Lando Norris won the sprint qualifying.
Sunny. Dry. Air +31…30°C, track +53…50°C
The forced pause in the calendar after Suzuki turned out to be long, but it included the adoption of amendments to the regulations following the results of the first three Grands Prix, and four weeks of intense work with the cars, so on May 1 in Miami, the 2026 season was announced to restart. The first changes in the power dynamics were already evident on Friday during the qualifying for the sprint.
In the only practice session, the duration of which was increased to 90 minutes due to changes in the regulations, Charles Leclerc set the best time, but the teams were focused on numerous tests and hardly worked on speed.
The leader of the personal standings, Kimi Antonelli, ended the practice early due to power unit issues, but by the start of qualifying, Mercedes managed to restore the car by replacing the battery – and assembled it literally in the last minutes.
Pirelli brought the "soft" trio of compounds – C3, C4, and C5 as Hard, Medium, and Soft.
The qualifying for the sprint sorted everything out.
In the first session, the drivers went out on Mediums, as required by the rules. Traffic was an issue, and everyone tried to leave enough space in front for an attack.
Stroll stopped in the safety zone of Turn 17, causing yellow flags to be waved, but then continued moving.
In the first attempt, Leclerc set the best time, completing a lap in 1:29.290 and beating Antonelli by 22 thousandths. Lawson returned to the pits, interrupting his attempt after locking up the tires.
In the second attempt, the McLaren drivers moved ahead – Norris topped the protocol with 1:28.723.
Stroll, after two off-track excursions, stopped the car in the pits and withdrew from the competition without setting a time. His teammate Alonso was 12 seconds behind the leader – his last lap was canceled due to exceeding track limits.
Norris's time remained the best, with Lawson, Ocon, Perez, Bottas, Alonso, and Stroll eliminated from further contention.
In the second session, everyone went out on Mediums again. Gasly was released directly into Verstappen's car in the pit lane. Pierre managed to stop, and Max passed him.
In the first attempt, Leclerc set the best time – 1:28.470. Berman skipped the first attempt, while Piastre, who was four hundredths behind the leader, skipped the second.
In the second attempt, Leclerc improved – 1:28.333, maintaining the lead. Antonelli also improved, while the others did not.
Bortoleto, Hülkenberg, Berman, Albon, Sainz, and Lindblad did not make it to the final.
In the final, everyone went out on Softs for a single attempt. Norris topped the protocol with 1:27.869, and no one could surpass him. Antonelli came closest, finishing two tenths behind.
Lando Norris won the qualifying for the sprint in Miami, securing his fifth pole in this session.
Norris and Antonelli will start from the front row in the sprint, with Piastre and Leclerc from the second row, and Verstappen and Russell from the third.
The power dynamics have indeed changed!
Sprint qualifying results
Driver
Team
1st session
2nd session
3rd session
M
Time
Laps
M
Time
Laps
M
Time
Laps
1. L. Norris
McLaren
1
1:28.723
7
7
1:29.366
5
1
1:27.869
3
2. K. Antonelli
Mercedes
5
1:29.312
5
6
1:29.209
6
2
1:28.091
3
3. O. Piastre
McLaren
3
1:29.169
5
2
1:28.506
3
3
1:28.108
3
4. C. Leclerc
Ferrari
2
1:28.733
6
1
1:28.333
6
4
1:28.239
3
5. M. Verstappen
Red Bull
7
1:29.801
3
5
1:29.093
6
5
1:28.461
3
6. G. Russell
Mercedes
6
1:29.659
6
4
1:28.903
6
6
1:28.493
3
7. L. Hamilton
Ferrari
4
1:29.255
6
3
1:28.841
6
7
1:28.618
3
8. F. Colapinto
Alpine
11
1:30.386
6
8
1:29.527
6
8
1:29.320
3
9. A. Hadjar
Red Bull
10
1:30.352
6
9
1:29.750
6
9
1:29.422
3
10. P. Gasly
Alpine
8
1:29.984
6
10
1:29.973
6
10
1:29.474
3
11. G. Bortoleto
Audi
12
1:30.561
6
11
1:29.994
6
12. N. Hülkenberg
Audi
9
1:30.270
6
12
1:30.019
6
13. O. Berman
Haas
13
1:30.614
6
13
1:30.116
3
14. A. Albon
Williams
16
1:30.988
6
14
1:30.216
6
15. C. Sainz
Williams
15
1:30.987
6
15
1:30.224
6
16. A. Lindblad
Racing Bulls
14
1:30.872
6
16
1:30.573
3
17. L. Lawson
Racing Bulls
17
1:31.043
5
18. E. Ocon
Haas
18
1:31.245
6
19. S. Perez
Cadillac
19
1:31.255
3
20. V. Bottas
Cadillac
20
1:31.826
6
21. F. Alonso
Aston Martin
21
1:41.311
6
22. L. Stroll
Aston Martin
22
–
3
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