Lando Norris breaks Mercedes' 2026 qualifying streak with sprint pole at F1 Miami GP
Lando Norris takes surprise pole in Miami to break Mercedes' qualifying domination.
Lando Norris produced a stunning lap to beat Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli to pole position at the Miami Grand Prix as the 2026 Formula 1 season resumed.
The reigning world champion was untouchable in a one-lap shootout for pole as he outpaced early 2026 points leader Antonelli by 0.222 seconds in his heavily-upgraded McLaren.
Oscar Piastri backed up McLaren’s improvements during the enforced five-week break in April by putting his revised MCL40 third on the grid, 0.239s behind his team-mate.
The result was something of a turn up for the books as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had looked like the driver to beat until SQ3. The Monegasque ultimately had to settle with fourth as he ended up 0.370s adrift.
It also marked the first non-Mercedes pole of the 2026 F1 season.
"A perfect result for us. A nice way to reward the team," Norris said.
"We have a lot of new upgrades on the car. It's nice to feel some grip again and to reward the guys and the girls that have put a lot of work into this.
"I've always loved Miami on and off the track. It's the beginning of the weekend, so still a long way to go but nice to tick things off by doing this."
Max Verstappen secured fifth in his improved Red Bull, but was over half a second off the pace.
George Russell, who has lagged behind his team-mate and closest rival Antonelli throughout Friday’s running, was a disappointing sixth in the other Mercedes, some six tenths down.
Lewis Hamilton also struggled to match his Ferrari team-mate and could only take seventh, with the seven-time world champion over seven tenths off Norris’s pole time.
Franco Colapinto claimed a strong eighth, ahead of Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull and Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly, who completed the top-10 in SQ3.
Gabriel Bortoleto was the lead Audi in 11th, ahead of experienced team-mate Nico Hulkenberg as the German marque narrowly missed out on SQ3.
Ollie Bearman was 13th for Haas, having edged out the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, who were line-a-stern in 14th and 15th, with Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad the slowest of the SQ2 runners in 16th.
Next up was Liam Lawson, who couldn’t get out of SQ1 in his Racing Bulls as he took 17th, ahead of the second Haas of Esteban Ocon.
Cadillac’s first F1 upgrade was not enough to lift the American outfit out of the first part of its maiden qualifying on home soil, with Sergio Perez nearly six tenths clear of team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
The Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will form the final row on the grid for the sprint race as they once again ended up as the slowest cars, miles off the pace.
Stroll did not even complete a timed lap after ruining his first flying effort with a massive lock-up at the final hairpin.
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