17:02
It's absolutely scorching out there. Air temp is up at 30 degrees Celsius. Track temp is at 54C already.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2026 Miami GP
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Miami LIVE: Leclerc leads early stages of sprint qualifying
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Miami Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Sprint qualifying is underway
- Leclerc early leader in SQ1
- Problems for Stroll in SQ1
The 2026 Formula 1 season resumes this weekend, as the series makes its first of three visits to the United States of America, beginning with the Miami Grand Prix.
A recent addition to the calendar, the circuit around the Miami Dolphins' NFL stadium marks the fourth round of the 2026 season and the first race in five weeks.
The war in Iran forced F1 to cancel the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, meaning no racing took place in April. However, this offered the 11 teams plenty of time to work on car development.
More significantly, this weekend's Miami Grand Prix will see the debut of new engine regulations aimed at improving the qualifying spectacle, as well as safety, following the scary shunt for Ollie Bearman at the Japanese Grand Prix.
As a result, FP1 on Friday has been extended to 90 minutes to allow the teams extra time to understand the new energy deployment regulations.
But that will represent the only practice for the weekend, with sprint qualifying following later on Friday, with the sprint itself on Saturday morning and then qualifying for the main race on Sunday.
Mercedes' dominant start to the new campaign sees it come to Miami with a target on its back, as its rivals look to close the gap to the championship leader.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli also leads the drivers' standings, following back-to-back wins in China and Japan, opening up an intriguing intra-team dynamic between himself and George Russell coming into the Miami Grand Prix.
Ferrari has brought a raft of updates to its car as it looks to continue its strong start to the campaign, as well as close down the performance gap to Mercedes.
2026 Miami Grand Prix Friday schedule
FP1: 5pm BST - 6:30pm BST
Sprint qualifying: 9:30pm BST - 10:14pm BST
01 May 2026
17:00
Carlos Sains and Charles Leclerc are the first on track.
17:00
Green flag: F1 Miami FP1 is underway
Pitlane has gone green.
FP1 at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix is underway.
16:57
Charles Leclerc also has a fresh lid for this weekend's Miami GP.
16:55
Five minutes till pitlane opens.
16:49
Extensive Ferrari updates revealed ahead of F1 Miami Grand Prix as it looks to close down Mercedes
Ferrari headlines the upgrades F1 teams have brought to the Miami Grand Prix.
Extensive Ferrari updates revealed ahead of F1 Miami Grand Prix as it looks to close down Mercedes
Ferrari's upgraded 2026 F1 challenger (pic: Adam Cooper)
16:45
15 minutes until FP1 goes green.
16:38
F1 Miami weather could cause some headaches
It's lovely ahead of FP1, but there are threats of thunderstorms this weekend, which could lead to some schedule headaches.
Read more ⬇️
Why a unique US lightning law could stop the F1 Miami Grand Prix
Thunderstorms and rain are forecast to hit Miami on race day
16:33
30-minute FP1 warning
Just half an hour until cars are on track for FP1.
16:31
Aston Martin limits "miracle" expectations over Honda countermeasures
Aston Martin's start to the season has been... not great, to put it mildly.
Over the break, Honda was able to implement some countermeasures for the vibration issues it's been suffering.
But Aston has downplayed any major step forward in Miami.
Aston Martin limits "miracle" expectations over Honda countermeasures
Alonso in the Aston Martin AMR26
© XPB Images
16:26
There's a considerable American presence on the grid this year in Miami.
As mentioned, we have Cadillac. There's also Haas and, of course, Ford's return to its homeland as an engine partner with Red Bull.
The search for the next US F1 driver goes on, but Colton Herta will have the crowd's support this weekend in F2.
16:19
Remembering Ayrton Senna
Though we're all excited for F1's return, let's not forget that today is one tinged with sadness, as we remember the passing of Ayrton Senna on this day in 1994.
All of Ayrton Senna's F1 championship-winning cars
Senna in the McLaren MP4/4
© XPB Images
16:14
Cadillac enters its first home grand prix as an F1 manufacturer. Sergio Perez has a nice, one-off helmet to mark the occasion.
16:13
McLaren has a 'completely new' car for Miami, but don't get too excited
Just about every team has brought a significant set of upgrades to the Miami Grand Prix.
McLaren says it has a 'completely new' car, as it hopes to put on a repeat of its recent Miami success and close the competitive gap to Mercedes.
But Lando Norris has warned against getting too excited about the updates.
Lando Norris urges caution over debut of 'completely new' McLaren for F1 Miami
Norris is hopeful McLaren can make a step forward in Miami
16:11
This is, of course, a sprint weekend. So, we'll have only one practice session before we get into the meaty stuff.
Sprint qualifying is up later this evening.
16:10
The Formula 2 field has already been out on track today at Miami. Conditions look good, circuit looks in nice shape ahead of FP1.
16:07
F1's revised engine rules explained
In case you're not aware what has changed for the Miami weekend, then we've got you.
Catch up on all of the details of the engine rule changes below ⬇️
Everything you need to know about F1's revised 2026 rules ahead of Miami GP
Antonelli has won the last two F1 races
16:03
This session has been extended from one hour to 90 minutes, owing to the changes in regulations regarding the power unit.
The FIA also felt, given the five-week break, it was pertinent to allow the drivers and teams some more track time to shake off the rust.
16:00
Miami F1: FP1 build-up
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix!
F1 cars will be back on track in one hour's time for FP1.