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.
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
- Qualifying for the Miami GP is at 9pm BST
- 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
16:51
Ferrari shares its tribute to Zanardi.
16:46
The grid is now observing a minute's silence for the late Alex Zanardi.
16:45
15 minutes until lights out.
16:44
Some pictures of Hulkenberg's issue.
16:43
Allan McNish on Hulkenberg's issue: "We had something in the garage, which we thought was sorted out, and obviously we've had a problem on the way to the grid...we need to get it back before we can really see [if the car can go out in qualifying].
16:40
DNS - Nico Hulkenberg
Audi's Nico Hulkenberg has had a massive blow-up on his way to the grid. He's stopped on track now.
He was due to go from 12th on the grid. Audi now faces a race against time to get that car ready for qualifying later.
A literal baptism of fire for new Audi boss Allan McNish!
16:38
It's going to be a punishing sprint for the drivers and the cars. Air temp is up at 32C right now.
16:35
F1 Miami: Sprint grid
| 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix - Sprint grid | |||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team |
| 1 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 6 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP |
| 8 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 15 | Arvid Lindblad** | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 16 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team |
| 18 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 19 | Alex Albon * | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team |
*Grid penalty
**Pitlane start
16:34
Penalty - Alex Albon
Alex Albon was given a grid penalty following a track limits violation in sprint qualifying. However, it wasn't a straightforward investigation.
Read more ⬇️
Albon was penalised after the session
16:32
This sprint will be 19 laps.
16:31
Pitlane is open for the sighting lap to the grid.
16:30
F1 Miami sprint - 30-minute warning
Just 30 minutes until the second sprint of the season begins.
16:27
F1 Miami timetable changes to be discussed amid thunderstorm threat
Due to threats of thunderstorms on Sunday, a meeting will be held after F1 qualifying to discuss possible schedule changes.
F1 Miami timetable changes to be discussed amid thunderstorm threat
Sunday's Miami GP is at risk of being affected by thunderstorms
16:23
Williams paying tribute to Zanardi on its car today.
All teams are carrying messages to the late racer.
16:15
Penalty - Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad will start the sprint from pitlane for a parc ferme violation.
Lindblad has impressed in his early F1 races
16:09
Ex-F1 driver and Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi has died
Before we go any further with today's action, we got the news this morning that former F1 driver, two-time CART champion and Paralympic gold medal winner Alex Zanardi passed away suddenly on 1 May.
Zanardi suffered life-changing injuries in a CART crash in 2001, but continued car racing afterwards and took up handcycling too.
He was an inspirational figure in the world of motorsport and parasports.
Crash.net sends its condolences to Zanardi's family.
Ex-F1 driver and Paralympic gold medalist Alex Zanardi has died
Alex Zanardi, pictured in 2015, has died at the age of 59
© XPB Images
16:05
McLaren “didn’t luck into” Miami F1 sprint qualifying pole, but Mercedes warning issued
McLaren has a vastly updated car in Miami, which seems to be delivering the goods.
Oscar Piastri backed the pace seen by the McLarens, but did issue a warning about Mercedes still coming into today as the favourite.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, 2026 Miami F1
© XPB Images
16:02
Lando Norris starts from pole position, marking the first non-Mercedes pole of the 2026 season.
That said, it's still a Mercedes power unit leading the way!
16:01
Miami F1 sprint build-up
Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
We are sprinting in just under an hour. Who's excited?