvid Lindblad is also starting from the pit lane, thus leaving us with 20 cars on the grid.

19 laps of this Miami sprint, then: lots to be won and lost at the start, especially as the McLarens, Ferraris, and Mercedes look good. How will their race pace stack up?

Hulkenberg to DNS after fire

Starting Grid for sprint race

*Albon lost his SQ2 laps and best SQ1 lap for track limits.

** Lindblad started from the pitlane after breaking parc ferme

View from the front row

In the orange corner we've got reigning champion Lando Norris, on pole for today's sprint race and looking to make the most of McLaren's updates for this race.

In the silver corner: current championship leader Kimi Antonelli. The Italian's late lap in SQ3 ensured that he could split the two McLarens.

Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc are just behind them on row two.

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Alex Zanardi - 1966-2026

IMSA

Alex Zanardi dies at the age of 59

The sporting world mourns the Bologna-born CART champion and Paralympic gold medallist, who passed away on May 1 nearly six years after a terrible crash while taking part in a handbike relay

Sprint qualifying: recap

Lando Norris topped sprint qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix, defeating championship leader Kimi Antonelli in an upgraded McLaren Formula 1 car.

Norris headlined what turned into a single-lap SQ3 shoot-out at the Miami International Autodrome, handing early 2026 dominator Mercedes a first defeat.

Formula 1

F1 Miami GP: Norris beats Antonelli to sprint race pole with upgraded McLaren

Mercedes suffers its first qualifying defeat of 2026 as rivals bring upgrades to Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix