Lando Norris banked his first victory of 2026 and of his title defence with a commanding win in the Miami Sprint, heading Oscar Piastri for a McLaren one-two. The 19-lap dash at the Miami International Autodrome was overshadowed by a post-race penalty for championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who slipped from fourth to sixth.
Antonelli crossed the line in fourth for Mercedes but was handed a five-second penalty for repeat track-limits infringements. The sanction elevated team-mate George Russell to fourth and trimmed Antonelli’s championship advantage to seven points ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Norris looked untouchable from the outset. Having become the first non-Mercedes driver to take a pole position this season on Friday, the world champion converted cleanly at the start and never relinquished control, ending Mercedes’ previously perfect Sprint/Grand Prix winning record in 2026.
The tone was set when Norris launched crisply while Antonelli again lost ground off the line, continuing an unwanted trend of slipping back at every start this year amid a lack of grip. Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc swept past the lead Mercedes, and Leclerc shadowed the second McLaren to the finish in third to continue Ferrari’s run of third places in every Grand Prix and Sprint so far this season.
Further back, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen renewed their rivalry with wheel-to-wheel sparring on the opening lap. Hamilton initially got ahead, but Verstappen appeared to have the stronger pace; an overtake on lap eight was scrubbed when he completed the move by running both cars wide at Turn 11 and had to hand the place back. The Red Bull driver executed the pass cleanly next time by and pulled away to take fifth.
Hamilton’s speed faded and he finished seventh. Pierre Gasly collected the final point in eighth for Alpine after passing team-mate Franco Colapinto on the opening lap.
McLaren’s resurgence follows a suite of upgrades to the MCL40 introduced for the first race after the sport’s enforced April break, returning the two-time reigning constructors’ champions to the front fight. Norris, who had not finished higher than fourth across the first three Grands Prix and one Sprint, won by 3.8 seconds from Piastri and has looked in the groove around Miami all weekend.
"Nice to be back on the top step! A good day for us," said Norris. "It was hot out there and sweaty. I was pushing, trying to find that balance of pushing and staying relaxed to not make mistakes. "A good start to the weekend but now I've got to do it all over again."
With only limited points available in the Sprint, Norris remains 42 points behind Antonelli in the Drivers' Championship, although that is two points closer than it would have been without the Mercedes driver’s track-limits penalty.
Grand Prix qualifying is scheduled for 9pm UK time on Saturday, before Sunday’s full-distance race. The key questions now: can McLaren carry its Sprint form into the Grand Prix, and can Antonelli tidy up his starts and stay within the lines to protect his title lead?
Source: skysports.com