Norris takes Miami sprint pole, ends Mercedes qualifying streak

Lando Norris turned Miami’s sprint qualifying into a warning shot for Formula 1’s front-runners, delivering McLaren’s first pole of the 2026 season and ending Mercedes’ early monopoly on the top spot. His lap of 1m 27.869s was enough to beat Kimi Antonelli by 0.222 seconds at the Miami International Autodrome, with teammate Oscar Piastri third, just 0.239 seconds off the pace.

The result mattered well beyond one sprint grid. It was the first time a non-Mercedes driver had taken pole in 2026, breaking a qualifying run that had defined the opening phase of the season. For McLaren, it marked the team’s first P1 grid slot of the year and suggested the updated car brought to Miami has moved it closer to the sharp end of the championship fight.

That mattered because the session came after Formula 1’s five-week break, when teams had time to bring upgrade packages and reset the competitive order. McLaren’s Miami revision stood out as a major step forward, and Norris’s pace backed up the impression that the team found genuine performance rather than a one-lap surprise. The margins behind him were tight enough to show how closely matched the leading groups remained, with Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull all in the picture after the pause.

For Mercedes, the end of the perfect qualifying start was the bigger shock. Antonelli had carried that early-season standard into Miami, but Norris’s lap finally pried open the door. The outcome also reinforced how rare it has been this year for any team outside Mercedes to seize the initiative on a Saturday, making McLaren’s breakthrough feel more significant than a routine front-row result.

Miami still has the potential to reshape the conversation again. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast for Sunday’s grand prix, and the FIA was considering options, including a possible change to the race start time under Florida’s lightning safety rules. If the weather disturbs the race, the sprint pole may end up as a partial read on the pecking order. If the track stays dry, Norris’s lap may be remembered as the moment McLaren announced that Mercedes’ hold on the early-season qualifying order was no longer secure.