Lando Norris will start from the front in Saturday’s 19-lap sprint after topping qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, edging championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 0.222 seconds as McLaren’s major upgrade package made an immediate impact.
Oscar Piastri secured third in the sister McLaren, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc taking fourth. Max Verstappen will line up fifth ahead of George Russell in sixth, while Lewis Hamilton starts seventh for Ferrari.
The result checks Mercedes’ dominance of the opening phase of the season. The team had won the first three grands prix and locked out 1-2 in every full and sprint qualifying session, but its grip was loosened on the temporary circuit around Hard Rock Stadium after a five-week break prompted by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races. Antonelli won the most recent round in Japan on March 29.
Leclerc appeared to have the upper hand through much of the sprint qualifying session, but Norris found time on his final run on soft tires to seize top spot. Antonelli’s late effort was strong but not quite enough to deny McLaren the headline.
In Miami, teams arrived with extensive upgrade packages, with Ferrari and McLaren introducing the most comprehensive revisions in their bid to close the gap to Mercedes. By contrast, Mercedes made only minor tweaks to its car.
Norris sits fifth in the drivers’ standings and trails Antonelli by 47 points in the early running. Verstappen, a four-time champion who had not qualified higher than eighth this season and is ninth in the standings, looked more at ease with Red Bull’s updated car.
Russell struggled for outright pace and will start sixth, slotting in behind Verstappen. Hamilton’s seventh place underlines how tight the pecking order has become as the development race accelerates in earnest.
Weather is a mounting concern for Sunday’s grand prix, with heavy rain and thunderstorms in the forecast that could disrupt proceedings. In line with state law regarding lightning near sporting events, the FIA is evaluating contingency plans that could include adjusting the start time of the 57-lap race.
What to watch next: whether McLaren can convert sprint pole into points on Saturday; how Ferrari’s upgrade stack translates over race distance; and if Mercedes can reassert its authority after seeing its early-season momentum interrupted. All eyes will also be on the skies as organizers weigh schedule changes ahead of Sunday’s main event.
Source: espn.com