18:05
Oh no, Leclerc has survived all of that chaos and is well clear of Antonelli and Norris.
Hamilton has made contact with Colapinto at Turn 11.
Verstappen is down in ninth!
2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Miami LIVE: Charles Leclerc leads, Max Verstappen spins
Lap-by-lap commentary from the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- F1 Miami GP is underway
- Leclerc leads chaotic start
- Antonelli starts on pole
- Hadjar thrown out of qualifying for car infringement
The fourth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Miami Grand Prix.
F1 returns following a five-week hiatus after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds were cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.
This weekend's Miami Grand Prix began with tweaks made to the power unit regulations, following meetings between F1 and its stakeholders during the month of April.
Most of the teams used the break as an opportunity to upgrade their cars, with Red Bull and McLaren bringing the most substantial update packages.
But it is still Mercedes who is the team to beat coming into Sunday's grand prix, after championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped qualifying.
After struggling in the sprint on Saturday, Antonelli snatched pole in a tense session that saw Red Bull's Max Verstappen his nearest challenger.
Ferrari will start third with Charles Leclerc, while sprint winner Lando Norris is fourth in the McLaren. George Russell will have to dig deep at a circuit he doesn't favour to get back on terms with his Mercedes team-mate Antonelli from fifth.
Lewis Hamilton was unhappy with his Ferrari in sixth in qualifying, while Oscar Piastri struggled to seventh in the second of the McLarens.
Alpine's Franco Colapinto was eighth in his second Q3 appearance in F1, while Red Bull's Isack Hadjar was due to start from ninth. However, he was disqualified from the result due to a technical infringement. It means Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) complete the top 10.
Thunderstorm warnings forced F1 to bring forward the start time of the Miami Grand Prix to 6pm BST, though it is still set to be a wet race.
This will be the first time the 2026 cars have raced in the wet, with most drivers yet to do any laps in the rain in these new machines.
2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix: Sunday schedule
Race (57 laps) - 6pm BST
03 May 2026
18:05
Antonelli is now back in the lead!
18:04
Leclerc leads into Turn 1 as Verstappen spins!
18:04
F1 Miami - Start (Lap1/57)
The 57-lap Miami Grand Prix is GO!
18:01
Looks like Hadjar will start on hard tyres.
18:00
F1 Miami - Warm-up lap
The warm-up lap is underway.
It's still dry for now.
17:56
F1 Miami - Tyre choice
Looks like everyone will be starting on the medium tyre, according to the timing information.
17:53
Air temperature is a lot cooler compared to yesterday at just 26C, with a track temp of 35C.
17:51
10 minutes till lights out!
17:49
Starts have been a real problem for Red Bull and for Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes so far this year.
Even with such a short run down to Turn 1 here in Miami, got to feel that Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari is best-placed to be leading at the start of this grand prix.
17:45
Pitlane start for Hadjar
Isack Hadjar will now be starting from pitlane, following his qualifying disqualification.
17:40
Just 20 minutes until lights out. The rain is staying away, but it is dark out there.
17:34
F1 Miami - Starting grid
| 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix - Starting Grid | |||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team |
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 4 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team |
| 5 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 13 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 15 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 16 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 21 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 22 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
17:27
Not ideal for Carlos Sainz with just over half an hour until the race!
17:26
The few from the grid from our man on the ground, Adam Cooper.
17:24
If it does rain in the race, most drivers haven't done any rain laps in these new cars. Ferrari has, however.
This is what Fernando Alonso had to say about it yesterday:
“In dry conditions, we [Aston] have no chance. In wet conditions, we probably don’t have a chance either, but you never know what can happen in a wet race. It will be the first time with these cars and these rules to drive in the wet. Only Ferrari had that luxury, with unlimited tests with Pirelli and all those things. But for us, we just need to take our opportunities on the races. We are not Ferrari. We need to learn from that."
17:18
Weather update
At the moment, it is dry with just under 45 minutes until lights out.
But storms are on the radar this afternoon.
17:17
FIA’s Ben Sulayem claims F1 V8 return “is coming”, pushing for 2030 switch
Away from the racing in Miami, FIA president Ben Sulayem said a return to V8s is "coming".
Read more ⬇️
FIA’s Ben Sulayem claims F1 V8 return “is coming”, pushing for 2030 switch
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, 2026 Miami F1
© XPB Images
17:05
F1 Miami delivers Aston Martin first win of 2026: “The car behaves normal now”
Aston Martin brought no performance upgrades to Miami. But, Honda's work over the April break has seen the vibration issues cured, according to Fernando Alonso.
F1 Miami delivers Aston Martin first win of 2026: “The car behaves normal now”
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, 2026 Miami F1
© XPB Images
16:59
F1 Miami - 60-minute warning
This is your one-hour warning until the start of the Miami Grand Prix.
16:50
Rain has been pouring over the Miami circuit today.
16:45
Milestone day for Bottas at Miami F1
Valtteri Bottas celebrates a big career milestone today!
16:44
Isack Hadjar thrown out of Miami F1 qualifying over car infringement
While it was a good day on one side of the Red Bull box on Saturday, it was less so for Isack Hadjar.
He has been stripped of ninth and will start at the back of the grid due to a technical infringement with his car.
Isack Hadjar thrown out of Miami F1 qualifying over car infringement
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing, 2026 Miami F1
© XPB Images
16:41
Ferrari starts third and sixth today in Miami.
16:38
Max Verstappen pinpoints key reason behind incredible Red Bull F1 turnaround
Red Bull has brought a raft of upgrades to the Miami Grand Prix, but it's step forward has been a little surprising.
Max Verstappen will go from second on the grid today, and explained earlier why he is so much faster this weekend than in the first three rounds.
Max Verstappen pinpoints key reason behind incredible Red Bull F1 turnaround
Verstappen secured Red Bull's first front-row start of 2026 in Miami