17:18
Lap 9/19
Antonelli has gotten by Russell again, while Hamilton has been allowed back through to sixth by Verstappen.
Norris still leads Piastri comfortably.
Lando Norris, McLaren Racing, 2026 Miami F1
© Dunbar / XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Miami LIVE: Lando Norris eases to sprint win
Live text coverage of Saturday's sprint and main qualifying action from the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix
Key Moments
- Sprint is underway
- Norris wins the sprint with ease
- Hulkenberg a non-starter after major blow-up
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 sees 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.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris will start on pole for today's sprint, having topped a tight sprint qualifying on Friday evening in Miami.
The vastly updated McLaren appears to be working well this weekend so far, with Oscar Piastri third after a scrappy lap in the sister car.
Mercedes looks to be on the back foot, as it elected against any major updates ahead of a significant package of upgrades for the Canadian Grand Prix in a few weeks.
Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli was second on the grid in sprint qualifying, while team-mate George Russell was sixth.
Ferrari's updated car looked like it was delivering across Friday, but Charles Leclerc only came away with a best of fourth in sprint qualifying.
Max Verstappen was much happier with his Red Bull after Friday, claiming that he can "trust" it more than in the opening three rounds, as he starts fifth for the sprint.
The sprint will be followed by main qualifying for Sunday's race.
2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix: Saturday schedule
Sprint - 5pm BST
Qualifying - 9pm BST
02 May 2026
17:17
Verstappen is coming back at Hamilton and runs him off track into Turn 11!
Verstappen also went off.
17:16
Lap 8/19
Russell fends off a response from Antonelli into Turn 1. Norris still leads, now 2.3s clear of Piastri.
17:16
Indeed, Russell has overtaken Antonelli for fourth into Turn 17.
17:15
Antonelli has a bit of a slide into Turn 15. Is he already struggling with grip?
17:14
Verstappen was complaining on the radio about braking in his Red Bull. He's about a second behind Hamilton in seventh now.
17:14
Lap 7/19
Standings at the end of lap six:
- Norris
- Piastri
- Leclerc
- Antonelli
- Russell
- Hamilton
- Verstappen
- Gasly
- Colapinto
- Hadjar
- Bortoleto
- Bearman
- Ocon
- Sainz
- Albon
- Perez
- Lawson
- Bottas
- Stroll
- Alonso
17:13
Antonelli is dropping away from Leclerc a little, while Hamilton is continuing to close Russell for fifth.
17:12
Lap 6/19
No change at the front onto lap six. Norris now 1.8s clear of Piastri.
17:12
Replay of the start.
17:11
Lap 5/19
Norris' lead is up to 1.6s at the start of lap five.
17:10
Lap 4/19
Norris continues to lead onto lap four, but Piastri is slightly closer.
Leclerc is not factoring into this victory battle right now.
17:09
Somewhere in the first two laps he's gotten by Verstappen again.
17:09
Hamilton has the fastest lap in sixth and he is getting closer to the Mercedes duo.
17:08
Lap 3/19
Two laps down, Norris' leads by 1.2s over Piastri, with Leclerc still third.
Lindblad did not get out for this sprint in the end.
17:08
Leclerc is not happy with Antonelli: "Kimi is so bad at wheel-to-wheel"
17:07
Antonelli had a look at Leclerc into Turn 4 but couldn't find a way through.
He's tried again into Turn 11, but fails again.
17:06
Lap 2/19
Onto the second lap, Norris leads Piastri by almost a second, while Leclerc holds third from Antonelli and Russell.
Verstappen is sixth from Hamilton, Gasly, Colapinto and Bortoleto.
17:05
Norris leads Piastri into Turn from Leclerc. Antonelli is down to fourth.
Verstappen and Hamilton make contact but both survive!
17:05
F1 Miami sprint: Start - Lap 1/19
The F1 Miami Grand Prix sprint is GO!
17:02
F1 Miami sprint - Tyre choice
So, everyone is on the medium tyres, aside from Perez and Bottas (Hard) and Stroll and Alonso (Soft).
17:01
In all races so far this season, we've seen the Ferraris have rapid starts. Much shorter run to Turn 1 here in Miami, so that may be a bit harder for Ferrari.
17:00
F1 Miami sprint - warm-up lap
The warm-up lap is underway.
16:56
Five minutes to go!
16:52
Our man on the ground, Adam Cooper, reports that we may see another non-starter in the form of Lindblad. Let's keep an eye on that.